by Marlene Bumgarner | Feb 3, 2020 | Child development, Family, Grandparenting, Nature, Travel
On The Road With Sheila My friend Quincy asked me to write about my early adventures on the road in my new motor home so here goes. My first excursion in Sheila was from Beach Cities RV in southern California to my home in Santa Cruz. I have nothing to say about that...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Dec 22, 2019 | Aging, Child development, Community, Family, Grandparenting, Writing
The Christmas Cards Cometh As I sit in my cozy chair and open my mail this morning I am grateful to those of my friends who still send annual Christmas cards and letters. I look forward to connecting with old friends, being introduced to new members of the family,...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Dec 15, 2019 | Child development, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting
Keeping Traditions Alive Two weeks ago I flew to Los Angeles to spend Thanksgiving with my son’s family and to keep a family tradition. I packed my English tart tins and a rolling pin in order to introduce my youngest grandchild to making mince tarts. My son has...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Oct 24, 2019 | Child development, Community, Family, Grandparenting
It Takes An Aunty My granddaughter’s Aunt K.K. came over to help with pumpkin carving this week. She hefted the extra-large pumpkin Bean had selected at the pumpkin patch on to our dining room/craft table and turned it around several times, looking for the best...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Oct 13, 2019 | Aging, Child development, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting, Nature
The Pumpkin Patch Adventure This was the week Bean and I made our annual pilgrimage to her favorite pumpkin patch. We’ve been doing this together since she was three years old and now she’s eight and knows the routine quite well. “I’ll start...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Feb 2, 2019 | Aging, Child development, Community, Family, Grandparenting, Nature, Travel
Sleepover With Grandma Like many other publicly-funded agencies, the Monterey Bay Aquarium offers a variety of programs to educate their members and to raise funds. One of the most popular is the sleepover, when children and their parents or chaperones are invited to...