About Lucy Engbring

Lucy Engbring is the matriarch of the Engbring family. After marrying a military man, Jerry Engbring, the family and their growing brood moved from place to place until settling in rural Valmeyer in the 1970s. The Engbring kids are now grown and scattered across the Earth's four corners, but her family makes frequent visits to the Bluff House.

Lucy's essays cover a wide range of topics, including her past and current travels, as well her family's fascinating adventures.

Life At The Bluff House

Great-Grandkids Luke, Hunter and Macie Engbring enjoy a ride this summer in an Amish wagon in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country.

Learning About The Amish Way Of Life In Lancaster County

By Monroe County Independent | August 20, 2019

photo – Great-Grandkids Luke, Hunter and Macie Engbring enjoy a ride this summer in an Amish wagon in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country.  It should be easy for our grandchildren to have something to write about their summer vacations when they return to school this fall. It’s been a very busy summer. All the while I’ve been …

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lucy Picture12

Why Neil Armstrong’s Magnificent Moonshot Of 50 Years Ago Was So Personal

By Monroe County Independent | August 2, 2019

Even if you weren’t paying attention, you must have noticed all the news stories and TV programs that recently heralded the 50th anniversary of that magnificent day in history when America put a man on the moon.  To this day I can hardly believe that miraculous event actually took place. But it shows what can …

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If it’s true what they say about cats having nine lives, then I want what they have. With only one life to lead, when will I ever find time to learn what the grandkids have been up to? I long to follow their careers, see what paths they’ve chosen to take, what they’ve accomplished along the way, meet their life-long mates, and watch how their lives take shape. They’ve taken different roads, all exciting and adventurous, and now I’m finding it extremely hard to keep up with them. That’s why I desperately need those nine lives. What a pleasure and great joy it’s been to follow the many roads taken by our very first and oldest grandson, Matt, and to watch his exciting career bloom during his four years at SIU Carbondale where he majored in music. I thought for sure he would choose a college to play sports, having been named Most Valuable Player time and again in basketball at Cobden High School. But he chose music, which turned out to be exactly the right choice for him. While still at school, he started a popular band called “Stank Willie,” and played at several events. After graduating, he moved to northern Illinois with his band to play more music in the Rockford and Chicago area. Sometimes it was rough going, but it meant three extra years of good experience for a budding musician. Somewhere along the line he asked if it was okay to use my maiden name of “Martino” as his stage name. I said of course he could. It’s so much easier to spell than “Engbring.” And then it was time for him to try his hand in Music City, Nashville, Tenn., a town full of excellent musicians all hoping for success. There you have to be standing in the right place at the right time with the right song. Matt performed several times at Nashville’s famous Blue Bird Café, offering his latest original songs. Matt bought himself a house, and found work at a company called Market St. Enterprises, where he was introduced to the world of finance. While in Music City, Matt established a recording studio, put out two great CDs loaded with songs he wrote, and then decided to go back to school at Belmont University in Nashville to earn a certificate in financial planning. It was 10 years later that he sold his Nashville home, moved back to southern Illinois, and started his own finance company. Besides returning to school and joining the business world, Matt took on another adventure. He purchased two large historic buildings in downtown Alto Pass with rental units to tend to. I believe the buildings are over 100 years old, so you know that maintenance is a high priority and a challenge. New roof, new windows, new staircase, new laundry room. He has a “To Do” list that never seems to shrink, and thank goodness he has his Dad Jeff around to lend a hand. But Matt is doing well as a successful financial advisor, working on his buildings, and still doing what he loves best, playing music. Besides all that, he has dear friend Kendall Bolsen to help schedule his gigs and cheer him on. What’s not to like about a life like that? Now Matt does much solo work, where a unique network pairs him with hosts who want music played in their homes with their invited friends. It’s a growing trend. He also plays at casinos, and has a standing Sunday evening job playing at a nearby casino restaurant. He also has gigs that take him to other cities and states, and he couldn’t be more content because he’s playing just for the fun of it. To me, basically, he’s still a musician, a good one, making people happy, and as he grows older, I find he is now more polished than ever, and so easy to listen to. A few weeks ago, when many family members were home for Mother’s Day, we all got together to hear Matt perform at the old Varsity Theater in Carbondale. A good crowd came to hear him, and you could tell he was having a good time. Some of his old musician buddies were also on the program with him. He has a following in Carbondale, which means one successful show after another. He’s considered a “Blue-eyed soul singer,” belting out songs in a sultry way as he tells his story in music. When he played the song “Georgia” on his saxophone, it was so sweet, smooth, and soul-searching that it brought down the house. The program didn’t end until the audience brought him back for encores. Like everyone else in the family, we’ll be anxiously waiting for Matt’s next concert. The grandkids keep surprising me. The more I think about it, I won’t need those nine lives after all. What I have to do is play one of Matt’s CDs and remind myself of the one good life I already have.

