by MarianBeaman | Nov 16, 2022 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Recipes, Uncategorized
The Rentzel family lived next door to my childhood home on Anchor Road. If you’ve read my first memoir, Mennonite Daughter, you may remember the shenanigans that happened under their roof. After I left home to explore the wider world, another family moved into...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 9, 2022 | blog, book review, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Quilt, Uncategorized
Yumiko Sekine, author of Simplicity at Home, grew up in northern Japan, learning traditional crafts and quilting from her mother and grandmother. Just as I did growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Yumiko appreciated quilting and hand-crafts. She still does, and so...
by MarianBeaman | Oct 12, 2022 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, meditation, Memory, Neighborhood / Environment, Quotations, Uncategorized
The Fantasy of Fall in Florida Somehow “autumn” does not seem properly used in Florida. There is a connotation in the word of flaming color, of sharp change, of hoar frost heavy on cornfields, of all of northern harvest. The sub-tropical fall is so...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 14, 2022 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Memory, Quotations, Reflection
Do you remember being pushed as a kid on a swing? Maybe your Mom or Dad, or a big brother or sister gave you a big push. And then another. And another. After a while, your legs started pumping on their own. Sitting on my mother’s lap, I heard the cadence of a...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 10, 2022 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Nostalgia, Recipes, Tips, Uncategorized
“Do you want to bring a ‘starter’ over, or do you want us to start from scratch in my kitchen?” This was my query to grandson Ian, who visits our house often this summer to mow and trim the lawn and help with other chores like car-washing. “No, we can do it all at...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 3, 2022 | blog, book review, Cliff Beaman artist, Coming of Age, Conflict, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Memory, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized
The Emerald City lies in the center of the Land of Oz, at the end of the yellow brick road in Frank Baum’s fabled story, The Wizard of Oz, first published in 1900. In the center of the city is the fairy-tale Palace where the redoubtable Wizard resides. ...
