by Marlene Bumgarner | Mar 19, 2025 | Cooking and Eating, Family, Travel, Writing
Celebrate The Last Day of Winter This has been my least favorite winter of all time. I’ve struggled with inconsistent weather, persistent and long power cuts, evacuating to escape the southern California fires, repeated admonitions by public figures that our...
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 | 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 | Dec 21, 2023 | Aging, Child development, Christmas in Yorkshire, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting
Mom’s Christmas Pudding My favorite holiday tradition would have to be baking for Christmas. My mother would come home from church one Sunday and announce – “Right! it’s time to make Christmas Pudding.” I didn’t know for many years how my mother received...
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 | Nov 22, 2022 | Aging, Back to the Land, Community, Cooking and Eating, Family, Travel
Back in Calabasas I’m back home again after my 10-day road trip to northern California, featuring book readings, good times with friends, several bags of persimmons, and my 75th birthday. It was a great trip. Here are the Highlights: Because my first stop was...