Expectation – the state of expecting; anticipation. Anticipation – confident expectation Have you ever noticed that you get what you expect? I have and I bet you have too. If one imagines with enough energy behind it, expectations eventually manifest. When it comes to getting what we expect, we tend to put things in categories […]
Marlene’s This and That
Observations – Perspectives – Inspirational A collection of articles on family, homeschool, and life.
A History in Home Canning
Home canning has been a part of my life since I was a newlywed. It was the early 70’s and my husband planted a nice-sized garden that filled the backyard behind our shotgun house. We bought all of the necessary canning supplies in preparation of preserving the vegetables we would have at harvest. David had a dream of […]
Different, Yet Similar
I was three-quarters of the way through reading Ellen Goodman’s column when it was time to walk David to the door. I stood in the open doorway in the chilly Montana morning pinching dead heads from my trailing petunias and listening to the whistle of an owl (You’re thinking owls hoot, they don’t whistle. But […]
Benefits of Play
While coloring at a 4-H meeting, I realized how relaxed I felt. My daughters and I were helping out with the group’s Northwest Montana Fair float project, and I was outlining circles with various colors to simulate a crowd at a rodeo. Lately, I’ve been feeling rushed as everything seems to be screaming “Get this […]
“Just” a Housewife
“Unfortunately, in order to cut corners, many of my generation put their wives out to work in order to get more stuff.” – Grandpa Davey Believe me, we’ve had our share of stuff. As a matter of fact, we’ve dumped loads of stuff in the trash before moving to Montana. Now that we are here, […]
What is a Geisha?
“What’s a Geisha?” asked my twelve-year-old daughter at the breakfast table the other morning. “Hmm” I thought, “do I really know what a Geisha is?” I responded vaguely, as I wasn’t completely confident about my knowledge on the subject. Not wanting to give misinformation about the centuries old Japanese custom, I Googled the question. […]
These Boots Are Made for Walking
A couple of summers ago, my family and I passed a man with a sprained ankle on the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. As we were just beginning our hike on this popular alpine trail, he was almost done. At first I thought he must have hurt himself on the trail, but after inquiry, […]
Be of Good Cheer
On a recent walk around the pristine waters of Kintla Lake, my family and I passed an older woman and her son. They were slower than we were, and they graciously stepped aside to let us pass. Pleasantries were exchanged and I noticed the cheerful expression on the woman’s face. In that moment, as our […]
Know Your Mother
As Mother’s Day approaches, I am reminded of how little some children seem to know about the person behind the persona. This thought first occurred to me when I moved to Montana and began, on occasion, to read the death notices. They are so unlike the monotonous obituaries I had become accustomed to reading when […]
The Wonder of it All
It was May 5, 2000; another one of those doomsday dates when the planets were due to align and produce cataclysmic destruction that would end the world. Four years had passed since my husband, Grandpa Davey, had taken me on an adventure to discover the West. That had been my first trip west and I […]