Travel | mermaidcamp

National Safety Month #McKinney Style

June 8, 2015 — 1 Comment

The month of June is designated as National Safety Month in the US. Attention to safe practices and awareness is geared toward making the country safer. During this year we are faced with graphic evidence that one threat to our safety can be the police. The teen pool party in McKinney, Texas that turned ugly can only be seen as inappropriate. An enraged cop tackled a teen girl smashing her face into the lawn, then drew his gun on bystanders. I feel the fear as I watch these proceedings. I imagine what my own feelings might be if I was taken down by an irrational armed cop. This reality does make me fear and loathe what police do in my country.

The Department of Justice and the White House sponsored a task force to make recommendations for 21st century policing. The report names 6 pillars on which to focus:

Building Trust & Legitimacy
Policy & Oversight
Technology & Social Media
Community Policing & Crime Reduction
Training & Education
Officer Wellness & Safety

There is a wider gap each day between the cops and the communities paying for police protection. It is not an easy task to build trust when we observe this kind of event on a regular basis. Law enforcement officers are hired to prevent crime and keep the peace. When they look like the most criminal among us, we are right to question the authority we have given them. I don’t know how to reverse this trend, other than doing what you can to love your neighbor and treat him as you want to be treated. That includes all of us.

Vacation Budget

May 30, 2015 — 4 Comments

I worked as an outside sales travel agent for many years. I took care of my own clients and split my commissions with the agency where I worked. I served all kinds of different clients, mostly recreational. They knew the destination and how long they would stay. They wanted to find the best airfare. Back in the day only agents or the airlines themselves had access to the digital systems used for booking. Some people wanted nothing more than the best fare for a flight, but others wanted some guidance in planning. Naturally each vacationer wants to think they have a great bargain package, but very few would tell the agent how much they had planned to spend. This question was rarely answered. Today, of course, consumers shop for their own travel and have resources available to do research. Yelp and TripAdvisor help prospective clients judge destinations by reading the reviews of other holiday makers. This helps people fit the vacation to personal taste, and avoid costly bad matches in accommodations.

In summer thoughts turn to vacation. I no longer book travel for other people but I do want to offer some advice for a stress free and happy trip, no matter where you roam.

Pack your schedule lightly so you can take advantage of surprises
Compare all kinds of lodging located near your destination
Choose some splurge activity you have dreamed of doing and do it
Indulge your own passions and collections when browsing and shopping
Less is best when choosing how many times to move base camp
Take less gear than you need with plans to purchase a souvenir you can use
Pack old items of clothing you no longer want and throw them away as you go

You need to budget both time and money in order to get the most value out of your time on holiday. Think first of the beginning and the end of the trip. Leave plenty of time on both ends for unexpected events and delays. Don’t fly to a wedding on a flight that is scheduled to arrive 3 hours before the ceremony. Don’t drive home for 12 hours straight on the last night of your time off from your job. I always like to have a full day at home before I have an appointment, just so I can recover and/or be delayed in transit. If you give yourself plenty of leisure time you will come back refreshed, even if you use it to be very energetic. Cramming too many destinations or plans into the time allowed can ruin the rhythm of your rest and relaxation. It is bad to return exhausted.

It is worse to return home in deep debt. A satisfying vacation is one you can afford without sweating. After you calculate your airfare and special events be reasonable about how you will want to dine, shop, and entertain yourself. There is a strong association between freewheeling spending and American Dreaming. Remember this especially if you plan to spend time in Nevada. I think the worst buyer’s remorse is that of the vacationer who has not yet paid for the trip that did not really come up to snuff. That charge on the credit card remains to add insult to injury for a long time. Please set a limit, a budget, and a goal for your holiday spending. Be creative to make the most of your free time. Bon voyage, gentle reader.

