Tag Archives: Colorado

Our Birthday Traditions

Posted on July 31, 2020 by maryannniemczura

Following in the footsteps of my parents, we phoned our daughter first thing today and sang Happy Birthday. She and her friends are off on a short trip to RI. My parents lived in Colorado in a different time zone … Continue reading →

Posted in birthday grasshopper, birthday traditions, card with enclosure, sing Happy Birthday | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Oops! With Love and Humor!

Posted on June 26, 2020 by maryannniemczura

  The new quarter at the university meant new classrooms. As a German professor, I was accustomed to welcoming students speaking in German. With an armload of books and papers, I entered the room, put my belongings on the empty … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, life's lessons, love, teaching a new quarter, teaching German | Tagged , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Chuckling at My End of the Pond

Posted on June 21, 2019 by maryannniemczura

My Dad subscribed to the “screwdriver method” of removing dandelions. As a retiree caring for his Kentucky blue grass lawn in Colorado, he would grab a long screwdriver, sit in the yard and patiently and painstakingly push that screwdriver parallel … Continue reading →

Posted in bouquets, dandelions, Kentucky blue grass in Colorado, organic dandelion greens, retirees | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Climb on the Buckboard!

Posted on November 9, 2018 by maryannniemczura

Joining the ranks of Wild West cowboys we only knew from books, we moved from Massachusetts to Colorado as three young sisters with a fourth on the way. We donned Cowboy boots, hats, square dance skirts, and moccasins too. We … Continue reading →

Posted in buckboard, Colorado State Fair, pioneers, Prague, roots and tree branches, Yankee | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Nana’s Pies

Posted on November 17, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I recall my mother’s flaky pie crusts and tasty pies. Blueberry, apple and pumpkin to name a few.  She learned from her mother, my Nana Mooney.  Admittedly, I love cooking and won the … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado, family, Thanksgiving, recipe, Thanksgiving dinner, pie, memories, turkey, homemade pies, Nana Mooney, Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Posted on November 3, 2017 by maryannniemczura

  Our family celebrates birthdays with a cake and candles and a Happy Birthday song, even after our loved ones are no longer with us. Today’s post is a remembrance of my Dad and also my Mom for rearing me … Continue reading →

Posted in birthdays, Fulbright Teacher Exchange, Fulbrights to Germany, Heidelberg, study in Germany, World Sunday Mass | Tagged , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Music Colors My Life!

Posted on September 8, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Musical notes, beats, rests, keys, sharps, flats, major, minor, staff, treble clef, bass clef, rhythms, voices, moods, time signatures, adagio, allegro, forte, chant, chamber, carols, classical, dynamics, fermata, leitmotifs, sonata, staff, concerto, tones, voices – all this and more characterize … Continue reading →

Posted in award ceremonies, food for the soul, German, international language, music teachers, musical forms, role models, video conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Nature’s Entertainment

Posted on July 7, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Living in suburbia with protected wetlands nearby provides a myriad of entertainment. Over the years we have had strange, unexpected encounters. The big fat frog in the flowerpot or little bunnies scampering hither and fro, eating us out of our … Continue reading →

Posted in birdsong, deer, joy, nature, snakes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Thank You, Mom!

Posted on April 21, 2017 by maryannniemczura

Each April brings reminders of her. I was preparing for my second Fulbright teaching exchange to the former East Berlin. My mother died April 26, 1994, in Colorado so I flew out for the funeral and to help in close … Continue reading →

Posted in April memories, Fulbrights to Germany, gratitude, Mother | Tagged , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Celebrating Life

Posted on September 23, 2016 by maryannniemczura

The day was overcast and cool when people gathered for the funeral. A group of voices sang in remembrance. It was the end of April and shortly before her next birthday in May when my mother left this earthly life. … Continue reading →

Posted in love, Mom, near-death experience | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments