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Visit To Plymouth Plantation
November 23, 2016
— 6 Comments
cannons above church Plymouth
Pilgrims
Pilgrim
miller’s take
mill pond
When I visited Plymouth Plantation to see how my ancestors had lived the Mayflower was out of town being repaired. That did not bother me. I filled my day visiting at the museums of the living culture, including the grain mill extension in town. The details are fabulous and the actors doing the recreation are very knowledgeable and professional at their work. My personal ancestors were not on hand the day I went, but I did see the recreations of their homes. I also spent time in the cemetery and the church. The whole town is kind of preserved, with a definite Mayflower Pilgrim theme.
I was most interested in the Wampanoag section of the display. I thought for years I was a descendant of Quadequina, a member of the first Thanksgiving party. I was thrilled to be a Wamp, but later my first cousin discovered an error in my research. I had to cut that branch from the tree and begin again in the 1700s in South Carolina. I was super distressed at this news, which at first I was unwilling to accept. I was furious at my cousin, but had to face the reality that I had based my conclusions on specious data. I had mistaken one John Taylor in South Carolina for another, and that was all it took to lead me astray. It was a bummer. I was just a wanna be Wampanoag after all. It was a sad day when I had to admit that.
I stayed on Cape Cod where many of my ancestors moved after they had had it with the Plymouth bureaucracy and religious police. The whole area is filled with history. Even though my dreams of being a Wampanoag were dashed I enjoyed learning about the tribe and their struggle today. My relationship to them is purely intellectual, but I still love the People of The First Light. I love them more than I love the Pilgrims, who turned out to be pretty religious crazy. That whole story about religious freedom and Plymouth has been stilted quite a bit. They had no use for religious freedom other than their own specific brand of religious practice. They forced everyone to go to their church and obey their church’s rules. That is why many of my ancestors left for Cape Cod and later for Rhode Island. Those oppressive Pilgrims were just too intrusive to have as neighbors.
I hope to go back to Plymouth some day. I now have done more research and more people to find in the vicinity. I also hope I will revisit Williamsburg, VA because many of my ancestors were living down there in the 1600’s too. If you have a chance to go see the exhibits at Plimouth Plantation Thanksgiving will never be the same for you. You will see a clearer picture of what really happened in history.
Clulusion-The Sinister Fusion of Cluelessness and Collusion
November 21, 2016
Judgement
If we make it through this Thanksgiving week without a flood of car traffic invited to park outside our front door to donate to a charity scam it will be the first time since I have been in my home. Our HOA has forced the homeowners here to host a donation drop off in the fire lane of our private property for the entire time I have lived here, almost 15 years. Literally thousands of cars have passed by my front door to leave junk, or food, or volunteer hours preparing food for the public for a fake charity. The HOA board has a fiduciary (legal) responsibility to protect the property value of the corporation, but they see fit to use our property to show off their own fake philanthropy to the neighborhood. They operated these scams all year, and solicited donations in various ways. They used the US Postal service to solicit funds from the neighbors, which was incredible. Holidays were special times when we had non-stop cars drive through and park for hours to donate to the charity scams.
The most amazing feat they accomplished was to go to court and get a restraining order from a city court judge. They told him they were “giving back” and need to restrain the people who live here and own the driveway with the fire lane they occupy from stopping the charity scam donations or food prep. We tried for years to stop it through our official Tucson Police Department neighborhood watch, but the cop was in favor of both filling the fire lane with cars, and inviting the public to drive through this driveway we have to pay to pave in order to keep the white collar criminals happy. She did not even know them, but wanted, in general, to make this a shittier place to live. She encouraged the HOA board to trash the environment and break federal revenue law. It seems she was just untrained or not paying any attention. There was no way to know what she was thinking because she simply refused to respond when we reported the crime. She was able to influence the whole city government to refuse to enforce the fire lane law here for reasons known only to herself…or more likely to nobody, since it was a mindless clueless action. Cluelessness is contagious and soon the whole city government was too clueless to even collude with each other. They had manifested the ultimate willfully blind untrust. They unknowingly were the biggest promoters of obvious crime in front of all of us in the area. They stuck to their guns for more than a decade, and last night there were 4 cars in the fire lane and 1 in a neighbor’s driveway without permission. If a fire had broken out they had blocked people into their garages who would be trapped while the fire truck would be blocked. They don’t see any reason not to expose us to that kind of risk.