Being Vegetarian

May 27, 2015 — 5 Comments

Fiddler’s Convention

I became a vegetarian at Union Grove, North Carolina in March of 1970. I had travelled with a group of friends to camp over Easter weekend at my first fiddler’s convention. I cooked and baked for the occasion, very excited to be camping out right next to the music. I did not know what to expect, nor did I have any idea what others might bring. I made hot crossed buns and brought a really giant (about 15 pounds) country ham, and made plenty of biscuits. I can’t remember the rest of the spread but do know everyone brought way too much food. We ate, drank, and gave the food to our fellow merry makers so we would not need to take it back home with us. The ham was super savory, chosen very carefully for Easter on the go. Country hams are salt cured and require no cooking. I was 19 years old with a big appetite and plenty of energy to dance late into the night. The party was memorable, wonderful, and very delicious. A fun time was had by all.

When I arrived home in Durham Sunday night something just clicked in my mind. I had a friend who had recently become a vegetarian because she witnessed a bird hang itself. This did not strike me as a good reason not to eat meat, but the idea of being a vegetarian sprouted in my mind because of her. She worked with me, and on Monday at the office I started talking to her about her two week old vegetarian practice. I decided to try it. There was no particular issue or reason at the time. I ate way too much ham, and was having some kind of rebound from it. In North Carolina in 1970 people did not take kindly to being questioned about meat in the restaurant dishes. Vegetarianism was an extreme fringe belief system with few believers. The Seventh Day Adventists were the core. They sometimes had little health food stores with Worthington fake meat in cans, but there was not much catering to vegetarians in the 70’s.

Now being vegan is all the rage. The vegetarian lifestyle services and product lines are mind boggling. My diet went through a metamorphic change over time. First I stopped eating meat, but had few cooking skills. I learned to make tasty food, but had never heard of vegetarian diet for health, so I was heavy on the butter and whipped cream, etc. Any food can be made to taste great with enough cream and butter. In about 1972 I met a woman from California who was not only a vegetarian, but did not eat white flour or sugar. We thought her odd in our Austin household of hippies and did not know what to feed her. We cooked from scratch but put sugar and white flour in almost everything. We also drank Dr. Pepper like it was going out of style. She did leave an impression, however. By learning to cook and expand the healthy ingredients in my cuisine I eventually gave up all sugar and white flour myself.

Today I am still a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I like to make vegan food, and tend to eat much of my food raw. I am not interested in full on veganism although I think it can be a very healthy choice. I still enjoy dairy and eggs, so I buy organic products and use them as a minor part of the menu. A little cheese goes a long way, and my butter habit is well under control now too. I eat a bit of sugar these days too, but keep that at a minimum. Common sense and savoring each bite are the keys to happy relating with sugar. Why I am telling you this story, gentle reader? I want you to know that being a vegetarian since 1970 has shown me a lot of different attitudes toward the idea. I am often asked how to become a vegetarian by those who want to make a change. I think the way to go is find one new vegetarian dish you like each week and start to switch out that for some of your beefier meals. Experiment and try recipes your mother never served you. Check out some ethnic restaurants with exotic vegetable preparations, and make them at home. Don’t restrict yourself or feel deprived. Just branch out and do it. If and when you succeed, don’t give us a bad name by telling other people what they should eat. Badgering will never become popular.

Self Surveillance

May 25, 2015 — 9 Comments

I recently shopped my brains out to select a surveillance camera to mount outside to catch the casual thieves who steal things in our neighborhood. I selected the D Link system, which offers many different styles and models for both inside and outside. It is mounted on the wall over my front entry walkway. It is motion activated, which means on windy days it records frequently because when the trees move it captures 7 seconds of that too. I have needed to reset it a couple of times, but it works really well. No incidents have occurred since I placed it out there, but I am pretty surprised at the amount of traffic we have after midnight here in my residential condo village. There is nothing illegal about that, I am just surprised.

My friend Ms Cheevious held a contest on Mothers Day to win a Piper system, which I entered. Lisa was so impressed with the quality of hers, so I decided maybe I would like it. I won!!!! This is really a thrill, since I rarely even enter contests. Now that it is here and I have installed it I am a huge fan of my new Piper. It is for indoor use. My dog has end of life issues. At the moment she is doing pretty well, but she needs more attention than she used to. Her issue is kidney problems, so she needs to urinate frequently. She does let us know and has had very few accidents inside the house. When I go out I start to wonder if she needs me, so I keep my trips away from home short. More often than not when I come back to check on her she is in deep slumber exactly where I left her and does not wake for hours.

