by MarianBeaman | May 15, 2024 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Neighborhood / Environment, popular culture, Southern lady friends, Tips, Travel, Uncategorized
Back-up to The Blowout, part 1: How last week’s installment ended: As the morning progressed though, Cliff and I wrestled with unspoken questions: Can we still enjoy a leisurely evening and supper, spending overnight in Valdosta? (We had packed suitcases in...
by MarianBeaman | May 8, 2024 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Reflection, Travel, Uncategorized
Out of the blue there was an ear-splitting BOOM above our heads. Cliff and I looked at each other dumbfounded, jaws dropping. Apparently, the shattering of thousands of glass shards followed the BOOM in the Subaru’s moon roof. We had traveled about seventy miles west...
by MarianBeaman | Apr 1, 2024 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Vintage card from the archives of Miss Ruth Longenecker I’ll be taking a break now . . . back...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 27, 2024 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
Springtime At Rheems Elementary, a two-room school of eight grades, we observed a daily ritual: Bell ringing from the school-house steeple (always by a boy), Bible reading, the Lord’s Prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and then singing before morning lessons began....
by MarianBeaman | Mar 13, 2024 | blog, Easter, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, neighborhood, Neighborhood / Environment, Quotations, Uncategorized
Is it spring? Is it winter? As I write, the Weather Channel reports that a late winter storm is blanketing the Northwest and the Midwest while warm temps tease those in warmer climes. Author Kawaguchi of Tales from the Cafe expresses eloquently the fickle fits of...
by MarianBeaman | Feb 28, 2024 | blog, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, popular culture, Tips, Uncategorized
“Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell reclaims her life by cooking every single recipe in Julia Child’s legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of one year. It’s a hysterical, inconceivably redemptive...
by MarianBeaman | Feb 14, 2024 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Reflection, Romance, Uncategorized
When life speeds up, I want to slow down. As I change the tempo of my life, I notice my breath deepen, my pulse slow, and my gaze narrows its focus. I may fix my eyes for a while on something small that catches my attention: a lizard-y critter scampering along the...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 31, 2024 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Quotations, Travel, Uncategorized
Cold in Florida The weather has been rough this January by Florida standards. Not rough like in Winnepeg, Manitoba or Litchfield, Maine, but rough enough to potentially kill plants. At 31° Fahrenheit, the Beamans have had to cover their tender plants with tarps....
by MarianBeaman | Jan 17, 2024 | blog, Gratitude, meditation, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
Persimmon is IN. Yes, Pantone, that persnickety arbiter of color, has decreed that persimmon is the accent color for 2024. It’s the color of pumpkin, saffron, and orange itself. In a sunny room, persimmon looks sorbet-like, which reminds me of the mushy fruit...
by MarianBeaman | Jan 3, 2024 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, neighborhood, popular culture, Tips, Uncategorized
MARY: “Guess what! My Mom gave me her home organ. I may have it any time we can figure out how to get it moved from her house to where Alexei and I are moving. It’s really heavy!” SARAH: “Cool! Okay, let me check with Joel. Maybe we can help you and...
