by MarianBeaman | Jun 24, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Education, Gratitude, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Travel, Uncategorized
Lacing a belt of green and yellow gimp in crafts class Trips to the snack shop for an orange Nehi Bible study on the rocks, girls like us with braids, some with prayer caps These are my sharpest memories of Girls’ Week at Laurelville Mennonite Camp just off the...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 20, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Lists, meditation, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
March 1986: Mom and Dad Longenecker visit the families of my sister Janice and me in Jacksonville, Florida. We all enjoy Epcot in Disney World, Dad’s chance to see a faux version of the Switzerland he never actually visited but planned to some day. My...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 17, 2015 | Amish, Amish fiction, blog, book review, Conflict, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
Cool Amish guys have replaced the dreamy looking girl with a huge covering and plain dress popular on the cover of some Amish romance novels. The images have done a flip. Now the young Amish-man with suspenders and broadfall pants and straw hat takes center stage....
by MarianBeaman | Jun 13, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
The Corn Palace Bird beaks peck away at grains of corn on the walls of The Corn Palace. Still, the murals created with several colors of dried corn and grain arrest the eye. On our trip West we visited this grand monument to farmers and the grain industry they...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 10, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
The Marlboro man, pictured as a cool-guy cowboy in a fresh country setting, ruled cigarette advertising from 1954 -1999. Smoking then was considered glamorous and cool, a way to fit in with the crowd. One of our most popular presidents, Ronald Reagan, was formerly a...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 6, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Lists, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Tips, Travel, Uncategorized
The postcard says Metzie and Molly if you look closely, but Joann and I were unofficially known as Mighty Metz and Sister Styx, the dashing duo that rode in the back seat of a Chevy Impala on a road trip with Joann’s parents, John and Mary Metzler....
by MarianBeaman | Jun 3, 2015 | blog, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Travel, Uncategorized
Yes, imagine two Mennonite girls tripping across the country . . . In a blue-gray 1958 Chevy Impala sedan With a chauffeur and navigator Through 47 states + Mexico Five weeks in 1964: July 18 – August 24 My Travel Partners: The Metzlers, whom I call Aunt and Uncle,...
by MarianBeaman | May 30, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
Grand-daughter Jenna and I decided to make a rainbow cake on Memorial Day weekend. We were hoping for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the cake-making process wasn’t that easy! Here’s our step-by-step process with a few glitches noted: First,...
by MarianBeaman | May 27, 2015 | blog, book review, Conflict, Education, Literature, Quilt, Quotations, Reflection, Travel, Uncategorized
“Heidi, would you mind stopping by 329 East Bay Street before we leave town?” We were on our way out of Charleston during our recent road trip, and my niece Heidi graciously agreed to stop her SUV long enough for me to catch a snapshot of the Grimké House...
by MarianBeaman | May 23, 2015 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Mennonite History, popular culture, Reflection, Uncategorized
Catchy caption needed. Your suggestions please! Just as every issue of The New Yorker features a cartoon in need of a caption, today’s post offers a photo calling for your input. There’s one below to get your wheels turning, but I think there are other...