The Piper can show me a shot of her on her bed, and record a clip of 35 seconds if it detects motion. It also records if it detects a loud sound. I have set each of these up on a menu. The set up could not have been easier, and there is no chip to record. It all goes to the cloud, and then is easily deleted after you see the clips. It has a huge wide angle lens that captures the whole room, and the audio quality is excellent. Since I have the one camera I can tell if my dog is still passed out or howling at the door. If I chose to combine several cameras I could follow her in all rooms of the house. The app on my phone tells me if an event has been recorded, and gives me a live view. I also have the capability to talk to the dog remotely. That should be funny. Piper did have pet parents in mind when they created the system, so one of the settings is Pet at Home. I am a very happy customer who may extend my coverage one day with more cameras.

The Piper has elements that measure temperature, light, and activity in the area. If you install the interactive switches in your home you can remotely turn your lights on and off or change the thermostat. You get a read out on the high and low temp, the humidity, the light, and activity during the last 24 hours. If one of these were drastically wrong you can also set up alerts to call trusted friends if you are in vacation mode. They have put this together with all the options of a home security company, for which you pay monthly, in a permanent and versatile solution for which you pay only once. I like to be able to see the entry to my house as well as my snoozing hound from wherever I may be with my phone. I had no idea how satisfying it would be.

Codepending with the Cops

May 17, 2015 — 1 Comment

TPD

In a co-dependent relationship each side wants the other to be different. One striking example today is the relationship between the public and the cops. Police departments across the country are found to be engaging in all kinds of costly and illegal practices that are not in the best interest of the taxpayers. One such practice is the use of public safety disability systems to pay off and retire problem (and criminal) cops. We foot the bill for all the retirement and disability payments retired cops are given, whether they are valid or not. Obviously we want to protect, heal and compensate those who are legitimate victims of on the job injuries. To do otherwise would be irresponsible and thoughtless.

Since this system is so easily deceived by bogus medical claims it only makes sense to examine the system for fraud. Tucson has unreasonably high disability figures compared to the national average for cops, which drains our coffers in an unsustainable way. Either we are really doing something that injures our employees more than other cities, or we are being taken for a ride much more than other cities. I sense that it may be a little of each. If they do nothing to take care of themselves they will not be healthy as they go through their careers. Obesity, drug addiction, depression, mental health issues, and low back problems would naturally arise from a work life sitting in a patrol car all day or wearing a bullet proof vest to compress the spine. There are significant risks to health besides getting shot or killed. I think this problem needs to be addressed. They have direct exposure to the worst of general public all day, every day. None of us could do that without experiencing a loss of optimism and bliss. PTSD is as real for the cops as it is for the people who go to war.

In Tucson our police department is drastically understaffed by the city council. They loose more to retirement and atrophy then they can replace by training because they are so far behind in the process. The lack of personnel leads to highly impaired service. I hear people say they can’t get through to 911 after holding for 5 minutes to report gun shots next to their home. I don’t try to call 911 because I have never had a response, and am not expecting that situation to improve by itself. I do report and send in pictures of suspicious activity and crime I see on a phone app. This is a way for me to contribute to better law enforcement without wasting my own time. I think most of the crime in my neighborhood goes unreported. People have no faith that there will be a response or a solution.

To provide protection under the law for our city Tucson needs:

Engagement- Citizens and cops need to work on the same side to improve our neighborhoods
Evidence- Citizens need to know that they are being heard and that evidence we provide is being considered and used to stop crime
Ethics- Taxpayers need to know that our law enforcement budget is spent with return on OUR investment in mind.

