by MarianBeaman | Jan 10, 2015 | Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, neighborhood, Nostalgia, Reflection, Uncategorized
Every single memory of snow in my childhood is pleasant. Sparkling flakes in luminous free-fall as I look out the kitchen window. Snow festooning evergreen boughs. Then bundling up in snowsuits, knitted caps, mittens. Getting out the sleds. After more than one...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 30, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Literature, meditation, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
Happy New Year! My wish for you in 2015 and beyond is expressed in a card sent to Grandma Fannie Longenecker in 1913. And some fresh camellias too! Happy New Year ~~ Happy New Year ~~ Happy New Year Next post in January 2015: Who’s Coming...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 17, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Lists, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Recipes, Uncategorized
Color psychologists say red represents energy, passion, and motivation to act. Red is everywhere this season: Santa’s costume, cranberry dishes, poinsettias. I’m seeing red too. In Ian’s Santa cap at the Orchestra Zoo . . . In Mother’s...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 29, 2014 | Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Travel, Uncategorized
The Brick House Cafe along Main Street in Manheim, Pennsylvania, is getting free advertising from me today. In a sister city named for its counterpart in Mannheim, Germany, The Brick House serves freshly prepared soups, salads, and sandwiches. It also serves up...
by MarianBeaman | Nov 26, 2014 | book review, Family / Nostalgia, Gratitude, Lists, meditation, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
My secret joys (and struggles) show up in my gratitude books. You can see some of them here. But my list this week has sprung from my 9-day trip to Pennsylvania to visit family and take care of Mother’s house in mid-November 2014. In her devotional book One Thousand...
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...