mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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#WeekendCoffeeShare Iced Tea Day
June 10, 2017
— 3 Comments
If we were having coffee today I would urge you to celebrate National Iced Tea Day with me. I know the national days can really be a bit much, but this one is a winner. I have so many iced teas from which you can choose. I personally am very hung up on White Strawberry alternating that with Peppermint Butler iced tea. I love the refreshing zip of each of these. The white strawberry has a fruity and light taste that is good to guzzle on hot days like this. The Peppermint Butler has real candy canes in the mix, so it delivers a wonderful minty punch that feels like a cool (brief) breeze. Please have a seat while I prepare a couple of unbreakable pitchers of iced tea to take with us to the pool.
black passionfruit sun tea
We are meeting again this week in the pool at my condo village. The sun is scorching and the pavement will burn your feet, so take a dip to chill yourself before we drink tea and exchange stories. I want to hear about your writing projects and your life. I hope both are going well. I know some of you are working on novels and longer works of fiction. I also tip my hat to those of you who write micro fiction, which is mighty hard to do well. I try it a bit in response to Sue Vincent’s weekly photo prompt. This week I wrote a poetic verse that did not rhyme, but once again touched on dystopia and doom. There is a pattern, and it has nothing to do with Sue’s pictures. I do notice some others with depressing responses, so maybe it is a way to deal with our world politics. On a lighter note, I am having a good time writing weekly tea reviews, which are completely apolitical. In fact, I think tea and coffee parties are a wonderful way to take a break from the current situation while just savoring the moment. My Tuesdays are dedicated to tea and all the wonders and benefits of drinking it, until further notice. I include the offer from Adagio above in case you want to chill your belly and chill your emotions at the same time. Camomile is a sedative and calming tea, being offered free with any purchase made today.
I will skip world politics, since it is being covered everywhere. I just want to say the Mike Bloomberg has proven to be my hero, which I would not have suspected. His personal financial support for the Paris Accord makes a fabulous point….We CAN do it. I think people will step up all over the world in response to repression of science, so maybe it is not the worst thing to have these obstructionist crazies on board. They expose the terrible status quo. I remain optimistic.
Here in Tucson I am making salsa today with the fresh produce haul I procured this morning. I am roasting tomatoes and Poblano chiles for use all week. The house and the back yard smell like chiles, which does stimulate my appetite. When we return from the pool let me make you a couple of tacos with this smoky goodness. I like to roast the veggies and use them in many ways later in the week. I have been on a vichyssoise kick, and have found all kinds of cold creamy potato soups. So far I have done them with asparagus, and with corn, and a classic potato slightly flavored with one jalapeño. The variations are endless, so I am experimenting with all kinds. I think the Poblano will be a great addition. All of them are broth, potatoes, leeks, heavy cream, and something. It is hard to ruin, and easy to serve. I took corn vichyssoise soup shots to my colleagues at work this week. It was very popular. I will tell you more about my new job next week, since I have been rattling on for a while here.
Weekend-Coffee-Share-Pic
Thanks for stopping for some iced tea and sympathy this weekend. I appreciate Emily for hosting this movable feast each weekend at her blog, Nerd in the Brain. Please join us for digital beverages and a chat.
#WritePhoto Birds Of A Feather
June 8, 2017
— 10 Comments
The Flock
We sat on the hill above the flooded river
Watching as towns and farms washed away
Floating downstream on the big cresting waves
Water overflowed the banks and destroyed trees
That had stood on the shore for centuries
Their roots were severed by the current rushing
Swelling, moving the earth beneath their giant limbs
That crashed into the water with furious destructive
Sounds of nature taking her revenge on civilization
The only hopeful sign we could see from our perch
Was the flock of birds flying over their former homes
Taking to the sky to look for a new place to build nests
We envy them their ability to keep the flock together
They fly in tight formation, in search of fairer weather
#writephoto
This poem was written in response to this weeks photo prompt by Sue Vincent on her blog , The Echo. Join bloggers from around the globe for more stories about this photo and last week’s.
#WeekendCoffeeShare Pool And Protest
June 3, 2017
— 6 Comments
pool with reflection
If we were having coffee this weekend in Tucson I would bring a pitcher of water and another of iced beverage of your choice out to the pool. The only place to be on a day when the temperature reaches 106 degrees is in the pool. I have all manner of flotation devices, and there is a table in the shade where we can sit for a chat after we get wet. If you feel energetic we could chat while we do some exercise in the water. I have taught swimming and water exercise for years, and although I am not currently certified in lifesaving I will keep you safe. Come on in. The water is perfect.
This week was relatively uneventful, if you exclude all the political action in Washington, DC. I do watch with interest while Micheal Bloomberg, the states, and cities step up to fight climate change. I am happy to see all the marchers for science but in Arizona this is not possible at the moment. We must protest fro the pool. I think the best way for me to contribute to the entire issue of environmental protection is to act personally. I think I am carbon conservative, but there are probably a few more items I could buy locally or go without for the good of the planet. Rather than review the international scene, although that is of interest, I am looking for ways I can reduce my personal consumption of water, gasoline, and electricity.
While I fill your ice water glass again please tell me about your writing projects and your week. Did you finish or start any new writing? I admire those of you who write long works of fiction. I may attempt it someday, inspired by your success. It takes discipline as well as talent to do a long write. I have written a few short pieces of fiction, but this week I created a poem in response to Sue Vincent’s photo prompt. It was about death, and was fully depressing like the previous week’s. I do wonder at my creative self when I come up with all this dark gloomy haunted stuff. I also wonder if that is a direction I should try to go for a longer story..haunted and creepy is a genre, after all. I also wrote about my ancestors and tea, so it was not all gloom and doom…except the ancestors are dead, of course. I wrote about some from the Byzantine Empire this week.