TPD

Principle Based Community Rejuvenation

May 12, 2015 — 5 Comments

Truckload sale

Tucson, the city I call home, is a large sprawling city in a valley. Development has taken place in spurts, causing a race to the distant suburbs, followed by a race back to downtown. There are significant advantages to life in a university town with a very mild climate. Economic opportunity as well as cultural and educational enrichment are the city’s gifts from the University of Arizona and even from Pima College. I live in a neighborhood close to the university and downtown as yet untouched by urban renewal that has vastly improved the city center. Our new trolley system and upscale development along the route it serves has revitalized a sagging economic scene downtown. I am pleased that we finally have desirable business and residential options for students and others who want to live close to the university. With a long history of serving the community, the Food Conspiracy has grown to meet the needs of the downtown neighborhood.

The Food Conspiracy Coop was founded in 1971 by a small group of people who met in the alley behind the present storefront once a month to divide bulk food. We used the bed of a pick up truck, in which the food was delivered, to weigh out and package our orders. It was as crude and basic as you might imagine, but it worked. Soon we rented the building, but had no store. Later we opened the storefront to the public, but retained the values of our cooperative. Today the Coop is a vibrant and vital part of the new downtown. By sticking to the Roachdale pioneer Principles developed in 1837, the business has survived, thrived, and expanded. The statement of cooperative identity defines the purpose: “A cooperative is an autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations, through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.”

This weekend we have a chance to see how well this mission is working at a Truckload Sale. I love the idea that on May 16 and 17 the truck will offer special deals for purchase from approximately the same spot on which we started this co-op 44 years ago in a truck. There are now gardens, a full kitchen, and an educational space. In honor of the 7th Rochdale Principle, Concern for Community, the sale will feature a beer garden to benefit BICAS. The store will offer 10% off, while the beef and veggie hot dogs and beer will flow in the back yard (parking lot). Garden tours will be offered both days at noon and 5 pm. Come on downtown to celebrate the ongoing success of the co-op.