After being forced to live with this full time donation drop off site in my front yard for years, the neighbors and I petitioned the newly elected mayor, who is a lawyer. He refused to respond, and in fact since the first petition in 2013 he has not been willing to respond to the citizens here who petitioned his office to halt the charity scam activity that freaked the whole neighborhood out. His office thinks it has a right to remain silent while refusing to give us any law enforcement services for more than a decade. They are not trying to refuse to perform. This is the extent of the ability they have. They send out a cop to promote charity scamming and filling the fire lane of the property with as many cars as possible, and then refuse to respond when we ask for at least a clear fire lane. No can do. I have pointed out the total number of nights our fire lanes have been clear in the last 15 years. The number is stuck at 6 nights total. They passively aggressively pretend that this law enforcement task is impossible for them, so they can’t do anything to improve this situation. They manage to keep the fire lanes clear downtown. They do know how to write these expensive tickets. They prefer to ignore the issue. They have fully trashed our hood as well as trust in the police with their actions. I still can’t get them to repair the damage because it would include admission of an error. They are sticking with deeper clulusion. This is why we can’t have nice things.
DNA For Hipsters
November 20, 2016
— 7 Comments
brother’s estimate
my estimate
The subject of DNA testing has become more and more popular since Ancestry.com directed some television programming at discovering the ethnicity of celebrities. Many folks are surprised to learn their DNA reveals a different or much more complex ethnic background than they had assumed. It is particularly poignant for black people to trace their ancestors back to slavery and find out how much non-African DNA they have. The show and the advertising have increased the number of people sending samples to the database at Ancestry.com. This has the effect of defining all of us in the database with more precision. I think that this is one way to eradicate racism. Our connections are much more complicated than any of us have been thinking.
The more DNA they have to compare, the more specific they can be. When I first took the test the program was new and not well known. My profile initially told me I was 98% from the British Isles, and trace elements. I was not very impressed. As the database grew my profile showed more specificity including western Europe. Recently my brother sent in his saliva in order to help a man find his birth father. He has distant DNA links to our family and asked us for some help with his own research. Male DNA reveals more than female, so my brother complied with his request. I had heard this before, but when I studied my brother’s DNA results I was surprised to see he had more detail than I did. We had the same parents for sure. My partner said it is because my brother is a later model, but this makes no sense. I think it is because he is a male. I will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime I have started to investigate some of the 550 DNA matches that Ancestry has compiled for me over the years while I basically ignored this feature. It is really interesting and fun. They send me new connections all the time with charts about the lineage. I am into it, and have made progress on my tree. I have confirmed some sketchy connections in my research, and found many new ones. DNA is where it is happening for my investigations right now. It is yielding progress. I paid my annual subscription fees this month, but feel really good about all the value I get from Ancestry.com. The more DNA they collect the better it is for me, so send your spit to my database, please.
DNA testing for the public is a huge growth market. It is also the talk of the town. When I ran into my friend who is a doctor and knows she has Swedish ancestry did the test at 123 and Me recently. She did it because it is possible to test for genetic predisposition to disease as well as for contraindicated medications. She wanted to know which meds are going to harm her. I did not know that was part of the information being shared, but that does sound incredibly useful. I need to check back with her to see what she learned beyond what she knows from that old family bible in Swedish that tells part of her story. Everyone finds surprises. Have you done any DNA tests yet, gentle reader? What have you discovered? What made you decide to do it?