I think perhaps I am haunted by the politics playing out before me, but that does not matter. Creative responses to horror and terror have always been used to change things. Satirists are having a having a hay day with all the crazy times in which we live. I wish I could draw cartoons, but I think this talent will be for another lifetime. I will have to stick to poems to express my distaste, rage, or general revolt. How do you best protest, gentle reader?Do tell, what makes you revolt (silently or otherwise)?
If you are in the mood, feel free to cannonball before you go. Hydrate fully, and stay safe. Please join the coffee party on the weekend hosted by Emily at Nerd in the Brain. Contribute a post, or read, comment, and visit here.
Weekend-Coffee-Share-Pic
#Writephoto Knock
June 1, 2017
— 9 Comments
knock knock
This is inspired by Sue Vincent’s Thursday photo prompt
Knock knock, Who’s there? I don’t want to get up from my chair
If you have come to beg for candy I can tell you that the cupboard is bare
If you wanted entertainment you can pass through to the cellar room
Where dangerous characters sit around and complain about the gloom
We have no happy servant to greet you, seat you and serve champagne
These days we are lucky to find a few morsels of food to feed the pain
We brought it all upon ourselves, never caring about the fate of others
Sinister side effects of concentrated self delusion eventually smother
The life out of the privileged and those forced into perpetual service
The end of the road comes to everyone, which makes us all very nervous
#writephoto
Please join writers around the world on Thursdays to read, comment, or submit your own post based on these photos.
Habitually Blind
May 10, 2017
— 2 Comments
hole in the wall
hole in the wall
While time passes by your window and blows through your mind
Where are your connections to the natural world?
Are you just habitually blind?
Does the rising of the tide of hatred sting your immortal soul?
Or do you sit in the corner twiddling your thumbs
When everyone becomes a merciless troll?
Did you have a purpose for being born on earth?
If so you better get to work, because things are getting worse
hole in the wall
#SelfCareSunday Rejuvenation
May 7, 2017
— 5 Comments
in bloom
in bloom
in bloom
Wipe the slate clean by taking the first day of each week
seriously.
Make a commitment to clear your space and time
to restore your serenity
To daily life that passes at a constant pace, yet seems to be compressed
Into stressful packages of worry and uncertain future demands
On the dwindling energy and time our position in life
commands
Step away from the every day, unplug from the noise and chatter
Give yourself the Sunday self care you deserve. This is an
urgent matter
Immerse yourself in music, perfume, and poetry that feeds your soul
Return to the world on Monday feeling healthy, relaxed and whole
#NaPoWriMo Car Talk
April 30, 2017
— 1 Comment
hot rod
hot rods
hot rod
tail light
If we could hear the stories antique vehicles might reveal
About all their owners and their follies if only they could
Terrible decisions, stormy weather, shattered windshield
Narrow escape followed by a downhill run through the wood
Finally in this time they are treated like rare treasures at last
They represent the beauty, the art, and the culture of the past
Rumbling pipes, paint jobs and restoration done with pride
The hod rod is a symbol. It is more than just a fabulous ride.
#NaPoWriMo2017
#GloPoWriMo
It has been a wild and wonderful ride all month on the poetry train. Keep up with the poets at #NaPoWriMo until next April. I urge you to write, read, and recite to enrich your life. Words can lead to amazing places.
#NaPoWriMo Barriers and Boundaries
April 28, 2017
— 1 Comment
wall
wall
When barriers go up they exclude thought
They intend to protect, but offer no real shield
From the harsh reality that must be taught
In order for the entire community to be healed
Boundaries are healthy, they define our rules
Selfish stonewalls of ignorance are built by fools
Know the difference between freedom and deceit
Listen carefully for shenanigans and vain conceit
Don’t bind your mind too tightly, don’t hide in your yard
You may find, to your dismay, you’re hoist with your own petard
ruins
Please join poets in the month of April for National Poetry Writing Month. Find new material to enjoy at the #NaPoWriMo site, or by following the hashtags on social media.
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- #GloPoWriMo
#NaPoWriMo Never Born #WritePhoto
April 27, 2017
— 5 Comments
nostalgia nursery
The nursery was filled with heirloom toys and games
The aunts and uncles made suggestions for names
The curse was strong in the family, since the soothsayer
Foretold the demise of the monarchy by a betrayer
A child not of woman born would come along one day
To end the lineage of oppression by which royals play
Centuries have past since the spell had been cast
No heir to the throne has left the dollhouse and rocking horse alone
#writephoto
This poem is inspired by the photo by Sue Vincent, who shares a prompt each Thursday in The Daily Echo. Join writers from around the world to create your own story or poem.
#NaPoWriMo2017
#GloPoWriMo
Poets are still on board to submit 30 poems in thirty days on the poetry train. It is not too late to catch a ride at the #NaPoWriMo site. You may be a poet…and not even know it.
#NaPoWriMo Ghost Of Elvis
April 24, 2017
— 2 Comments
Undisputed King of Rock’n Roll
No need to travel to Memphis to feel the vibe
Of the omnipresent monarch of the rock’n roll tribe
He will haunt our memories and dreams
Forever flowing through the connected streams
Where music has traveled in space, breadth and time
Still it is ruled by Elvis Presley in his prime
His signature moves and deep smooth voice
Will often by copied, and for this we rejoice
Feel free to draw down his spirit as your inspiration
He will rain his blessings on your Elvis impersonation
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- #GloPoWriMo
Join poets around the globe to read, write, recite and enjoy poetry in the month of April. #NaPoWriMo website can introduce you to loads of poetic talent. Also, find more poetic fun by following these hashtags on social media. This exciting experiment is open to everyone.