Truckload sale

Elizabeth Tilley Howland, 10th Great Grandmother

May 10, 2015 — 1 Comment

End Of Elizabeth’s pilgrimage

Elizabeth Tilley was born Aug. 30, 1607 in Henlow,Bedfordshire, England. She died Dec. 21, 1687 in
Swansea, Bristol County,Massachusetts. Elizabeth came to the new world with her parents on the Mayflower. Her parents did not survive the first winter at Plimouth Colony, leaving her an orphan.
For 15 years—or almost 20 percent of her life—Elizabeth Tilley Howland was a widow. She never remarried after her husband and fellow Mayflower passenger died on Feb. 23, 1672/3 and instead played the useful role of grandma while living with her daughter Lydia Brown in Swansea. Elizabeth was 65 when John died, probably still vivacious and attractive enough to say “yes” to a second husband, but she preferred to remain a widow until she died on Dec. 22, 1687. The Brown household was ideal for a grandma. When Elizabeth was widowed, the Brown children included James who was 17 years old, Dorothy who was six, and Jabez who was a lively five. Daughter Lydia was born in 1633 so she was 39 when her father died. Elizabeth had barely settled in at the Brown home when King Phillip’s War erupted in 1673. She was forced to flee as Swansea became the storm center of the war. At one point the little community founded only a few years before was almost deserted as residents scurried to safer places such as Barnstable which boasted a population of 3000 compared with 2600 for Plymouth.Three of Elizabeth’s children—Desire, John and Hope—lived in Barnstable when the Widow Howland moved there. Not far away in Plymouth were three other offspring of the Mayflower couple—Isaac lived in nearby Middleborough and Hannah made her home in Swansea, but Elizabeth had gone to far-away Oyster Bay, Long Island.There were many other Howlands in Barnstable, including scores of grandchildren who kept Elizabeth busy with her grandmother duties. Desire Howland was born in Plymouth about 1625, married to John Gorham about 1643 and moved to Barnstable after 1652. Gorham owned a grist mill and tannery there. He was a captain in the militia during King Philip’s War and died in 1676 as a result of war wounds. Five of the Gorham children were born in Barnstable—Jabez, Mercy, Lydia, Hannah and Shubael.John Howland, second child of John and Elizabeth, was born in 1627 and in 1651 he wed Mary, daughter of Robert Lee of Barnstable. Of their 10 children, the last eight were Barnstable babies. They were Isaac, Hannah, Mercy, Lydia, Experience, Anne, Shubael and John. Both John Howland Jr. and his wife Mary Lee died in the cape town.Hope Howland, who was born in 1629, married when she was about 17. Her husband was John Chipman who came in 1630 from Barnstaple, Devonshire, England. (Note that the English spelled Barnstaple with a P while the Americans spelled it with a B.)All of the 11 children probably were born in Barnstable. They were Elizabeth, Hope, Lydia, John (he lived only about 15 months), Hannah, Samuel, Ruth, Bethia, Mercy, John and Desire.So many grandchildren must have taxed Elizabeth’s memory for there were three Lydias, three Hannahs, three Mercys, three Johns, two Isaacs and two with the name Shubael. How could she keep them all straight?And just imagine Grandma Howland baking birthday cakes with magic candles for all these grandchildren. Elizabeth’s son-in-law, James Brown, was one of the most prominent of the early settlers in Swansea. He was a leader in the war against Philip, serving as a major. He also was one of the original members of the Swansea church and was fined five pounds for setting up a Baptist church in Rehoboth.He tried his best to bring peace to Plymouth Colony and went twice to see the Indian leader but found Philip “very high and not p’suadable to peace.”Large families usually have their tragedies and the Howlands had theirs. Three of Elizabeth’s children—Desire Gorham, Hope Chipman and Ruth Cushman—died before she did.The war didn’t last any great length of time and in the end Philip lost his head. The Indian chief was shot by another Indian and his head cut off. The bloody skull was taken in triumph to Plymouth where it was mounted on a pike. It remained there for 20 years, a souvenir of savagery. Birds make it a favorite resting place and finally the Rev. Increase Mather too the jawbone.With fighting over, Elizabeth returned to Swansea where she kept busy helping with the cooking, sewing, cleaning, gardening—caring for family members.Everyone dies once in a lifetime and for Elizabeth death came on Dec. 22, 1687. She was buried in Little Neck Cemetery in what is now east Providence, Rhode Island. The monument and grave are maintained by the Pilgrim John Howland Society. In her final will Elizabeth Tilley Howland gave her possessions to her children and grandchildren and expressed her deep religious faith: “And first being penitent & sorry from ye bottom of my heart for all my sins past most humbly desiring forgiveness for ye same I give & commit my soule unto Almighty God my Savior & Redeemer in whome & by ye merits of Jesus Christ I trust & believe assuedly to be saved & to have full remission & forgiveness of all my sins & that my Soule wt my Body at the generall day of resurrection shall rise againe wt Joy & through meritts of Christ’s Death & passion possesse & inherit ye Kingdome of Heaven…” She concluded:“It is my Will & Charge to all my Children that they walke in ye Feare of ye Lord, and in Love and peace towards each other…”

U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970

Elizabeth Tilley (1607 – 1687)
is my 10th great grandmother
Joseph Howland (1640 – 1703)
son of Elizabeth Tilley
Elizabeth Howland (1673 – 1724)
daughter of Joseph Howland
Eleazer Hamblin (1699 – 1771)
son of Elizabeth Howland
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Eleazer Hamblin
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Her will is recorded:

