by MarianBeaman | Jan 17, 2024 | blog, Gratitude, meditation, Quotations, Recipes, Uncategorized
Persimmon is IN. Yes, Pantone, that persnickety arbiter of color, has decreed that persimmon is the accent color for 2024. It’s the color of pumpkin, saffron, and orange itself. In a sunny room, persimmon looks sorbet-like, which reminds me of the mushy fruit...
by MarianBeaman | Dec 13, 2023 | blog, book review, Literature, meditation, Quotations, Uncategorized
Medical Musings and Playing with Words Mercifully, I’ve skated through more than seven decades of life with few aches and pains. Over the years, my sympathy for others has extended to sending get-well cards, making phone calls and hospital visits....
by MarianBeaman | Oct 4, 2023 | blog, book review, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Quotations, Uncategorized
Do you crave sleep? Do you have a hard time going to sleep? Or, staying asleep? Falling Asleep Sleep is a sweet respite from the daily pressures of life. I treasure what Walt Whitman called the “free flight into the wordless, / Away from books, away from...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 27, 2023 | Amish fiction, book review, Conflict, Literature, popular culture, Quotations, Romance, Uncategorized
Turn on Hallmark Channel Watch for Glamorous female character, with swirling, highlighted hair and bright eyes. Note two handsome hunks: One real-estate mogul, loaded but with zero personality The other, a poor artist (or writer) with heart of gold...
by MarianBeaman | Sep 13, 2023 | blog, Cliff Beaman artist, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite History, Nostalgia, Quotations, Uncategorized
As a kid, I helped my aproned Grandma Longenecker pick strawberries in her garden close to Anchor Road. As a teen, I packaged bologna at Baum’s Bologna company near Elizabethtown, PA. During my sophomore year in college, I worked as script editor for WEMC, the station...
by MarianBeaman | Aug 30, 2023 | blog, book review, Family / Nostalgia, Memory, Mennonite Lore, Quotations, Uncategorized
“If we’d open people up, we’d find landscapes.” ~ Agnès Varda I found this provocative line in a book I read recently (You Could Make This Place Beautiful by poet Maggie Smith, whose life has been rooted in Ohio). Seeing this line in her memoir, my mind...