Marlene’s Blog: Food, Family, and Reflections on Grandparenting

Mucking About in the Mud

by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 13, 2015 | Community, Family, Grandparenting

When I was about eight, my parents spent a weekend helping some friends prepare their family farm for an estate sale. While the adults sorted, stacked, and scoured, the children were left to roam free. I remember climbing into a hay loft that first day, eating my fill...

The Easter Egg Tree: Springtime Traditions at Grandma’s, Part 2

by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 6, 2015 | Family, Grandparenting

In 1975 our friend Nina came to live with us. At the time we were farming a piece of rural land along with a handful of friends, and Nina was looking for the peace and quiet we had in quantity. She settled in quickly, and soon was growing a vegetable patch,...

Easter Egg Bread: Springtime Traditions at Grandma’s, Part 1

by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 4, 2015 | Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting

I love Spring, and when I was growing up, Easter was the big spring celebration in our house. Even when money was tight, I always had new shoes and a new dress (When we lived on Aunt Sadie’s chicken ranch, it was made from a flowered cotton feed sack, and my...

Writing and Reading with Children

by Marlene Bumgarner | Mar 30, 2015 | Community, Family, Grandparenting

I don’t write for children, but I love reading to children. Last week I attended an event sponsored by Delta Kappa Gamma, an international organization that supports the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. The event...

Here’s the Thing About Writing: The Santa Cruz Young Writers Program

by Marlene Bumgarner | Mar 16, 2015 | Community, Grandparenting

This week I begin six weeks of volunteering as a writing assistant in a fourth grade classroom. I have been looking forward to the experience for months, but as the time grows closer, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night with a mixture of anticipation...