Elizabeth Tilley Howland Will
Elizabeth Tilley Howland Will http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/wills/elizabeth_howland_will.htm [MD 3:54+] Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, widow of John Howland and daughter of John Tilley, died at Swansea on Wednesday, 21/31 December, 1687, at the house of her daughter Lydia, the wife of James Brown. Her will is recorded in the Bristol County, Mass., Probate Records, Volume 1, pages 13 and 14. No inventory is on record and the original will has disappeared from the files.In ye Name of God Amen I Elizabeth Howland of Swanzey in ye County of Bristoll in ye Collony of Plymouth in New Engld being Seventy nine yeares of Age but of good & perfect memory thanks be to Allmighty God & calling to Remembrance ye uncertain Estate of this transitory Life & that all flesh must Yeild unto Death when it shall please God to call Doe make constitute & ordaine & Declare This my last Will & Testament, in manner & forme following Revoking and Anulling by these prsents all & every Testamt & Testamts Will & Wills heretofore by me made & declared either by Word or Writing And this to be taken only for my last Will & Testament & none other. “And first being penitent & sorry from ye bottom of my heart for all my sinns past most humbly desiring forgivenesse for ye same I give & Comitt my soule unto Allmighty God my Saviour & Redeemer in whome & by ye meritts of Jesus Christ I trust & believe assuredly to be saved & to have full remission & forgivenesse of all my sins & that my Soule wt my Body at the generall Day of Resurrection shall rise againe wt Joy & through ye meritts of Christs Death & passion possesse & inheritt ye Kingdome of heaven prepared for his Elect & Chosen & my Body to be buryed in such place where it shall please my Executrs hereafter named to appoint And now for ye settling my temporall Estate & such goodes Chattells & Debts as it hath pleased God far above my Deserts to bestow upon me I Do Dispose order & give ye same in manner & forme following (That is to say) First that after my funerall Expences & Debts paid wc I owe either of right or in Conscience to any manner of person or persons whatsoever in Convenient tyme after my Decease by my Execrs hereafter named I Give & bequeath unto my Eldest Son John Howland ye sum of five pounds to be paid out of my Estate & my booke called Mr Tindale’s Workes & also one pair of sheetes & one prof pillowbeeres & one pr of Bedblanketts, Item I give unto my son Joseph Howland my Stillyards & also one pr of sheetes & one pt of pillobeeres Item I give unto my son Jabez Howland my ffetherbed & boulster yt is in his Custody & also one Rugg & two Blanketts yt belongeth to ye said Bed & also my great Iron pott & potthookes Item I give unto my son Isaack Howland my Booke called Willson on ye Romanes & one pr of sheetes & one paire of pillowbeeres & also my great Brasse Kettle already in his possession Item I give unto my Son in Law Mr James Browne my great Bible Item I give & bequeath unto my Daughter Lidia Browne my best ffeatherbed & Boulster two pillowes & three Blanketts & a green Rugg & my small Cupboard one pr of AndyIrons & my lesser brasse Kettle & my small Bible & my booke of mr Robbinsons Workes called Observations Divine & Morrall & allso my finest pr of Sheetes & my holland pillowbeeres, Item I give unto my Daughter Elisabeth Dickenson one pr of Sheetes & one pr of pillowbeeres & one Chest Item give unto my Daughter Hannah Bosworth one pr of sheets & one pr of pillowbeeres, Item I give unto my Grand Daughter Elizabeth Bursley one paire of sheets and one paire of Pillowbeeres Item I give & bequeath unto my Grandson Nathanael Howland (the son ofJoseph Howland) and to the heires of his owne Body lawfully begotten for ever all that my Lott of Land with ye Meadow thereunto adjoyning & belonging lying in the Township of Duxbury neare Jones River bridge, Item I give unto my Grandson James Browne One Iron barr and on Iron Trammell now in his possession, Item I give unto my Grandson Jabez Browne one Chest Item I give unto my Grand Daughter Dorothy Browne My best Chest & my Warming pan Item I give unto my Grand Daughter Desire Cushman four Sheep, Item I give & bequeath my wearing clothes linnen and Woollen and all the rest of my Estate in mony Debts linnen or of what kind or nature or sort soever it may be unto my three Daughters Elisabeth Dickenson, Lidia Browne and Hannah Bosworth to be equally Devided amongst them, Item I make constitute and ordaine my loving Son in Law James Browne and my loving son Jabez Howland Executors of this my last Will and Testament, Item it is my Will & Charge to all my Children that they walke in ye Feare of ye Lord, and in Love and peace towards each other and endeavour the true performance of this my last Will & Testament In Witnesse whereof I the said Elisabeth Howland have hereunto sett my hand & seale this seventeenth Day of December Anno Dm one thousand six hundred Eighty & six.The mark of Elisabeth E H Howland (sigittu)Signed Sealed & Delivd in ye prsence of Us WittnessesHugh ColeSamuel VyallJohn BrowneKnow all men that on ye tenth Day of Janry Anno Dm 1687/8 Before me Nathanl Byfield Esqr Judge of his Majties Inferiour Court of Plea’s for ye County of Bristoll, present Jno Walley Esqr one of ye Members of his Majties Councill in New England & Capt Benjam Church Justice of Peace The abovewritten Will of Elizabeth Howland was proved approved & allowed And ye Administracon of all & singuler ye goodes Rights and Creditts of ye said Deced was Committed unto James Browne & Jabez Howland Execrs in ye same Will named well & truly to Administer ye same according to the Will of ye Deced In Testimony whereof I have hereunto Sett ye Seale of ye Office for Probate of Wills & granting Lettrs of Admincon ye yeare & Day by me abovewritten(Sigittu officij) Nathanael ByfieldThus Entred & ingrossed this 26: of Janry Anno Dm