Weekend Coffee Share – Forging Ahead
November 19, 2016
— 5 Comments
Forge
If we were having coffee I would offer you some tasty new teas I just ordered, including a tangy cranberry flavored black tea that I am drinking. We have coffee, of course, and some cornbread to eat by the wood stove. The fire from last night is out, and today is warm, but I like to hang out next to my stove all winter. It radiates heat as well as coziness. I keep a big pot of water on top since it does zap what moisture we have out of the air. Today I am floating a large dose of lavender essential oil with a dash of frankincense to bring up the seasonal mood. My set of remote controlled LED candles arrives today from Amazon, which will complete my winter decorating. Next week I will let you play with them. I could not resist the sale on remote controlled candles. They just sound like fun.
It is my pleasure to host this diverse group, and my wish that you will all continue to visit. When the streets fill with the jolly sound of holiday traffic I stay home. It is not difficult for me, and I am not at all missing out in any reindeer games. I never go to malls, don’t like chain stores at all, and we don’t do any special gifting at holiday time. So when I am asked if I am ready for Christmas I can safely say yes because I do nothing to prepare. I like to have more lighting and scent in the home all winter, but there is no particular holiday theme. The theme is fire building, a sport I completely enjoy. I love the job of fire tender, and consider it to be one of my best skills. There is a trick to starting fires, which is allowing plenty of air to flow. I try to use as little kindling as possible to get the bigger stuff started. My partner does the wood splitting, but I like the game of doing more with less. It is a metaphor for life. We don’t need more fuel, we need more air to get started.
I consider this talented group of writers meeting for coffee to be friends, or at least allies. Forging alliances takes time and alchemy. We have a new year and new challenges. This is a time to strengthen our alliances and forge new ones. We use this phrase to mean find commonality through trial by fire. Forging requires intense heat and strong force. Once bonded the metals are inseparable, much stronger than a weld. Hephaestus, blacksmith to the gods, was the creator of both Pandora and her famous box. At the bottom of the box when all all else had escaped into the atmosphere, hope remained.
Hephaestus
Thanks to all of you who forge friendships by finding time to share coffee each weekend. I am mighty glad you came to hang out today. My week has been smooth and easy. My hope is to continue that pace and level of difficulty (very mellow) into 2017. Please visit the digital party here to comment to add your post.
Spikenard For Transformation
November 17, 2016
— 1 Comment
Nardostachys jatamansi
spikenard
Spikenard has been used for centuries as both a healing and a ceremonial plant. It is mentioned many times in the bible. In the Song of Songs 4:13-14, the bridegroom sings of spikenard:
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
spikenard and saffron,
calamus and cinnamon,
with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes,
and all the finest spices.
The most well known biblical reference to spikenard is found in Mark 14:3-9, New King James Version
The Anointing at Bethany
3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Many people know the phrase the poor will be with you always, but few know the context or the meaning. Mary Magdelene was preparing for Passover with Jesus, attending a seder at Simon the Leper’s house in Jerusalem. She anointed Jesus’ feet with spikenard then dried the excess oil with her hair. This is symbolic at many levels. She was devout sitting at his feet, but she uncovered her hair, which a Jewish woman would not have normally done. This business annoyed Judas, a guy known for stealing from the poor box. Judas wants to know why she did not sell the spikenard and put the proceeds in the poor box so he can steal it. Jesus explains that she is anointing him for burial. There is some discussion about whether it was his feet or his head or both that she anointed. This was not the main issue. She used a great deal of fragrant oil and then went around with it all in her hair as a human incense. This act was extremely unusual and divinely inspired. You notice Mary did not make it into the last supper paintings, but she has been depicted anointing.
Mary Magdalene at Bethany
Pope Francis has used the spikenard in his coat of arms because in the Catholic church it represents Saint Joseph.