Keeping Up With The Grandkids Requires Lots Of Living And Lots Of Fun

By Monroe County Independent | July 23, 2019

If it’s true what they say about cats having nine lives, then I want what they have. With only one life to lead, when will I ever find time to learn what the grandkids have been up to?  I long to follow their careers, see what paths they’ve chosen to take, what they’ve accomplished along …

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Domenica Martino, Lucy Engbring’s mother, pictured almost 70 years ago in Milwaukee, Wis. Domenica passed away shortly after, in 1949, just before her 51st birthday.

Remembering My Dear Mama On This Mother’s Day

By Monroe County Independent | May 28, 2019

Not a Mother’s Day goes by that I’m not reminded of my own hard-working Mama, and the very short life she lived. When I think back to my childhood, one of the first warm memories that come to mind are of coming home from school, and walking into a kitchen filled with the sweet aroma …

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The kids look over Granny’s collection of rocks found around the yard. Grandson Luke calls it our “Natural History Table.” The little ones are, left to right, Nora Carlson, Hunter, Zia Edwards and Luke Engbring. The girls are great-granddaughters, the boys are grandsons.

Easter Bunny Needs A Good Rest After A Visit To The Bluff House

By Monroe County Independent | May 20, 2019

Well now, which of the 12 different hues should we choose to color the eggs? It was the day before Easter, and son Charlie and family were visiting from Cary, South Carolina.  I always breath a sigh of relief when I see their RV coming up the driveway, happy to know they’ve reached their destination.  …

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It’s All The ‘Ups’ And ‘Downs’ In Life That Make Living So Unpredictable

It’s All The ‘Ups’ And ‘Downs’ In Life That Make Living So Unpredictable

By Monroe County Independent | May 1, 2019

Without a care in the world, I was still basking in all the unforgettable, refreshing memories made during my month-long visit to California earlier this year.  The change of scenery, the busy capital city of Sacramento, the excellent food, the warm, friendly farms and neighborhoods, the long, lazy days of enjoying life with family, all …

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Sunny CA

Taking The Easy Way Out – Skipping Winter Is Easy In Sunny California

By Monroe County Independent | March 25, 2019

No matter where you live, there’s probably not a soul in the whole country who hasn’t complained about the weather this past year. I was among them. Where did all those cold, dark days come from?  We’re smart enough to know that, after all, it is winter, but still, why couldn’t the sun stick around …

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Snorkeling at Kapalai Island was where the kids saw sea turtles, reef snakes, eels, a shoal of squid, and amazing fish of all kinds. No pirates from the Philippines showed up on this trip.

Unforgettable Memories Are Made As the Borneo Trip Comes To An End

By Monroe County Independent | March 25, 2019

It’s true what they say, that “one man’s poison is another man’s cup of tea.”  Here in the Heartland we spent many shivering winter days getting rid of snow piles, then this story came from son John and his daughter Laurel to prove my point. On their Borneo trip they were chatting with some young …

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Granddaughter Laurel hikes up to the top of Mount Kinabalu, 13,500 feet high, on her Borneo adventure with Dad John Engbring. They said coming down was harder than going up.

Climbing The Highest Mountain In Malaysia Was Just The Beginning Of The Saga

By Monroe County Independent | March 25, 2019

No wonder son John and daughter Laurel, now touring the Borneo, said their calf and thigh muscles were complaining after they had reached the 13,500-ft. peak of Mount Kinabalu. My own legs started aching when I read about it.  Climbing the famous mountain was the first thing they wanted to do when they arrived on …

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John Engbring tries out his “almost finished” boat on water, and it didn’t even sink!

A New Adventure – Armchair Traveling With Son John As He Takes Off For Borneo

By Monroe County Independent | March 25, 2019

They left last week. It was not surprising to learn that son John and his daughter Laurel were leaving on a month-long trip to Borneo. I always had the feeling that, since John’s daughter Gretchen had visited there last year while working on her degree, John and Laurel had a hankering to go there too. …

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