I’m a Christian, a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, poet, mixed-media painter, hand-spinner, knitter and lover of life in beautiful Wisconsin. :)Joe and I (pictured above) were married for 67 years and 1 month, when—in July, 2020—the Lord Jesus took him home to Eternity,
Margaret L. Been
Margaret, I love it! You are like a kid with a new toy and what I love best about you is that, unlike many women your age, you are never afraid to try something new. “Old” is not in your vocabulary and I hope to keep it out of mine too.
Love, Sallie
Thank you, Sallie! I’m sure you will succeed!
Aunt Margaret,
I love your Blob. Could you send me some pictures of my mother , Ardis? 3541 Estates Circle , Larkspur, Co. 80118
We moved back from Montana In May. We love our isolated acreage yet convenient for work. We have elk, deer, mountain lions, foxes and coyotes, but no wolfs (left them up in Montana).
Love,
Amy
Carol Treu now I found you. Hope this gets to you. Will try again soon
Now that I found you hope to come back to your blog soon. Carol T.
Oh my goodness I just came upon your blog and all I can say is, “How fun are you?” I can’t wait to have the time to read each one of your entries. It’s late, my children are in bed, my husband is working, and I had a few moments of quiet time and found you, but would’nt you know I read a few of your posts (loved them, really good reads), but I too feel like I need to get some sleep. What a wonderful blog.
Thanks, Sabre for the encouragement! I wish you were my neighbor! 🙂
Morning Margaret,
Had a nice visit on your site today. Welcome back into my neck of the woods. What about I come and visit your new abode some lazy afternoon before the snow flies?
YES! Patti, I’ve been planning to call you! Come soon! We could get a sunny Indian Summer day to sit on our little patio–otherwise just inside. It’s lovely here, and very close to your home I think!
Love,
Margaret
Hi Margaret!
My daughter and I love your blogs. We check in as often as time allows! Since we attend the same church now, I would love to introduce you to my daughter, Mollie. You both share a strong love for the written word and I know she would enjoy getting to know you. Also, she is wondering if she could read one of your books of poetry for a book report for school?
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday! ~ Annie
Hey Margaret,
Can you email me your address and phone number? So you do think there is still hopes of an Indian Summer? It’s like a rainbow after the storm. I’m longing to scrapebook out on my back porch as the warm breeze brushes my face. It’s a wonderful thought, since the books are Christmas presents for my daughter-in-laws. When they are opened on that brisk morning I can remember the lovely time I had creating them.
Posted a comment on another article of yours on here, Margaret. It’s good to “see” you. Lovely photo of you and Joe.
Growing older is fun for us! We don’t mind the spots. 🙂
Hi, Annie. I would be delighted to share my poems with you and your daughter! I feel honored that you would ask.
I love poetry so much, and have volumes by the great poets. So good to meet other poetry lovers!
Maybe you both can come for a visit soon. We live just down the road from where our church meets! 🙂
Margaret, you inspire me to keep believing in God and in life! My extended family of high achievers views me as a loser because I made marriage my career. Some days it becomes an unbearable burden, but your writings cheer and comfort me. The Lord has sent you my way!
Thanks for being you.
Incidentally, you may know my hometown…Butternut, Wisconsin.
Kathleen! You have the greatest career on earth–that of nurturing humans non-stop! Your extended family just doesn’t get it!
Do you still live in Butternut? We just moved down from Phillips! Your neighborhood is our home! Do you know Linda Kopisch? She lives on Butternut Lake, and leaves comments on this blog a lot. Alias “Sunshine”.) Linda is a creative lady!
And Rose Herbst? I get beautiful wool for spinning, from Rose.
Merry Christmas!!! 🙂
Wolves… we have them in Wisconsin. I know, since three living in my home. LOL
My world was transformed this morning as the earth is blanketed with the first measurable snow of the season. The backyard looks different… as if through the night we were transported somewhere else. Perhaps, everyone does not have a flock of geese out the back door, a 12 point buck nestled down in the pine, or 3 foot-high stick dome home in their back pond; but everyone has a little acreage that can be made into a haven. May the moments of winter’s Creation and its solitude be part of your day.
