Category Archives: Sturbridge

Annual Rites of Passage

Posted on November 5, 2021 by maryannniemczura

Colorful autumn leaves offer us eye candy now. Sugar maple trees are warm and beautiful.  Childhood memories of many-hued leaves our Dad raked into piles in Sturbridge.  Shrieking, we jumped into the leaf piles.  It’s what kids do! As I … Continue reading →

Posted in annual rites of passage, Autumn colors & leaves, Sturbridge | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Basking in the Warmth

Posted on June 5, 2020 by maryannniemczura

The decorative stones in our garden beds are home to more than shrubs and flowers. After several days of heat followed by rain, the azaleas popped with radiant colors.   Our home in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, featured a stone wall fashioned … Continue reading →

Posted in garter snakes, lizards, snakes, stone wall, Sturbridge | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

A Very Unusual Day

Posted on March 3, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Penmanship Class Swiftly slithering along the stone wall my father built with his two hands, the garter snake followed our journey down the road to the school bus. Past the swamp with skunk cabbage and its distinct odor, past wild … Continue reading →

Posted in ambidextrous, cursive handwriting, penmanship class, Sturbridge | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Imagination

Posted on January 20, 2017 by maryannniemczura

  On rainy days in rural Massachusetts, our mother would tell us to use our imaginations to find things to do to entertain ourselves. This was before all the electronic gadgets came in to entertain children.  We had to imagine … Continue reading →

Posted in childhood play, citizenship, cursive handwriting, imagination, Massachusetts, reading aloud, Sturbridge | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A Surprise Visitor

Posted on September 12, 2015 by maryannniemczura

We had a surprise visit from a leopard the other day. Actually a leopard frog. He sat cozily in a flower pot out front and didn’t mind my photo-taking. My husband noticed this visitor who blended right in its surroundings. … Continue reading →

Posted in Erie Canal, Fall, history, Massachusetts, nature, Northeast, salt industry, Sturbridge, walks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Childhood Freedom

Posted on March 14, 2015 by maryannniemczura

Recent media accounts of a couple in Maryland prompted me to write this week about the freedom and pleasure of childhood play. I was fortunate to start my early childhood years in rural Massachusetts in and around the Springfield, Palmer … Continue reading →

Posted in a stranger, childhood play, children, family, family stories, Fulbright Teacher, Germany, life lessons, life skills, Maryland parents, Massachusetts, Musings, Parents, rural America, school, schools in Germany, Sturbridge, Upstate New York | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Holding Fond Memories

Posted on February 14, 2015 by maryannniemczura

It seems weeks now since we have felt Mother Nature’s wrath with one storm after another and bitter cold wind chills biting us as we attempt to brave the outdoor elements. When I was a child growing up in Sturbridge, … Continue reading →

Posted in animal tracks, blizzard, children, family, Massachusetts, Nor'easter, Nostalgia, schools in Germany, Sturbridge, Upstate New York, Valentine's Day, winter, winter activities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Languages Reveal Cultures

Posted on January 17, 2015 by maryannniemczura

As a German language educator for some forty-eight years now, I am still intrigued with languages and words and recall as a young girl in Massachusetts how we used certain words for everyday things. When I was ten and moved … Continue reading →

Posted in children, Colorado, education, family, Foreign Language Learning, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, influences in life, languages, Massachusetts, parents, rural America, school, South, Sturbridge, Teaching, Teaching in Germany, Western Massachusetts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heaven on Earth

Posted on January 10, 2015 by maryannniemczura

Winter is in full force here in Upstate New York, replete with wind chills, blowing and drifting snow and those beloved days to all school children called snow days. Even with bitter cold weather, children go sledding and make snowmen. … Continue reading →

Posted in children, family, family stories, life, Massachusetts, Nostalgia, rural America, Sturbridge, Upstate New York, Western Massachusetts, winter, winter activities | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments