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Spooky

November 5, 2014 — 1 Comment

What is spooky to you? I find that old cities are full of ghostly remnants. I am not sure if the spirits of people, or just the weight of history is what makes a place feel haunted.  There are those places that capitalize on their haunted nature.  Jerome, Arizona is such a place.  With a haunted hotel and tours of the old ghost town for visitors, spooks are a real value to the business people.  The history of the mining town is fascinating and easily lends itself to ghost stories.  Today artists and services catering to tourists keep the economy thriving.

 

My own feeling there was not so haunted by the dead but by the living.  I like the architecture and only stayed a short time, walking around and eating at a Mexican restaurant where I disliked the food and service.  Something felt great about leaving the town and driving off the hill.  Later I reflected on that whole experience.  I do plenty of planning when I travel, and then allow instinct to guide me when I arrive as much as possible.  I went up to Jerome on  a whim,  just to see it.  I bought a beautiful glass from an artist, walked around town and bought a 15 minute psychic reading in the basement of the Jerome Historical Society building.  I have not often done readings.   This was the 5th time in my life.  I was allowing my gut feeling to operate since I had no agenda and was not expecting a reader to be sitting in the history museum with a little tent for privacy.  I thought, “Why not?  This is as good a way as any to get in touch with the spooks of the area.”  Her price was reasonable and she did not try to put me on in any way.  A good psychic insight sinks in over time, and that is how her reading is working for me.  Leaving and pondering the message I wavered about making a decision to eat in a restaurant.  I was not sure I wanted to stay.   I entered a Mexican place that really suited my taste in decor.  I was instantly put off by very unfriendly service and a feeling this was not the place for me to eat. The server ignored me for a full 5 minutes while talking and joking with locals at the bar.  I sat through that clear message and ordered food anyhow.  I liked nothing about the food and felt the service deserved an F.  That was one reason I felt good leaving the town.  I ended Jerome on a bad note, and had only myself to blame.  I blatantly ignored my own intuition.

Spooks always have the exact same message for me, in a few different forms.  I have the ability to size up situations accurately and much more quickly than most people.  I don’t say this to boast, but it is a gift I have.  I instantly know if someone is lying, even before they say the words.  I believe we all come with assorted psychic gifts or talents that we may ignore or develop as we go through life.  Our own trust is all we need to check the accuracy of our gut feelings. Upgrade yourself to a belief in your own instincts.  If ghosts are around, that is where you can find them.  If you are looking for a great view and some possible paranormal activity I highly recommend you go to Jerome, AZ.

 

Officer Evo, My Dream Cop

November 2, 2014 — 4 Comments

Yesterday I met Canine Officer Evo of the Tucson Police Department. He and his human trainer were at the Cops and Rodders Car Show.  This free annual event is sponsored by the Tucson Police Foundation.  My partner Bob always brings his antique VW bug to be in the show and I always attend.  This year was graced with perfect weather and some really artful vehicles of every kind.  My favorite collection this year was old firetruck and cop car toys that a regular exhibitor brought just do try something different.  It was also especially lucky because the restored firetruck that normally sits in the lobby at station one permanently happened to to out for some kind of repair, so the retired firefighter who works on this beauty drove it over to the park to be in the show.  I love all the firetrucks. They are spectacular works of mechanical art.  I was thrilled to have a chance to meet and ask questions of the retired firefighter who has done the body work on these antiques and is rightfully proud of his work.

The police are set up to meet the public and answer questions all day.  They are divided into specialties according to training and equipment they use.  The SWAT team is very popular because the robots interact with kids and pass a bottle of hand sanitizer, etc.  They dress up in jumpsuits and stand next to their big vehicle.  The helicopter lands and the crew hangs out all day.   People love looking inside the cockpit and meeting the cops on our local beat, since they are usually flying over us shining big obtrusive lights around our hood.  There is a booth with their heavy military artillery, a place with TPD recruiting information.  At the end of the display I spotted a woman wearing a walking patrol uniform.  I asked where she gets to do that, and the answer was downtown and 4th Avenue, a more urban part of town.  The same officers do bike and walking patrols.  We had a few in midtown and really wanted more on duty here, but they were canceled.  Now we have no boots on the ground in midtown, which we regret because air support can only accomplish so much without a coalition on the ground to hold the territory.  We have the helicopter on a very regular basis, but are not comforted by our relationship with it.  It does not make any sense to us to cancel bike cops because the budget is too tight, and use the helicopter instead.  There is such a thing as efficiency.  I was feeling annoyed, as I often am, at the priorities (or total lack thereof)  of government spending when I saw him, everything I have ever wanted in a police officer.

Evo rules

Evo rules

The canine unit has only 10 dogs.  Not all of them are social, and therefore would not be brought out to meet and greet the pubic. Evo, however, is a total party animal.  I had no idea they were loving, or that they even were allowed to party with the public.  Imagine my surprise and delight when I came down to his level to say hi to him and was given big fat kisses all over my face.  He just would not stop with the kissing while he showed me his tummy.  We played for a minute and I fell deeply in love with him while his other fans waited to meet him.  From little kids to adults, he charmed the humans as no other cop there had the power to do.  His trainer opened the back of his car so his fans could see how he rides and answered the millions of questions we had.  A very loud and aggressive lemonade vendor came by shouting out his wares.  He meant no harm, but his shouting voice was out of place.  Officer Evo did not bark to react like a pet dog might, but you should have seen him come to attention.  His ears went shooting up and he left his PR job completely to focus on the risk the lemonade guy might pose.  At that moment he displayed situational awareness the humans just can’t achieve.  He had been there winning hearts and minds since 7:30 am when I met him about 2 in the afternoon.  He showed infinite patience and stamina.  Of course he is much younger than the human cops.  He is only 4.

I learned a lot yesterday even though I just went to see the vehicles.  I came away with the following impressions:

  • Bike cops would fit into the budget if we just get rid of a bunch of their cars and make them ride bikes in the hood
  • We need well trained expensive bomb squads and assault rifles and helicopters, but not for primary care law enforcement
  • If we put cameras on cops, sent them out on bikes, and deputized them to do code enforcement, they could do double duty working eliminate the slummy conditions that make the crime so endemic in the first place.
  • If we hired more dogs and fewer humans we could get a lot more bang (or bark) for our tax buck.

I would like to see more paws and boots on the ground in midtown.  Can I get an Amen?? If you don’t live in Tucson, gentle reader, then this may not seem to apply to you.  Your city may also do inappropriate law enforcement stuff rather than more effective stuff just because they can.  If they don’t, you are fortunate.

Conserving Tucson

October 27, 2014 — 2 Comments

home tour

home tour

composting toilet

composting toilet

hand washing

hand washing

okra

okra

chicken run

chicken run

We attended the open house and garden tour offered by Watershed Management Group in Tucson this weekend.  We are interested in finding ways to improve our soil and conserve rain water since we live in a time of drought in the desert.  We have come a long way toward awareness that we need to make use of the storm water that causes erosion and lots of damage to our paved streets.  There is still a lot of work to be done, but the interest is growing and the available resources are expanding.  Home owners who contribute labor to projects at the homes of others can earn credit toward completing their own projects though the Green Living coop program at Watershed Management.  Volunteer opportunities abound, and the coop gives homeowners a more thrifty alternative to hiring a contractor.

The homeowners were gracious showing us gardens, chickens and systems they have installed to capture grey water and rain water.  The outdoor bathroom with solar shower and composting toilet was comfortable and had no objectionable smell at all.  The agriculture thrives with the help of extra rain water.  The plants show obvious signs of good health.  Our favorite home display was the aquaponic garden.  This system uses a few fish to provide the food needed to grow plants in water.  The cascading system is very low in water use since it is all recycled and pumped through the fish tank and back to the garden all the time. We would love to have a system like this, and will go back to visit the aquaponic system to investigate getting our own.  The homeowner also had some ingenious use of rainwater for orchard trees and a wood fired hot tub with a charcoal filter system.

aquaponics

aquaponics

IMG_1469

aquaponic kale

aquaponic kale

wood fired hot tub

wood fired hot tub

 

The most developed and well funded display we visited was the Nature Conservancy headquarters.  They have taken out the asphalt, installed giant cisterns under the parking lot and in metal tanks.  The parking structures are solar electric panels that provide most of the electricity for the facility.  The mission of the Conservancy is wonderfully fulfilled by the educational aspects of the campus.  The public can visit and learn about water harvesting and conservation any time, but during the harvest tour we were accompanied by a docent who was very well informed and helpful.  This well respected institution takes the lead in teaching and practicing ecological sanity.  The building itself was built from recycled materials.  The non native plants were removed in favor of native landscaping.  We are lucky to have this shining example of conservation in our city.

cistern Nature Conservancy

cistern Nature Conservancy

solar electric

solar electric

cistern

cistern

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy

Nature Conservancy

 

Food for Ascension, Tucson

October 21, 2014 — 4 Comments

On 7th Street near 4th Avenue in Tucson stands a Moorish style building complex that has housed a dance/movement/or yoga studio as long as I can remember. Today the space is serving as a gallery, coffee shop, and farm to table restaurant as well as providing space for movement classes and other events. Today I tried Food for Ascension for the first time and I am very happy I did. This place has several qualities that set it apart from other restaurants in the area. The fact that all the food comes from no more than 150 miles away is notable. The pure plant based recipes sometimes include eggs, but substitutions can be made for vegans and the gluten free people. The menu is short but several daily specials as well as a good selection of small plates provide more than enough variety. I could not choose, so I ordered two entrees knowing I would bring some home with me. Servings were generous. My server suggested the half order of biscuits and gravy because she could tell I was going to have plenty of food.  She was right about that.

biscuits and gravy

biscuits and gravy

She brought a bottle of water, which I always appreciate, and I enjoyed the wonderful view while a waited for my root and seed burger.  At this intersection it is possible to see a least a little of three different mountain ranges that surround out city.  Being upstairs to dine is truly a pleasure, especially when the weather is perfect like it was for lunch today.  The domes and the downtown skyline view, along with 4th Avenue bustle make ascension to the upper deck a super treat.  Perched above the noise of the street with plants and servers who make you feel very well attended is like finding a secret hide away in downtown.  I plan to go often to try everything on the menu.

root and seed burger

root and seed burger

I can report that the innovation and care is obvious in the food preparation.  Both burger and biscuits arrived hot and beautifully presented.  I made my way through about half of each of them, and was super satisfied as well as stuffed.  The root and seed burger had great texture, unlike the mushy veggie burger that can sometimes happen. This flavorful version had a nice char and crust on the outside which is a big plus.  The fresh greens on the plate had a lemon vinaigrette dressing that made it work as a salad, but also was tasty when applied to the sandwich as extra stuffing.  The oyster mushroom gravy on the sage biscuits was delightful. The sage flavor is strong in the biscuit, but it is complimented perfectly by the rich gravy.  It is highly evocative of Thanksgiving, with no turkey involved.  I loved both the dishes, and may have trouble choosing between them the next time I order.   I packed the rest..well, the gravy was kind of gone…to take home for Bob to taste.  I am excited to return with him next time because I know he will like it, and they do have some very rich desserts on the menu that will make him happy.  I was way too full to try any of that today.  I have found a new favorite spot, and am a little surprised it took me so long.  Food for Ascension has been open for about a year.  If you have a chance to try the food, as well as the fabulous ascension, I recommend it.  Take the upgrade, Tucson!

Inventing Retirement, Less is More

October 14, 2014 — 7 Comments

the long and winding road

the long and winding road

antique alley

antique alley

facade

facade

Many people plan for retirement, but I did not.  I just fell into it without intending to do so.  I spent a lot of time taking care of my parents in their last years which taught me that planning and execution of retirement are two different things entirely.  Saving and structuring investments is one way to plan, but there is another, perhaps more important issue, that retirement brings, which is identity of self.  All of our professional and family lives we identify ourselves with the role we play at work, at home, or in our social groups.  As we grow out of our careers or positions a crisis of knowing one’s self can be the biggest obstacle to happiness.  Investments in markets pay dividends.  Investing our energy into a persona that is a passing phase of our character can block the path to our understanding and fulfillment.  When we are free of the pressure of maintaining the personas, or the facades, that people expect from us we are free to express ourselves artfully and generously.

I recently decided that designing new business cards gave me an opportunity to decide what I want to do next in my life.  I pondered the idea of offering a service to spa owners to help them spy (private espionage) on their own operations.  With so many different establishments calling themselves spas these days it seemed like a good way to start a new idea and make good use of my background.  I took the idea with me on a short trip to consider the ups and downs of the plan.  My weekend trip was busy, so I did not spend much time thinking about my new card or concept.  I enjoyed the freedom of doing just as I pleased for a few days since I left the dog and my partner at home.  On the drive home I listened to the audio book Falling Upward, by Richard Rohr.  There was an obvious synchronicity between the material in the book and my idea to become a professional spa spy which became more clear as I considered what Mr. Rohr was teaching. He discusses the difference between getting old and becoming an elder.  He uses the term elder in the sense of leadership, tribal or otherwise.  An elder is in possession of wisdom which is shared with the tribe.  An old person who has not released his life’s earlier personas and roles does not enter a state of wisdom of peace.  Old people with anger and personal greed issues never pass into the realm of the elder, but remain in the building and striving part of life.   I saw that making an attempt at retuning to spa businesses for any reason was really a trip in a backward direction.  There are many good reasons I no longer work at spas, and it was smart to remember some of them before I decided to return to the same culture with expectations that I could improve the situation with my very important opinions.  I was pulled back from the brink of a big mistake.  There is no need to travel that road again.

I like to have business cards when I want to give people a way to contact me.  I decided to print cards that have none of my former logos, as a way to break free from any past issues that might entangle me.  I am not including my physical address on the new cards because I don’t need the world to know where I live.  I included my twitter handle, @spafloating, my home phone number (my cell number is a secret from everyone), and the address of this blog, http://pamelamorse.com.  I thought for a while about the title, since I printed a large batch and want it to last for a very long time.  I used simply inventor as my title. The most exciting thing about being an inventor is not the fact that you have invented something.  The coolest thing about being an inventor is that you can do it again if you so desire.  I plan to invent the most artful and soulful retirement a person could ever imagine.  I have been doing it already for years, so now that it is official I should flourish.  What is your retirement plan, Gentle Reader?  Have you thought of your retirement in terms other than financial investments?

Sonora, Bald Eagle of Scottsdale

October 8, 2014 — 6 Comments

I drove to Clarkdale, AZ  last weekend to ride the Verde Valley Railroad with Sonora the bald eagle. She was brought to wildlife rescue as a very young bird with her wing badly broken. Today she can fly in her enclosure, but her wing never healed well enough for her to return to the wild. I have to say for a captive eagle, this girl gets around and continues to enjoy nature while she rides the train through the canyons. Her enclosure in Scottsdale is at Liberty Wildlife Refuge, at the home of a former vet of the Phoenix zoo, and her two handlers that accompany her on field trips obviously love her dearly. She is a pampered (not that it was her choice) suburban eagle with a soccer mom schedule of school events, train appearances, and other symbolic and educational obligations.    She seems happy, and everyone who gets to see her up close and personal is ecstatic while in her presence.  I was completely out of my mind. She flapped me on the head with her wing while I was standing next to her, which I consider to have been a super magical gift.  She didn’t hurt me at all, but I did get a sense of her power.  I want to say I am her greatest fan, but I suspect we all adore her at the same very high level.  She is just awesome.  If you have a chance to meet Sonora, don’t miss it.  She rides the train once a month for now.  She began her programs on the train in 2010 when she was 3.  Now she is a seasoned model and train enthusiast.  I can’t tell you how fun it is to meet her.

 

Copper Art Museum in Clarkdale, AZ

October 7, 2014 — 1 Comment

One highlight of my recent trip to the historic and supposedly spooky Historic 89A from Cottonwood to Jerome was the new museum housed in the old Clarkdale high school. This old building with giant windows lets in an abundance of natural light. This is really the perfect place to display copper. Jerome, the mining town up the hill, is a famous ghost destination and artist colony. There was a very large copper mine that brought wealth to the town. The family that has started the museum owns a copper shop in Jerome. They rent the ground floor of the high school building, and rent the upstairs to residential tenants who serve as security at night. I think it is a great gig to live upstairs because the view, the location, and the fact that the copper art is always downstairs make it uniquely attractive.

The very extensive military and kitchen collections are on permanent loan from private collectors. There is a temporary collection of antique tin cookie forms, mostly Santas, but bunnys and other holiday shapes as well. I learned a lot from the extensive charts and informative posters. The museum covers the history, the myth and meaning, the mining, and the art that resulted. I love the look of copper, but appreciate the other qualities it has, such as antibacterial. Everything is covered well and the staff (owner) checks in frequently to see if the patrons have questions about the exhibits. I saw him take great care and a lot of time when kids were visiting with parents. There is no formal tour, but the space is small and the guest is invited to ask for more guidance. I normally spend an extra long time in museums, and this was no exception. I was fascinated and needed to look at all the detail. I noticed other patrons were also sitting down and spending time looking deeply at the displays. One of my favorite rooms contains spent artillery shells from WWI that were turned into “trench art” by soldiers. I believe anyone would enjoy seeing this museum. It has artistic and historic value displayed in a place that makes it shine. If you are in the Clarkdale area to ride the train, don’t miss this awesome museum just around the corner from the train station.

Cottonwood Arizona Revealed

October 6, 2014 — 2 Comments

The Verde Valley north of Phoenix has a very interesting history.  I had not visited the area for years and had read about the popular wine trail as a destination.  I decided to spend a night in the restored historic section of  Cottonwood.  It is charming and very laid back.  Folks are friendly, and most of the merchandise I saw on offer was of high quality.  There are several antique dealers with very large inventories of interesting items.  There are excellent restaurants and plenty of wine bars for tasting or evening entertainment.  The wineries are doing good business here selling mostly limited small batch varieties. I did a tasting at the Burning Tree Cellars that I enjoyed.  I liked all of the reds I tried, to my surprise.  The Arizona wine industry has vastly improved the quality of their products in recent years.  Some of the Burning Tree wines are made from California grapes, but made  and bottled in Camp Verde, AZ.  Arizona can be proud of our wine now.  It has come a long way, baby. The walkable downtown makes tasting here a breeze. There are four upscale wineries located in a two block area, all very popular.

I don’t drink much wine these days, but am always immersed in history.  I like to learn everything I can about places I visit.  Knowing what happened in the past brings the place to life for me.  I was unaware that Cottonwood had such a famous and checkered past.  This tiny town was the bootlegging capitol of the state in the 1920s.  There were tunnel systems below the streets leading from one storage place to others.  The typical establishment had a pool hall, a barber shop, or another small business in the front and liquor sales in the back of the building.  The tunnels were connected to homes and shops, as well as to automotive garages.  Cottonwood bootleggers were supercharging cars and filling them with liquor to transport out of the area.  It is said the garages had two tanks on the street out front, one with gasoline and another with hootch.  Al Capone was once held in the local jail and there is a carving of his name that still remains.  A still blew up and caused a very large fire that destroyed many wooden buildings in 1925. I learned all this and more when I took a short walking tour with Karen Leff, Cottonwood businesswoman and enthusiast.

I entered the lobby of the Cottonwood Hotel and found Karen, who is the owner, at the reception desk.  She has made a study of the town’s history by questioning old timers who remember, and looking up documents and newspapers from the past. Her knowledge is extensive.  She shares it by leading tours for interested groups by organizing Custom Cultural Heritage Tours. It was my lucky day because she had a short window of time to give me a quick version of her walking tour.  I had a wonderful time touring some of the rooms in her hotel before we walked around to see the places the bootleggers made famous.  Mae West did stay at the hotel, and a charming suite dedicated to her memory is one of the choices for accommodation.  The small former rooms have been updated and expanded for modern taste.  The balcony is a treat because it gives a full view of Main Street below.  The view came in handy for a group of bank robbers who checked in. I fully enjoyed my time learning about history and some present day ghost stories as well.  If you are in the area I fully recommend one of the tours Karen offers. She is in love with her town and it shows. You will get in touch with the spirit of the past by looking around historic Cottonwood.  Karen added greatly to my appreciation of the town.

