by Marlene Bumgarner | Sep 20, 2024 | Aging, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting
Papa’s Stand Mixer I have always been a whisk and wooden spoon baker, but after 30 years of rheumatoid arthritis, my elbow and shoulder joints have been damaged, and I can no longer make pie crust, bread dough, or — the worst, according to my granddaughter...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Jun 16, 2024 | Books, Child development, Family, Grandparenting
The LEGO Problem If you have children between 5 and 15 in your life, it’s very likely that somewhere in a cupboard or on a shelf there is something that looks like this: My seven-year-old granddaughter, who loves playing with LEGO blocks, recently requested a...
by Marlene Bumgarner | May 26, 2024 | Aging, Cooking and Eating, Family, Gardening, Health
Sunday Breakfast It is Sunday morning, and I’m just finishing my version of a Full English Breakfast, which today consists of boiled then sauteed shitake mushrooms, sliced tomato, sliced new potatoes, chopped bok choi, a fried fresh egg, and two slices of...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 22, 2024 | Aging, Community, Family, Gardening, Health
Unexpected News In late February, while visiting friends and family in Santa Cruz, I received a phone call from my dermatologist. Before I drove north, he had removed a mole from my breast and sent the tissue for testing. The diagnosis, he now informed me, was...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Mar 20, 2024 | Child development, Family, Grandparenting
Spring Has Sprung My favorite time of the year has finally arrived, and I’m already thinking of new crafts and activities to do with my grandchildren. When I took Kismet out for her first walk of the day this morning, it was barely 6:00 a.m. and barely light,...