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Hearty Laughs: Grandma Longenecker and Aunt Ruthie’s

Hearty Laughs: Grandma Longenecker and Aunt Ruthie’s

by MarianBeaman | Sep 11, 2024 | blog, Coming of Age, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Uncategorized

  Waiting in the sitting room for my dad’s truck to arrive for me, I was a spectator, looking through the mahogany-trimmed doorway into the kitchen. Women with prayer caps, Grandma Longenecker and Aunt Ruthie, were sitting at the gray, Formica-topped table facing...
What Happened When I Tidied Up My Studio

What Happened When I Tidied Up My Studio

by MarianBeaman | May 3, 2023 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Literature, Memory, Quotations, Tips, Uncategorized

Oh, my word! What a royal mess my writing studio had become. My space looked a fright at the end of March, just before my memoir launch party April 1. On that day friends and family would descend on our home to inspect my second memoir. They’d head for the...
Czech It Out: Ludmilla’s Hospitality

Czech It Out: Ludmilla’s Hospitality

by MarianBeaman | Jun 1, 2022 | blog, Family / Nostalgia, Mennonite History, Mennonite Lore, Nostalgia, Tips, Uncategorized

Ludmilla is a humble widow living in Prague, Czech Republic. She has survived two political regimes, the German Nazis and the Russian Communists. Her life has not been easy; she has seen much sorrow. However, over the years, Ludmilla has come to  view her kitchen...
February Photos with Tulips and Chimney Smoke

February Photos with Tulips and Chimney Smoke

by MarianBeaman | Feb 16, 2022 | blog, Gratitude, Literature, Memory, popular culture, Quotations, Reflection

Find the Colors in this Urban Afternoon Reflection   February A chimney, breathing a little smoke. The sun, I can’t see making a bit of pink I can’t quite see in the blue. The pink of five tulips at five p.m. on the day before March first. The green...
What It’s Like to be a Bird

What It’s Like to be a Bird

by MarianBeaman | Mar 3, 2021 | blog, book review, meditation, Neighborhood / Environment, Quotations, Uncategorized

Do Birds Smell? Is this the same cardinal that was at my feeder last year? Can robins “hear” worms?   Bird expert David Sibley answers frequently asked questions about the birds we see most often in What It’s Like to be a Bird. In a large-format volume displaying...
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