Fall Food Fiesta, Pecans

September 30, 2014 — 2 Comments

Pecans grow abundantly in Arizona, with large commercial groves to be found both north and south of the city of Tucson.  Green Valley Pecan Company is the largest pecan farm in the world.  I love the organic pecans from our neighbors just 20 minutes south of Tucson.  They sponsor the Sahuarita Pecan Festival to celebrate the harvest and get festive with the local population.  This year the festival will take place Nov. 8, 2014 from 9 am to 5 pm at the farm.  Parking is free until 8:30 am, and $5 per car after that time.  I adore food festivals.  I am a bigger fan of nuts than I am of wine, so this local festival is particularly appealing to me.  I am not waiting to start eating my organic Green Valley pecans.  I have already polished off half of the first bag I purchased eating them straight up. That is honestly my favorite way to have them.  I do cook with them, and when I was in Austin this summer I heard about a pecan syrup being used in bourbon cocktails that intrigued me.  My friend made a wonderful concoction of bitters by using a whole pecan in the shell as one of the local ingredients she was testing.  The flavor of the nut came out nicely in the final product, the shell lending some bitter notes.  My mother used to shell loads of pecans each year and give them to me as a holiday gift.  It was the best thing she gave me, and she kept doing it until she was very old.  She would spend a month or so shelling pecans in the fall for her holiday gifting.  She was from Texas, so I imagine this came from her childhood.  She made a decent pecan pie, but my mother, Ruby, specialized in pralines.  She made no other kind of candy, and it only happened once a year (for the holiday gifts).  She put pecans in her fruitcakes too, but then she ruined them with fruitcake (I was never a fan of this extremely labor intensive preparation).

Here are some savory examples of pecans for fall festivities:

Most of the classic pecan recipes are for sweets:

If you have made the ice cream you can them have a:

What is your favorite way to enjoy pecans, Gentle Reader?

Whistle Blowing 101

September 22, 2014 — 4 Comments

IRS

IRS

The first and the only rule in whistle blowing is: Never stop!!!! The second rule that I have learned is: Contact the Department of the Treasury.   I have had to blow the same whistle about the same crimes being committed by the same people in the same place for over a  decade. Finally, I think I have reached an organization interested in enforcing the law. The United States Department of the Treasury has seen it all, and knows from experience how corrupt government can be. The Royal Canadian Mounties may always get their man, but the IRS always gets their (our) money. I have been frustrated that none of our public officials or law enforcement agencies is interested in stopping obvious crime, but I now have a more realistic view of what to expect from the people I pay to enforce the law. It is naive to think that intense corruption that obstructs justice and fails the public trust does not exist at every level of our government.

I have lived next door to a charity scam operated by our HOA board for more than 10 years. My first request for help was to the local city Council member, Karin Uhlich. She never responded to dozens of requests over more than 5 years. Her assistant, who lives around the corner from me and is a “neighborhood outreach” employee has never been able to respond to the many requests I made for her to look at the evidence. I contacted John McCain two or three times with no response. I called and e mailed Ron Barber to try to get some help for the crime situation in our neighborhood. His office had the nerve to ask me how I liked the customer service from his office when I contacted it. I said I gave them an F since they never responded at all. They never responded to that either.  The Tucson Police Department has willfully denied these crimes by creating a fake neighborhood watch comprised of only the criminals involved in the HOA board.  They then go ahead and ask for a grant from the Feds to willfully ignore federal crimes and call that neighborhood policing. Dozens of requests to the TPD have been willfully ignored until last spring when Lt Frank Hand begrudgingly admitted that charity scamming is criminal and gave me the correct form to contact the IRS to claim a reward and stop the crimes.  I had made attempts to tell the IRS many times, but Lt. Frank gave me the secret key to success…they only respond to the correct form.  I filed the form and within about 3 months I had a response.  This was heavenly after so many years.  If I had it to do again I would physically camp at the IRS until I had a chance to submit evidence.  I completely understand why Edward Snowden chose to tattle outside the country.  Doing so to the agency invested in the corruption can only end in heartache.

The neighbors here petitioned the mayor of Tucson, who is a lawyer and should be able to discern crime from charity, for two years before officer Frank called me.  The cops are not lawyers, so we think the mayor has responsibility to end obstruction of justice rather than participate in it.  The sad news is that our government is not open to hearing evidence that will show how unethical it is.  It will go to great lengths to deny reality if that reality includes crimes committed in broad daylight by our public officials.  It is a shared deluded consciousness that endangers our society.  Who knew you could be made so happy by a letter from the Internal Revenue Service???