mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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#WeekendCoffeeShare Fire Rooster Edition
January 29, 2017
— 5 Comments
Smokey Takes A Stand
Welcome to my home on this cold sunny morning in Arizona. Make yourself at home while I put the kettle on. I can serve you coffee, an assortment of teas, and a wonderful combination of grapefruit,orange,and tangerine juice that I am drinking. Citrus season is in full swing here, so we are enjoying our harvest as well as some of our friends’ fruit. I have found a recipe for red grapefruit salsa that sounds really tasty, so I plan to whip that up later today. Please take some citrus back home with you when you go, since we have a super abundance to share with you. Relax and tell me about your life and writing. Did your week turn out as planned?
The year of the Rooster is here to signal a new beginning. Fire rooster is feisty and proud by nature. We have all witnessed the political season and the wild start of the new administration and knew we had crossed some kind of Rubicon. Things have changed radically and quickly in ways nobody really anticipated when the election began. As Hill correctly observed we are more divided that we thought. Although the war with the intelligence agencies was unprecedented, it is nothing in comparison with the National Park Service movement to publish scientific facts. The forms of protest are reinvented and refined daily. The year of the cock is all about reinventing everything. We are seeing that happen, whether we like it or not. Change is here. I did support the women who marched, but I feel very passionate about supporting the scientific community freaking out on behalf of science. I am afraid of dark ages without facts. We can’t afford to wipe out any more knowledge for political expediency. I feel like we all just jumped off a very steep cliff without our flying suits. We need science more than ever.
I wrote another photo prompt piece this week. I went with a free verse. The picture was intriguing, as they always are. That is the point of using the prompt. Maybe this week I will write two pieces of fiction. It is a freeing experience to be able to just make up anything you want from your imagination. My muse will eventually get warmed up to this new way of expressing myself. In the meantime I am retweeting all the @altNationalPark accounts, and joining the army of comedy on twitter.
Baddass Park Employees
War with the Park Service
Thanks for stopping by today to share coffee and some angst. I wish you all a happy and prosperous year of the rooster. May the cock be with us. Join this coffee sharing party each weekend hosted by Diana. Please visit to read, comment, or share your own post with this diverse group of talented writers. Add your two cents here.
Aquarius New Moon
January 27, 2017
— 1 Comment
AQUARIUS NEW MOON sees a lonely configuration in the sign symbolizing many. Today, January 27th, the Sun and Moon dance together in the skies, like during every New Moon, but because their conjoined lights don’t have any major aspects to other points or planets, it’s hard for that light to shine, at least in groups […]
via AQUARIUS NEW MOON FORECAST FOR EACH SING — Anya’s Astrology
#WritePhoto, Half Shining Armor
January 26, 2017
— 11 Comments
waiting
Beneath the staircase of the palace, lurking silently in the dark
The master’s old Tudor dynasty armor stands guard as if alive
Little has changed in the basement rooms since jousting was the sport
The aristocrat concerns himself with wealth and status in the court
Royal drifters follow in the entourage of holy soldiers and servant slaves
In service of some magic majesty that never showed up when expected
We thought time would both heal wounds and protect us from the ravages of injustice
The clock of destiny has not been kind to the greedy crusaders
Marking time with the shattered bones of their broken glory
There are no knights left to tell the end of this frightening story
Their legacy has been buried, lost all meaning of chivalry and grace
The names fade fast in history’s book, vanishing without a trace
Don’t trust armor from an ancient time to protect you from the storm
It may be impenetrable and conductive, but it is anything but warm
The photo prompt comes from Sue Vincent’s blog and is used as inspiration for writing short fiction and poetry. Try your own hand if you like. Please visit Sue, or use the hashtag #writephoto on twitter to find other interpretations of this image. Thanks for visiting, gentle reader.
#writephoto
Pen Pals With Pens, #InCoWriMo
January 25, 2017
— 3 Comments
The month of February, known for Valentine cards, is also the month for #InCoWriMo, international correspondence writing month. I have started a bullet journal to switch at least some of my writing to my own hand, but I am slow getting started on that project. I heavily rely on digital media to both send and receive everything. When I discovered this challenge to send or hand deliver one hand written note, postcard, or card each day for the month of February I was nostalgic for my old pen pal of childhood. My pen pal lived in England and was also a Brownie Scout. Many of my fellow scouts burned out fast on writing letters, but I stayed in touch with mine for several years. I started sending letters to Ann of England around second grade and carried on until about sixth, I think. I remember the gifts she sent me at Christmas, but I don’t remember what I sent her. I know there was an effort to make the gift represent America somehow. I also was forced to write to my grandparents and send thank you notes to anyone who gave me anything or invited me to go anywhere. I had to write a legal pad page of cursive every day at my father’s orders because I got a C in handwriting in school, which was not acceptable. I hated doing that intensely, but I adored buying fancy stationery and writing to my pen pal. I think I can revive the excitement by writing by and to people all over the world next month.
I know some dedicated print and mail specialists who make sure they stay active by sending letters and snail mail. My friend Marc Zazeela, @MZazeela, has been a logistics and shipping expert for his entire professional career. He knows all there is to know about sending anything anywhere at the best rate. He serves commercial and international clients, but is a strong proponent of sending handwritten notes. Hellen Rittersporn, @HELENSstudio, writes a wonderful blog all about letterwritting called Anchored Scraps in which she stays current with stamps, pens, history of correspondence and more. She is naturally on board for the February challenge, and has written this very informative piece on the subject.
There are many famous folks who want to receive letters, such as the Postmaster General of the United States. Many more of us not so famous people have set the intention of finishing this challenge by publishing our mailing addresses on the site for sharing. The website and e mail reminders you will receive when you sign up are very helpful and inspirational. They have designed a planning calendar to help you design a strategy, or just fill your dance card:
2017 calendar InCoWriMo
Now there is a crustacean on instagram running a contest associated with the program. countcrustaceo is running a contest to make things more interesting. Now you can’t say this is not fun:
#WeekendCoffeeShare, Faith In Enantiodromia
January 21, 2017
— 1 Comment
#WeekendCoffeeShare
Enantiodromia is a concept made popular by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. Carl is known for being deeply difficult to interpret because of his writing style. He was first friendly but later became a rival of Sigmund Freud. If we were having coffee today, on the day of the women’s march on Washington, I would make an effort to explain this idea. I think if we look at the United States as an entity created by history we can see that our society has become more and more at odds with “the Other”. Carl explains this blame game as transference, or finding fault in others rather than looking into our own responsibility for any given situation. In personal relationships this is common, and now it is the norm for our politics. I have really been thinking hard about this as we approached the inauguration. I share feelings of doom and despair with many, but I am taking solace that we are establishing a new rock bottom from which we can only bounce. Our collective consciousness is a mess, in need of clarity and healing. The United States, the nation, is delusional. We need to face this fact and remedy the cultural issues that we have made such a big deal of establishing. Neither “other” is right. Both are out of touch with reality. This is another way Carl looked at action and reaction. He said there is not so much good and bad as real and unreal. The pendulum has swung to the outer limits of unreality now, and the center is strained to the max. Will it hold?
Please help yourself to tea or coffee, or a big glass of fresh grapefruit juice. It is rainy and cool out, but the wood stove is roaring and the armchair with the ottoman next to the fire is ready for you. Snuggle in and tell me how you are dealing with events these days. I stayed quiet this week, mostly because my car went to the shop for 3 days to be repaired. I wrote another short piece of fiction based on a photo prompt this week. It turned out to be very disquieting, haunted and macabre because my mind was on the national spirit. I am a bit surprised at my own darkness in these short stories. I guess it reflects by subconscious as well as my desire to make up stories. I thought I would be funny in fiction, but I am a bit of a horror writer, much to my own horror.
This is the perfect time for me to segue to enantiodromia, the phenomena. Simply put, it means that any force in overabundance will produce it’s opposite in order to keep nature in balance. If one single aspect of a consciousness is developed at the expense of all others, the equal and opposite reaction will be triggered by the extreme condition of the psyche. Often in individuals this shift precedes a breakthrough into a more integrated personality. Once the “other” is seen in a realistic light an enlightenment can take place.
In Jung’s own words:
The grand plan on which the unconscious life of the psyche is constructed is so inaccessible to our understanding that we can never know what evil may not be necessary in order to produce good by enantiodromia, and what good may very possibly lead to evil. (“The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairytales”, Collected Works 9i, par. 397)
I am placing all my hope in enantiodromia to save our society. We elected our shadow, and now we will be forced to view it, ironically against the backdrop of the White House. We can’t blame our shadow into evaporating because it represents (imperfectly) the ideas of “the enemy”. We have to meet it straight on, and see what part we have played in establishing it and then giving it power. This is deeper and weirder than just Republicans vs Democrats. This is real vs unreal, in which everyone has a little of each. We are codepending with everyone and everything. Our journey to balance will require enlightenment and compassion for all those “others”.
Diana hosts the coffee party each weekend from New Orleans. Please visit us to read, write, comment, or just consume a few cups of digital coffee. This party is a wonderful place to keep it real and share your thoughts in a safe, creative atmosphere. Thanks for dropping by this week.