Elizabeth Tilley Howland Birth: Aug. 30, 1607HenlowBedfordshire, EnglandDeath: Dec. 21, 1687SwanseaBristol CountyMassachusetts, USAOriginal Mayflower Passenger. Wife of Mayflower Passenger John Howland. Elizabeth was orphaned in the New World, at the age of thirteen, after her parents died the first winter in Plymouth. (bio by: Thomas Mick) Family links: Parents: John Tilley (1571 – 1621) Joan Hurst Tilley (1568 – 1621) Spouse: John Howland (1591 – 1673) Children: Desire Howland Gorham (1623 – 1683)* John Howland (1627 – ____)* Hope Howland Chipman (1629 – 1683)* Elizabeth Howland Hicks Dickinson (1631 – 1692)* Lydia Howland Brown (1633 – ____)* Hannah Howland Bosworth (1637 – 1705)* Joseph Howland (1640 – 1704)* Jabez Howland (1644 – ____)* Ruth Howland Cushman (1646 – 1679)* Isaac Howland (1649 – 1723)* *Calculated relationship Burial: Ancient Little Neck Cemetery East ProvidenceProvidence CountyRhode Island, USAPlot: Brown family plot Maintained by: Find A GraveOriginally Created by: Ronald KeyesRecord added: Sep 15, 2007 Find A Grave Memorial# 21561583

Heidi’s Haroset

April 5, 2015 — 4 Comments

Heidi in the hood

My next door neighbor Heidi is the perfect friend

Back fence border crossing is a frequent event

We share garden cuttings, flowers, seeds, and fruit

We taste each others’ recipes, passing portions of special foods

Each year at Passover I accept her yeast and other puffed up sin

I take it to my house so her great symbolic unleavening can begin

Heidi downtown

I am richly rewarded for turning cookies into nothing

I receive a container of Heidi’s haroset, the mortar of the Seder

Chocolate and cinnamon sugar covered matzoh bites are also my to savor

It is such a deal, believe me, to have my favorite items catered

No sweet red wine or reading all night, I am simply favored

chocolate and cinnamon matzoh

NaPoWriMo 2015

Jump on the poetry train and ride for free all month in April here.

Schedule Success

March 30, 2015 — 6 Comments

sunrise on the Rillito

Today I am preparing for the verbal marathon of #NaPoWriMo, during which I will produce 30 poems in 30 days. April in Arizona is a very rapidly changing display of flower to fruit to summer heat. We have hit 90 already and are staying just below that 90 degree mark for our high temperatures this week. Wild flowers and cactus blossoms are liberally painting the desert with saturated colors. Nights are cool, with a drastic differences between the low and high temperatures. Our climate is one of extremes, and we seem to be drifting into ever more unpredictable weather and endless drought. By May the heat will keep many folks inside for most of the day. April, however, is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors and appreciate nature. My preparation to become a poet has fostered a schedule change in my routine. I started going to the gym as soon as I awake in order to log my exercise and clear the slate for the middle of the day. Much to my delight my gym is not yet very crowded at 6:30 in the morning. I hit the weight room, take a walk along the river, then linger in the steam room as long as I can. The accomplishment feels good, but the steamed clean body is also a wonderful benefit. I leave feeling uplifted and energetic. I had such a great time today I am sure it will be easy to implement this new routine for April, and maybe for the entire summer.

