by MarianBeaman | Jul 6, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Lists, Memory, Recipes, Uncategorized
I grew up north of the Mason-Dixon Line, in Lancaster County, PA, to be sure, but my current friends are from the South. And they have secrets to go along with their charming accents: They . . . 1. Never, ever leave the house without makeup. 2. At pot-luck dinners,...
by MarianBeaman | Jul 3, 2013 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
“Keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail,” my Dad sings in his top-of–the-lungs baritone, the volume of his voice amplified by the force of his hands on the keyboard. Every Saturday night Daddy sits down at our mahogany Marshall and Wendell...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 29, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, Excepting February alone, And that has twenty-eight days clear, And twenty-nine in each leap year. Memory is at the heart of memoir. It fuels unfolding stories. A memoir writer like...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 26, 2013 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
“Get out! Get out!” For heaven’s sake, that is my mom’s voice yelling at someone at the door. Why would she scream at a neighbor? But it wasn’t a neighbor. It was Stinky Joe. On a cold winter’s day, he had opened the door to the wash-house and was starting to...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 22, 2013 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Valentine’s Day conjures up images of hearts, flowers, and boxes of chocolate for most, but not for Yost. Yost is the father of Valentine Metzler, an ancester on my mother’s side of the family, born on Valentine’s Day, 1792. This past weekend, nearly 500 Metzlers from...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 19, 2013 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
Lititz Springs Park At the reunion, Uncle Clyde walks over to my mother and Aunt Cecilia to say something. We’re nosy and so we move closer to get within earshot. “Ruth, I believe Uncle Monroe’s and Uncle Herman’s bunch think you’re serving wine and won’t come over to...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 15, 2013 | Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Recipes, Uncategorized
I can hardly wait to go to the Metzler reunion in Lititz today. At Lititz Springs Park on the 2nd Sunday in July, I get to play with my cousins from my mother’s side of the family. My mother’s father, Abram, and her two uncles, Monroe and Herman, form the three...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 12, 2013 | Family / Nostalgia, Lists, Tips, Uncategorized
Create a Memory: “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Older adults trapped in a vehicle with 3-4 of their grand-children for hours on end. Who would do that? Only Grandparents hiding secrets. Grandparents on a mystery trip with kindergarten and elementary schoolers in tow....
by MarianBeaman | Jun 8, 2013 | Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Lists, Mennonite Lore, Romance, Uncategorized
The year 1967 was historic: It was the year of the world’s first heart transplant. There were race riots in Detroit. Polaroid cameras were all the rage as was Twiggy. The average annual income was $ 7300.00 while a house cost about twice that much. Gas was a mere 33...
by MarianBeaman | Jun 5, 2013 | Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized
The dusty, brown Pennsylvania Railroad train clatters along the tracks behind the woods as we approach Grandma’s house. Mame Goss, Grandma’s cousin, sits close to the bay window with a bag of hats. I notice her merry eyes and smile lines, but Mother comments on her...