Carl Jung
#WritePhoto, Dancehall Of Dread
January 19, 2017
— 14 Comments
#writephoto
In the darkest moment of winter, heaviness and despair falls on the land. Frightened workers huddle indoors, sharing the heat of a single stove in the dance hall of the dead. The musical sounds drift in from the streets, strings and horns and voices of the past kill time by serenading the future. The dance floor is void of happy feelings but full of feverish dread of the coming days. The waltz goes on forever, the tempo hypnotic, mind numbing. The dancers know all the tribal dances that have been danced for centuries in this place. Circles of spirited colors whirl above the floor. The walls vibrate with deep bass rhythm and drumming creatures representing sacrifices made to tradition. The swift current of time sweeps the crowd up in a cloud of memory and doubt.
The donkey shadow on the wall opposes the one of the elephant wearing a hat. The shadow puppets play the same parts forever, constantly changing costumes to deceive. The audience blends into the puppetry, never minding the strings attached. The glow from the streetlight illuminates the dancing puppets as they pass. The translucent quality of their weary bodies is briefly revealed for a moment. Darkness and bitter cold then quickly envelops each one in dread. Nobody knows if this is real or imaginary. This may be happening in the present, or we may be stuck in each other’s dreams. Is there an escape? Are we under a spell? Will this dance continue? Do we have a choice?
Visit Sue Vincent’s blog on Thursdays to find a photo prompt for fiction. Create your own story to go with this week’s image.
#writephoto
Wishing Tree For Year Of The Fire Rooster
January 18, 2017
— 1 Comment
The Chinese tradition of the spring festival celebrates the new year for two weeks around 4 February each year. In 2017 the celebrations will begin 28 January with the first official day of the rooster year falling on the 3 February. There is a custom of making a wish then throwing it up into a ” wishing tree”. The wish to carry us through the year is similar to a resolution, but also resembles a letter to Santa. We can celebrate this cool custom in our own private ways. If planning the year at the start includes a fresh start in health, wealth, career, family, and community, what will your wish be? The rooster is a confident, well dressed and chivalrous. He will not back down in a fight. He is known to, in fact, go beyond reason to get his way. The cock wakes up crowing and does not hold back criticism and domineering attitude toward others. Feathers will fly during this year, and egos will be bruised. The rooster is the most misunderstood sign of the Chinese zodiac, a heroic Don Quixote, taking on windmills of gigantic proportions. I wish that during the cock year you will learn to do less, but do it with precision and passion. Cock-a-doodle-dooooooooo
Elizabeth Washington, Seventh Great-Grandmother
January 16, 2017
— 1 Comment
Virginia Colony
My seventh great-grandmother’s grandfather was John Washington of Surry Co, VA. (See the Washington information from Louise Ingersoll’s book.) She inherited 200 acres of Surry Co. land from her father. That land was sold 2/19/1734. After Sampson died, she went into NC to live with her son James. On 22 Nov 1757 Edward Goodrich, Isaac Rowe Walton and John Maclin, gentlemen, laid off and assigned to Elizabeth Lanier, widow of Sampson Lanier, deceased her dower of said Sampson’s estate.
She remarried after Sampson died. Marriage bond, dated 23 July 1758 on file Brunswick Co, VA, shows Elizabeth Lanier,widow, marrying Cuthbert Smith, and an order dated
27 Feb 1759 appointed Cuthbert Smith guardian of Rebecca Lanier,orphan of Sampson Lanier, and an order dated 5 Sept 1759 appointing Lemuel Lanier as guardian for Burwell Lanier, Buckner Lanier, Winifred Lanier, Martha Lanier and Anne Lanier.
My seventh great-grandfather, Sampson Lanier, was born in 1681 and died in 1743.
Third son of John Lanier, Jr. born Charles City County 1681 (by deposition made in Surry Co. March 21, 1738), first appears in contemporary records as a “Tithable” in the upper end of Surry County above Stony Run in 1701. Richard Washington’s will leaves 200 acres of land to his daughter, Elizabeth, and leaves to his son-in-law, 200 acres lying in the Isle of Wight. Sampson Lanier sold this land which is now a part of Southhampton County; in February of 1734, Sampson
and Elizabeth Lanier sold the 200 acres of land given her by her father. They moved to Brunswick County before 1740. Sampson Lanier was a Justice, a Vestryman of St. Andrews, and, at one time, on the School Board. His will, dated 8 Jan. 1743, was proved on 5 May 1743. It lists their children as Thomas, Lemuel, Sampson, Richard, Elizabeth, and James. He married about 1706 in Surry, Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Washington (1660 Virginia – 1725 Virginia) & Elizabeth Jordan of Surry County, VA, and granddaughter of Major John Washington (born England 1632) of Surry County, VA. (See pp 40-41, Ingersoll.) She died in Pitt County, NC. Major John Washington was first cousin to Colonel John Washington of Westmoreland County, VA and was the Great Grandfather of George Washington, first President of the United States.