Pope Francis coat of arms
I like to wear some around my neck and shoulders when I feel I need to transform anything. I also love to fragrance my home with it, especially during winter. Although I guess it is an Easter symbol, I find the deep notes that linger in the air uplift my spirit in the darkest days. I buy a high quality essential oil, run a diffuser in my home, and also take it with me to the steam room for another way to feature it. I learned about spikenard kind of late in life, but am happily impressed with the results when I use it. It is a deep root note in perfume that holds the bass note long after the high notes have evaporated. Not everyone will love the smell as a single note, but with some mixing it works for most tastes. I am fond of mixing frankincense, myrrh and spikenard together, which are all very deep notes. I feel it lingering in the air. I like to saturate my home for full effects. Do you use essential oils, gentle reader? Aromatherapy is powerful medicine, often with deep historical meaning. The physical potential is excellent, but the symbolic and magical significance of spikenard can take you to a new place.
Finding The Center
November 15, 2016
— 4 Comments
There is a long history of contemplative practice in Christianity. In the 1970’s three monks from Massachusetts created modern instructions for centering prayer. This form of meditation is close to Yoga Nidra. It teaches the mind to rise above the normal thoughts that inhabit our thinking. A jolly attitude is recommended toward the thought forms that casually intrude into one’s session. By gradually improving the ability to concentrate and fully focus on the selected subject or word, those pesky internal discussions cease and desist that constant chatter. All forms of meditation are aimed at this goal. If we have control over our thoughts we have control over our reality.
Lectio Divina is a way to use scriptures as the focus of the silent contemplation. Since journaling is a valuable way to amplify the lessons learned a company is producing lectio divina journals with recommended scriptures for each day with plenty of space to write down any impressions or ideas that spring from the session. These guys are monks, so they always use Christian texts, normally the Bible, for the inspiration. They refer to this as a centering prayer, which is a perfect way to describe the experience. Asking for divine inspiration at the outset is the way to invite holy blessings. Writing down journal impressions creates a bridge between the contemplation and everyday life. Insights gained are captured in the writing practice.
I think anyone can do this kind of meditation. You don’t need to use Christianity or any other specific religion to do it. Time spent quieting the mind and discovering the power of meditation and journaling is a wonderful way to simply deal with stress in the modern world. Simple Abundance, or gratitude journaling are secular ways to include contemplation and writing in our lives. There are many variations on this theme. I think now is the time to develop practices that increase our joy and comfort in the world. We are our own best medicine when we join forces with all that is. We will all drive ourselves mad without some well tended personal space and time dedicated to centering. I hope you will discover a method that soothes your soul and raises your happiness quotient. You don’t have to be a monk to like it.
Simple Abundance
Garbage In, Garbage Out
November 14, 2016
— 5 Comments
Selfish ignorant politicians are the product of a selfish ignorant population. Have we considered how co-dependent it is to re-elect the congress we love to hate? The United States is a highly dysfunctional family with generational beliefs about a common enemy that may not exist. We make the sovereign powers of the world pay attention to us while we display our lack of mature thinking. I did vote this year, and always have, but I appreciate this joke by the late, great George Carlin. Our attachment to politics is a very negative and fruitless folly. The video includes graphic language and gestures that may not be appropriate for everyone. When I think about how long this video has been in existence it makes it all the more poignant to me. Pardon me, gentle reader, if this is not your kind of joke. This joke is on all of us.
Weekend Coffee Share, Plot Twist
November 12, 2016
— 7 Comments
#WeekendCoffeeShare
If we were having coffee today I would tell you that I am dedicated to simple pleasures like coffee with you right now. I have some spiced cider, a selection of teas, and we still have lots of nuts to go around. Please help yourself and take the load of your feet for a few minutes. As I told you last weekend this friendly digital drink downing party between writers is a welcome safe space to hang without exposure to crazy political hoo ha. This rare and exotic privilege to hang out and share personal thoughts is very valuable to me. The trauma of the political season has exhausted everyone. This is a time for healing by sincerely listening to others.
