by MarianBeaman | Nov 19, 2014 | Coming of Age, Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
In June Mother Longenecker and her daughters Marian and Janice created butter-shaking memories in a two-quart jar, making butter using three easy steps: Pour cream into 2-quart jar. Shake until you rattle and roll. Remove the congealed mass from the jar. Add a pinch...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 15, 2014 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
BAKE It’s cold outside, maybe even Polar-vortex cold, and Saturdays with Grandma or Aunt or Mom will be spent indoors. One cold day three of our grandkids warmed up the house, at least the kitchen, with cupcake baking. Yes, it’s fun to help mix up the...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 12, 2014 | Education, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Purple Passage, Quotations, Uncategorized
READING La Lectura es el viaje de los que no pueden tomar el tren. – F. Croisset (Reading is the journey of those who cannot take the train.) Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested . . . . – Sir...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 8, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Unlike Hansel and Gretel, whose mother tried to starve them and then lock them out of the house, Mother Longenecker provided well for her children and left behind, not white pebbles or bread crumbs, but hand-written notes tucked away to tag her heirlooms. Each note...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 5, 2014 | book review, Literature, Quotations, Uncategorized
On the playground of Rheems Elementary School, Red Rover, Hide and Seek and Tag were standard fare. I wrote about fun at recess in a blog post last September entitled Games We Played. In the blog world, I have been tagged in the 2014 Work in Progress (WIP) Blog Tour,...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 1, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
“Just two generations ago, preparing meals was as much a part of life as eating,” so says Mark Bittman in an article entitled How to Eat Now published in the October 20, 2014 issue of TIME magazine. Although a recent Harris poll reveals that 79% of...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 29, 2014 | Education, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Ten years ago grandsons Patrick and Curtis were one-year-olds at Hallowe’en. In October 2004 they lived far away from us in Chicago. Fortunately, their parents captured snapshots of them in costume, Curtis a pumpkin and Patrick, Tigger, both in store-bought...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 25, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Reflection, Uncategorized
My Mother Ruth Landis Metzler was a simple girl who grew up on a farm near Lititz, Pennsylvania and attended Erb’s Mennonite Church. As a young woman, she wore plain clothing and never cut her hair. Her adornment was of the biblical kind as the Apostle Paul...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 22, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
The bustle in a house The morning after death Is solemnest of industries Enacted upon earth, — The sweeping up the heart, And putting love away We shall not want to use again Until eternity. Emily Dickinson was referring to the morning after the death of a loved...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 18, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Travel, Uncategorized
3 Snapshots from Memory Aunt Ruthie Longenecker takes us to Philadelphia, my first recollection of a train trip. I feel the rocking motion of the Pennsylvania Rail Road train car we occupy, the clickety-clack of the wheels on the rails, and the prize of the big city...