Elizabeth Washington (1689 – 1773)
7th great-grandmother
Elizabeth Lanier (1719 – 1795)
daughter of Elizabeth Washington
Martha Burch (1743 – 1803)
daughter of Elizabeth Lanier
David Darden (1770 – 1820)
son of Martha Burch
Minerva Truly Darden (1806 – 1837)
daughter of David Darden
Sarah E Hughes (1829 – 1911)
daughter of Minerva Truly Darden
Lucinda Jane Armer (1847 – 1939)
daughter of Sarah E Hughes
George Harvey Taylor (1884 – 1941)
son of Lucinda Jane Armer
Ruby Lee Taylor (1922 – 2008)
daughter of George Harvey Taylor
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Ruby Lee Taylor
Richard Washington’s will, dated November 9, 1724, leaves 200 acres of land to his daughter Elizabeth Lanier, “land where she now lives”; he leaves to his son-in-law, Sampson Lanier, 200 acres lying in the Isle of Wight. On March 23, 1732, Sampson Lanier sold the above 200 acres to the Vestry of Nottingham Parish, now Southampton County. On February 19, 1734, Sampson and Elizabeth Lanier sold the 200 acres of land given her by her father, and before 1740 they had moved to Brunswick County, Virginia. Sampson was a Justice, a Vestryman of St. Andrews, and at one time he was on the school board.
Sampson Lanier died about May 15, 1743 in Brunswick County, Virginia. Elizabeth died about 1773 in Pitt County, North Carolina.
Beggar Archetype, Self Aggrandize vs Self Respect
January 9, 2017
— 1 Comment
Beggar
Fascination with celebrity grows stronger as we are saturated with all kinds of award-winning (or election winning) famous people. I used to follow rock music and know most of the artists. I was familiar with the television and radio performers as well as the movie actors. There were not very many of them to track when I was a child. I knew all the players on the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. The sports stars were not as wealthy or elite as they are today. They acted more like part of the community. Celebrity, in and of itself, had not been discovered as a means to become more famous with no particular achievement or talent. We had not created a crazy delusional world in which we reward self-centered behavior over all else. Now we have made this world and live with the bizarre consequences.
Self aggrandizement, or self-glorification was not an acceptable way to present oneself when I was young. Society today revolves around it in an exaggerated way. Reality television has made every possible conceit and vainglory into entertainment. National politics are now a reality show, with shocking plot twists daily. We have become a nation of beggars. While a large number of our citizens are reduced to depending on others for basic food and shelter, some make a full-time job of begging for attention, love, power, and justice. Dignity is not a consideration for those over zealous needy attention seekers. They stop at nothing to increase their own power and wealth.
The biggest problem I see with this trend is value corruption of the youth. We are teaching our children that fame is a valuable commodity, while failing to teach self-respect and self-care. Healthy self-love is a product of mindfulness, forgiveness, and boundary setting. Taking care of needs rather than frivolous desires builds self-esteem and confidence. Choosing companions and activities that uplift and educate will build self-respect and lay a foundation for an intentional and meaningful life. Let us focus on real value, real merit in order to improve our reality. What do you think, gentle reader?
Sunday Rejuvenation, Brunch
January 8, 2017
— 2 Comments
fortune
The keeping of a sabbath on Saturday or Sunday is traditional in religious America. A day of complete rest, apart from the daily grind, was intended to be devoted to prayer and meditation on divinity. Today the religion of twitter has launched #SelfCareSunday as a tribute to taking a real break from the worries and stresses of modern life. This practice is viewed from different perspectives by many proponents of self-care. I have been reading lately about the Danish practice of Hygge, a simplistic, holistic way to stay centered and happy. This lifestyle concept is not related to religion, but does promote mindful awareness of simple pleasures, such as entertaining friends. Gathering to share cozy comforts is essential to maintaining community and identity in society. A good laugh and a delicious meal with friends can heal the wounds inflicted by the tragic news of the day. I like the idea of taking one meal every week to be mindful of our habits.
Here are a few ideas for #SelfCareSunday Brunch:
- Picnic in a park or natural setting
- Silent potluck brunch, keeping silence while sharing a meal
- Hiking brunch, bring a backpack and climb to a destination
- Restaurant with dining companions, an obvious oldie but goodie
- Cooking with companions in a home kitchen
- Informal meet up at a farmers’ market or coffee-house
It is an excellent idea to be extra aware and conscious of self-care for one day a week. The benefits of rest and relaxation combined with good company can’t be overstated. We all need a little help from our friends. Do you have a self-care practice, gentle reader? Are your Sundays sacred? What is your favorite way to rejuvenate?
Sunday Brunch
