by MarianBeaman | Jul 15, 2020 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Quotations, Tips
“The ground is terrible here. You can’t grow anything decent in this dirt!” Years ago, that was my dad’s pronouncement when he assessed the state of affairs in my sister Janice’s garden close to our house in Florida. True, in a land where juicy oranges, plump...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 27, 2019 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Memory, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
This post first appeared on Nov 27, 2013, the year I began blogging. The grandchildren pictured near the end of this post are much older now, but the expression of gratitude remains the same. The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth by Jennie A. Brownscombe (1914) Courtesy...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 18, 2019 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Memory, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Reflection, Tips, Uncategorized
Lucky me! L. Marie invited me to visit her blog “home” today. I met Linda Marie via Jill Weatherholt’s blog. That’s how the blog-o-sphere works: old friends connecting to new ones! An MFA graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, L. Marie excels at writing Middle...
by MarianBeaman | May 15, 2019 | blog, book review, Gratitude, Literature, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips
My Grandma liked to cook and she liked to eat. She has a starring role in my memoir, spotlighted in two chapters: Grandma’s Bountiful Table and Easter & Politics. Everyone had a seat at her table. I treasure time I spent preparing meals with her and having her...
by MarianBeaman | Mar 13, 2019 | blog, Gratitude, Memory, neighborhood, popular culture, Reflection, Uncategorized
The Damage Mouth agape, wide-eyed and stunned at the WaWa station – I beheld a tee-shirted man holding a frosty drink and belly laughing at me. In the bay just ahead, this guy observed what I failed to see: two traffic cones smashed under...
by MarianBeaman | Feb 27, 2019 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Uncategorized
Fancy little girl Plain young woman Those six words summarize the first 24 years of my life as a Mennonite in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. And these words are reflected in photos on my memoir cover, front and back. (Here is the link to my first cover...