Beautiful, Patti! I never get over the thrill of the snow–until well along into March. But even then, it’s still drop dead gorgeous! 🙂
Regarding “the pandemic of plagiarism”… I’ve been working with exchange students for more than a decade. The last few years, I’ve been directly working with students from South Korea and China. Both countries are very competitive when it comes to academics. Plagiarism is a “fact of life” and very much accepted. When the students spend their school year in the states they are totally surprised at the reprimand that takes place in our school systems for plagiarism. I believe this is a cultural problem. Not acceptable… but students need to be enlightened. Life is different when we step-out-of-the-box and rub shoulders with other people groups. As a believer, I know it’s all His!
Great insights, Patti! Could you copy and paste your comment into the entry on the home page, to do with writers? Greatly appreciated! Martina will appreciate your insight as well!
Hi Aunt Margaret,
As usual, I’ll start with — it’s been so long! I’ve been buried in financial aid paperwork for Zora’s college, etc., etc., it’s been like the snowstorms on the east coast, but…with paper! ;- )
Anyway, I had to dash off a semi-desperate note. I cannot find my stove story! I know you know the one I’m referring to, about our 1930s stove. Just wondering if you still have a copy and am crossing my fingers that if you do, you are not as completely, embarrassingly unorganized as I am. I would be in your debt big time if you have it and could email me a scan or something.
Sorry I can’t write more, but the storm clouds are gathering once more. Perhaps I’ll get dug out in a few weeks, come Spring.
Love your blog, love the photos! Give all a hug for me…
XOXO,
Sandy
Sandy, I just went through the boxes of files I have down here and can’t find it. SOB! I wish I could. I recall the story. It was kind of a life pilgrimage thing set against the stove as a metaphor. GOOD!
I still have boxes up north. When we go back up, I’ll look. I did find “Romancing the Seed” but that’s been published, I know.
By any chance, would your sister-in-law Vicki have the stove piece?
You’ve been on my mind. So great to hear from you! Wish you and Andy and the girls could visit! I especially think of you whenever I use Grandma Luckey’s big Indus platter—and this happens frequently!
Joe and I love our little home. It’s such fun to fill it up, and that we are doing–fast. But there’s always room for more stuff. I will do another blog on “stuff” soon, because I find it eternally exciting and fun.
Did I ever tell you that I emailed Mary Randolph Carter a few years back, and got a great personal email back from her? I’d forgotten about that, and just unearthed the email while searching in my files!
Do you have her latest book, FOR THE LOVE OF OLD? It’s my comfort food when I’m too tired to read a huge novel.
Love,
Margaret
Good morning!
I found it! Hooray! Yeesh. It was on the girl’s computer that’s been having problems for a long time. The file wouldn’t come up for me, but thanks to Zora’s superior technological intellect, she was able to send me the file on an email this morning–and, wonder of wonders, it opened! Another lesson for me to get it in gear with transferring these old files.
Thank you for looking, I appreciate it. Your blog is lovely! I’ve only visited it a few times, unfortunately, but have always found so much to admire in your writing when I do have the time to indulge. We’ve been in an especially frantic time this year with Zora finishing high school, trying to figure out college, etc. And now this morning I’m off to plant pepper & tomato seeds with a friend. We’ve both joined a second new community garden in our neighborhood. It’s really wonderful, what has been going on with organic gardening in this town. Community gardens are popping up everywhere, thanks to this wonderful organization, Pikes Peak Urban Gardens. We get a plot this year, 20 x 20, for $30–and that includes everything! Water, soil amendment, even seeds and plants for those who need it. And those who cannot afford the $30 will be helped as well; no one turned away. It will help a lot of people immensely with their food bills. I’m getting into the whole self-sufficiency/organic food movement more and more.
