by Marlene Bumgarner | Nov 15, 2024 | Community, Family
Saving the Planet One Step at a time For those of us who have been active in grassroots election-related activities for many months, this last week has felt empty, perhaps even pointless. No matter whether your candidate won or lost, the high level of intensity has...
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 | Jan 3, 2024 | Aging, Community, Family, Writing
Setting New Year’s Resolutions for 2024 I’ve always been cautious about making New Year’s Resolutions. Laying out some things we want to accomplish, improve, or enjoy can be a positive experience. However, we may feel disappointed in ourselves if we...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Apr 20, 2023 | Aging, Community, Family, Grandparenting
April 4. This is hard. Harder than I expected. Deconstructing my Santa Cruz house to reconstruct it for today’s market is, essentially, deconstructing the life I lived in it for a decade. Workmen are removing the wall decorations, TV screens, bookcases,...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Mar 3, 2023 | Aging, Community, Cooking and Eating, Family, Health
Happiness Starts in the Morning This morning I awakened just before my alarm went off. I set an alarm for 6:00 a.m. Monday through Friday so I can join a Shut Up and Write Group that meets 6:45-8:30. We check in, say where we’re calling from, then write for 90...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Feb 16, 2023 | Community, Family
Happy New Year – A Little Bit Late I started writing this essay on January 2, as I was beginning to feel healthy again after a bout of pneumonia. I had to cancel my Christmas trip to Sorrento, Pompei, and Herculaneum and was feeling pretty down when I received...