by Marlene Bumgarner | Sep 29, 2019 | Family, Grandparenting, Travel, Writing
I’m Baaa-aaak! It’s hard to believe, but the last day I posted to this blog was May 14, my mother’s birthday. I had no particular desire or intent to stop writing here, but I was trying to stay focused on the one writing project that had kept me awake at nights...
by Marlene Bumgarner | May 14, 2019 | Aging, Cooking and Eating, Family
Mama’s Rice Pudding Today is my mother’s birthday. She would have been 99. I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately, and when one day last week remained grey and somber past noon, I began thinking about her rice pudding. When I was a little girl, Mom offered...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 11, 2019 | Aging, Family, Grandparenting, Nature, Travel
My Cure for Wanderlust Each winter I hunker down, read, write, and watch a lot of British mysteries. During my hybernation, I tell myself I’ll be content to stay inside my little house for ever. But then the sun comes out, the crocuses and daffodils begin to flower,...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Feb 12, 2019 | Aging, Back to the Land, Community, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting, Nature
A Conversation With My Granddaughter “Grandma, why are your gloves way up there where you can’t reach them?” I was stretching high over my workbench for the long-handled pruning shears when my eight-year old granddaughter piped up. I dropped down on my heels and...
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...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Nov 21, 2018 | Aging, Community, Cooking and Eating, Family
Thanksgiving is the Great American Holiday. Even more than at Christmas, family members travel thousands of miles to sit around a lavishly prepared table and eat some variation on the meal that the Puritans and the Wampanoag Indians cooked during their three day...