NO, I did NOT know you wrote Mary Randolf Carter! Super cool! I love those books. And thank you for telling me of For the Love of Old. I’ll put it on hold at the library immediately. It’s time I revisited her work. I found one of her “junk” books a couple of years ago at a yard sale and bought it as a “back up copy” — so you see my acquisition-of-stuff is not exactly in control, at least regarding books.
I’m going back to the stove story because Andy got me a new (wonderful, used) stove. It’s one of those stainless steel beauties with a convection oven (!), from a Broadmoor home remodel. And the door closes (don’t have to use a piece of cardboard to secure it) and you don’t have to light the burners with a lighter and turn the gas on and off every time, and all the four burners function. So, stovewise, hey, I’m moving up in the world (ha)…although I am in a kind of deep mourning regarding the beauty and individuality of the 1930s stove. In comparison, this new lady is a powerhouse, but so piteously homely.
Well, you can see I’m still the same old hyper-writer, blabber-typer. I could write all day. Maybe one day… for now I’ve got to get my things gathered for seed planting & a multitude of other tasks.
We send our love,
Sandy
Sandy, I’m so glad you found the manuscript! It’s hard to write something again, after years!
Congrats on the new stove. But isn’t there a place you could stick the old stove–on your back porch, or something, with plants and funky art on it?
Maybe Nancy would like the stove in her garden. In that dry climate, you can probably put a lot of stuff out in gardens whereas it would just rust away here!
As you can see, I’m with you all out there in spirit! Even though we don’t see each other for years on end, we tick along in the same beat! Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a rummage weekend together?!!!
Our daughter, Judy (the miracle lady whose heart stopped for 15 minutes) and at least 2 of our granddaughters have the same “heartbeat”! I go hog wild with glee just thinking about it! 🙂 I’ll die knowing I left something fun behind for others to enjoy!
Though I try and try to mend my packrat ways, I don’t think I can part w/ the stove. too many memories. It’s on the front porch now. Yes, it will probably serve some potting/plant display function or something.
It would be fun to go out rummaging together; it would be a blast. I wish I could see you. I miss you!
I’ve finished my manuscript (again) of the YA novel & I’m now just starting to look for an agent. If I get a decent advance from a publisher, I promise, we’ll go on a road trip and come out to see you. ;- )
Until then…
XO
Hooray!
I just HAVE to leave a post to introduce myself and to tell you a little bit about how I have come to follow your blog…
your daughter, Laura, is a very dear friend of mine (from back in the 80’s when we both worked at the bank on campus at Western Washington University). One day while visiting her home she gave me a bar of your lovely homemade soap. I treasured that bar to the very last drop & asked for more when it was gone. As her supply was low, we agreed to take a soaping class and learn how to make our own. That was 4-5 years ago and I have been soaping faithfully ever since.
In fact, I spent the day up at her house yesterday where we made another 4 beautiful batches (I can’t wait to unswadle them to get a closer look!!).
So ~ I thank you for your inspiration, as soaping has become one of my greatest pleasures! And I also thank you for the pleasure of your daughters friendship. I have closely followed Joe’s progress, your move, the dilemma of reducing your lovely bottle collection, Judy’s latest miracle, your blog, and all way down to your home owners claims!!
I thoroughly enjoy reading your entries~ you have such a gift with your words & I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your watercolors.
So in closing, I just want to say that I am one of your greatest fans & hope to have the opportunity to meet you when you next visit Laura here in the Pacific Northwest…Cindy
Hi, Cindy. Thank you for your encouragement! Yes, soaping is a never-ending delight! It seems there is always more to learn. Laura is the Queen of Soap–her soaps are so shiny and beautiful!
By now you must be knee deep in tulips out there. Such a gorgeous area. I understand the rain gets “old”, but it sure makes things grow! 🙂