I have been gathering my strength as well as my supplies for this challenge. I have a few notes, some art I have been preparing, and a notebook for freehand writing. I normally do all my composing on a laptop or iPad, but all the poets say longhand unlocks a certain part of the brain not accessed on a keyboard. I am interested in illustrating my own poems, so I will jump back and forth from paper to digital formats in creating the visuals. Anything goes. I am not educated in all the themes and forms that poetry takes. I always end up in iambic pentameter if I make up a rhyming ditty out loud (limerick style). On paper it is fun to write in different colors, applying doodles, notes, mind mapping, or any device that fills and shapes the page. My goal is to stretch creatively in both my written and visual material. I am looking forward to reading the other participants poems because I know from past years that is where the real inspiration occurs.

I am also setting up my sewing machine on my office desk for daily use. I believe that creativity runs in streaks, and to capture it all, one must work in different mediums. I have a stash of beautiful fabric; and who doesn’t like to have new wardrobe options that nobody else has? The tactile, somewhat mathematical activity of sewing a garment is a good balance to word craft. I plan to make clothing suitable for wear at poetry readings and gallery openings, in other words, unusual. I am seeing this challenge as I might perceive a duck that looks and quacks like a duck. If I look and act like a poet, I am on my way:

I will be in nature for the sunrise because that is what I think poets should do.
I will conclude my active work out early in the day to make plenty of uninterrupted time for art and poetry.
I commit to sewing some new garments designed to tell the world that I am a poet (or at least an eccentric).
I will mingle daily with my fellow poets who are sharing this month with me
I hope to turn on some of my gentle readers to my fellow poets and their work

Following the hashtag #NaPoWriMo will take you to the source. I wish you pleasure, perception, and connection during this special month. Enjoy!!!

NaPoWriMo 2015

spring green

Family Day at the Poetry Center

March 29, 2015 — 1 Comment

Yesterday I visited the U of A Poetry Center to find inspiration for my month of writing poems. Much to my surprise I arrived in middle of a special event. Family Day is held once a month in the winter months. Graduate students lead activities designed to stimulate interest in different age groups. I was given a name tag and asked what age group I wished to attend. Since 60 and over was represented by the docents I hung out with them for a few minutes asking questions. The groups were gathered with leaders coaxing them to collaborate. The toddlers were drumming and drawing on the floor. The teens were making up ironic statements about dental hygiene (which were very funny). The middle school group was on the patio writing odes. I took a place at the end of the table where I could hear them, but would not disturb them.

: writing odes

: reading odes

: bamboo shade

: my poets’ corner

I listened to them praise mother and father, bamboo and bugs. The work was brilliant and astute. I spoke to the leaders after the session. They are graduate students studying creative writing. They said that the activities here leave them completely uplifted and amazed every time they do it. The kids blow their minds, just as they had mine. I did some drawing and free writing while half-tuned into my fellow poets on the rock. That was what I had come to do, so I spent 15 minutes on the task. The snacks were being served and the band was playing in the courtyard, so I hustled on out to see what else was happening.

hula hoop and band

Chalk was provided and words had been applied to the concrete. Hula hoops and a live band made the festive atmosphere complete. The kids clearly loved Family Day. The parents were pleased too. A beautiful work of art was made on the spot by graduate students in art education. Poems written by the kids that day were written on the background. It was a resounding success. I realized that I had come at the perfect time after all because the kids have the pure innocent free wheeling creativity I want to generate next month.

: prompts for odes

: draw and write

: ode

There were two typewriters set up for people to try, and they were popular. The catering consisted of perfectly ripe fruit and muffins, perfect child fare. I enjoyed the ripe pineapple, strawberries, and honeydew melon. I felt like I had attended one of the best children’s parties ever. The band even included a saw player, and what could be better than that?