We have been subjected to far too much hate speech and faulty logic. The big November surprise of the election of Donald Trump has twisted history. We will now change the narrative of our story along with the costuming, the moral values, and the judicial system. After I considered the facts, although I did not vote for him, I do share the frustration about dysfunctional government that his supporters claim to be able to remedy. I despise the wasted days and wasted nights we spend supporting the Congress while they bicker our money down the drain. My solution to this problem would be different, but we agree that there is a giant problem. I do fear and loathe what has happened, but I also have been upset about the government’s dysfunction for my entire adult life. As soon as I started paying taxes, before I could vote, I started freaking out. I have voted in every election since I turned 21, but feel that many of my choices have sucked. My taxes have not been spent in my best interests. I am not sure whose interests were served, but I can tell mine were not. My level of approval has not changed much over time. It hovers around 2%. There is no love lost.
Some people think he will not be able to deliver on any of the bombastic promises. Others think he will do wonders for the economy. He seems determined to roll back civil rights and health care legislation, but he has no experience in making laws. This is a volatile experiment being felt around the globe. It is explosive and pernicious. Nobody knows what will happen.
My focus is where is usually is, at home. My well-being begins and ends at my house. I have limited control over the way the larger cookie crumbles. Here in midtown Tucson I have purchased some perfect comice pears, some brie cheese, and some tangerines. I am shifting the menu to holiday specials without turning to sugar to create them. We are setting out on a gourmet journey into fabulous fall flavors. Eating delicious food at home can make up for a lot of terrible things out in the world. I have tiny solar lights all a twinkle outside. In a few weeks I will start to plant my fake poinsettias in the front yard. I bring them out a few at a time. The week before Christmas it goes into full coverage. I am amazed how long these fake flowers have held up, since they spend a month each year outside in the yard. I plan to pursue my own festive plans without taking on a burden of worry. Actions are of the utmost importance now. Just as we can’t be bullied by foreign terrorists, we can’t give up our own peace and quiet to worry about the government. I plan to keep a warm place for you by the wood stove all winter. Thanks very much for visiting today. Take a ripe comice pear with you for the ride home.
Do check out all the coffee sharing action here. Visit the contributors, leave comments or write your own weekend post to let us know what you’re thinking and doing.
home is where the heart is
Say It In Latin, Argumentum Ad Hominem
November 11, 2016
— 4 Comments
The practice of trash talking with personal insults rather than appeal to reason has dominated our political season. This kind of logic is known as argumentum ad hominem, or ad hominem for short. The personal attack is intended to discredit any statement made by the opponent. It is a logical red herring designed to distract from the business at hand. It is the full time occupation of the Congress of the United States.
Ad hominem tu quoque is to use the “I know you are but what am I?” line of reasoning. It translates to “You do that too.” There is a big difference between a persuasive argument and a statement of fact. In order to reach valid conclusions it is important to distinguish guilt by association or circumstance from cold, hard, empirical facts. All’s fair in marketing and politics. The emotional ad hominem is used freely and frequently to convince people to vote or buy something. We are all being manipulated, like it or not. In order to be an independent thinker one must consider empirical facts at face value, without prejudice. Conversely, if it is our goal to hoodwink or control our audience it appears that trash talking works very well. Next time you find yourself in an argument notice how long it takes for this tactic to be used. It is a very common weapon, gentle reader. Don’t be fooled by association fallacies. They are enormously popular.
Ad hominem tu quoque
You Don’t Need A Weatherman
November 10, 2016
— 1 Comment
…to know which way the wind blows. Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues.
Think about how perfect these lyrics are for America right now, 2016. Suddenly everyone is surprised about the conditions that prevail. We are swinging to the other end of the pendulum, my gentle readers. It is time for the equal and opposite reaction of those who are disenchanted with government. Initially these words were used to call out an oppressive secretive regime. Today the vandals who took all the handles are the political parties themselves. If we ever had a real revolution (doubtful, fellow boomers) now comes the obvious counter revolution. We said we believed in the winds of change. Here they are. They will huff and puff and blow this house down because we built it out of sticks. If you are feeling homesick in your country, take responsibility for the future. Take democracy seriously or it will vanish before our very eyes. I can’t give you any specific advise except to say this did not happen overnight and was not done by one person, one party, or even one country. We have all been partners in this crime. Wake up and smell the danger.
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