mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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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
Summer Spa
May 3, 2015
— 7 Comments
hibiscus
There are beautiful facilities with amazingly talented staff members designed to deliver health and fitness retreats. Destination spas, hot spring thermal spas, or spas within hotels provide environments conducive to relaxation for time spent away from home. Time spent breaking undesirable habits or simply reducing stress for a happier healthier outlook is valuable. It is wonderful to find both time and funds to concentrate on body and mind. The test of healthy resolve occurs when we are once again in our normal day to day setting. This summer I plan to stay home in Tucson. Rather than lament these circumstances I have decided to create summer spa, the staycation that cures what ails you. The trick to good health is balance and reasonable discipline. I can’t spare the time to leave home, but I can arrange my schedule to make daily, weekly and monthly health goals part of my routine.
- Calculate- Using the Fitbit program I will log food, water, sleep and exercise
- Donate- Fill a large bag of unwanted items to give to charity monthly
- Juice Bar- Monday-Thursday make and drink fresh juice and avoid alcohol
- Body Work- Shiatsu, acupuncture, or lymphatic drainage at least once a week
- Fitness Shuffle-Attempt a new class or active experience twice a month
- At the gym-Daily aerobic activity derived from equipment use or swimming laps
First and foremost my plan for better health will include daily time for art. Poetry writing and creating visual art satisfy a need I have to express myself. I notice that when I am absorbed in thinking about art or music I live in an elevated state. Artfulness gives me great pleasure. I am at my best when I reserve time to appreciate the work of others and be inspired to create something myself. I include cooking in the list of my creative hobbies. It works well for me to shift my attention to new healthy ways to prepare food. The pleasure involved in mixing flavors and savoring the finished meal is essential to my well being. I can add a colorful and delightful juice bar rather than consider giving up alcohol. In the end it is only the sustainable habits that will make a difference. Too much repression or strict diet can make the mind recoil from the entire business. It is best to have a plan, build your foundation, and be a little flexible to account for real life.
What kind of summer are you going to have, gentle reader? Do you include health as a goal when making your plans?
reflection in my pool
Poet Hollow
April 30, 2015
— 1 Comment
orchid
Woods dripping with Spanish moss and voodoo shrines
Down the hill from the oracle cave the hermit still declines
To give you the secret magic word you use to save the day
Find the sorcerer’s manuscripts then interpret what they say
Squandered youth, wild stormy stories, hidden truth of night
Dreams bring colorful vibrant myths, strong psychic insight
The realm inhabited by poetry and poets, invisible to some
Portrays life more intensely, gives clues to why we have come
flora
NaPoWriMo 2015
It has been a real privilege to inhabit the place of the poets this April. Thanks to all who contributed and read.
Positively Charged
April 29, 2015
— 5 Comments
leap
Ancestral chieftain ritually bound to honor natural forces
Protect the seasons, the directions, the winds over the seas
Passing that mastery to students of physical magical realms
Thunderous laughter is carried and amplified on the breeze
Followed by flashing bolts of lightening, blinding light overwhelms
NaPoWriMo 2015
Read, write, recite poetry this April. Meet new poets to enjoy here.
Truth by Mother Goose
April 28, 2015
— 7 Comments
field of sunflowers
Early years fill with nursery rhymes, stories designed to teach
Suspended between fictional characters dialog is made to preach
Current popular opinion, political outrage hidden between the lines
The villain and the hero match wits whilst the wicked witch opines
These morality plays change very little with the passage of time
Forces of good conquer evil and the story is set to rhyme
When you meet a character who comes straight from Mother Goose
You have discovered archetypal imagery that will help you to deduce
If you are the victim or the hero, the popular victor or the slimy creep
We all have parts to play, ego hiding under shadowy cover of sleep
field of sunflowers
NaPoWriMo 2015
The poetry train has almost arrived at the destination…May. Hop aboard for a poetic ride here.
Thistles for Dinner
April 25, 2015
— 3 Comments
globe artichoke
I ate my first artichoke in New Orleans in the French Quarter
I was a teenager on the town at Antoine’s, an establishment so fine
It arrived looking exotic, next to a giant bowl of melted butter
I was instructed in the art of thistle consumption, then treated to a sip of wine
I don’t remember the rest of the menu or what else we ate for supper
I decided to adopt flower tasting as a permanent feature of my lifestyle design
globe artichoke
My parents didn’t bother with the labor intensive green gourmet delight
I liked the way it revealed itself, required each leaf to be a separate bite
I have a vivid memory of the atmosphere and the formal setting we had
It was fun to discover a dish I loved to eat, with the bonus that it irritated my dad
globe artichoke
NaPoWriMo 2015
Poetry of all kinds can be found to read and enjoy during the month of April. Ride the poetry train here.
Spylight
April 24, 2015
— 3 Comments
skeleton
Windows of stained glass, gothic arches reaching down from heaven
Contain secret hiding places from which to see the world in procession
Between clouds and stars light years have passed uncounted, forgotten
Pathways of comets, trails of meteors falling to earth, and fools misbegotten
Bright illumination shines through the veils, the curtain, and the hidden door
While multitudes enrolled in rival schools of thought collapse into war
Youth, athletic performance, strength have become the peak obsession,
Playing games is a metaphor when competition is the prize possession
NaPoWriMo 2015
Poets and poetry are celebrated during the month of April here. Enjoy reading writing and reciting!!!
Keep the Beat
April 23, 2015
— 8 Comments
Snapdragon
On stage alone declaring how holy is everything
Drama and grit in bohemian glory, unafraid, uncensored
Blazing through the living backwoods of words, bongos,
Coffeehouse in some village overflowing with reform
Of letters, of institutions, of all the powers who regulate
On fat asses that be in charge of declinations that articulate
Judgements for society not listening, nor daring to perform
Shocking truthful rage behind the masks worn as uniforms
Marching single file, lost in the mass shuffle of minds in thought
Keep the beat, a tribute to those poets who knew not what they taught
NaPoWriMo 2015
Ride the poetry train in April by boarding here. Enjoy reading writing and listening to diverse poets and beatnik bards.
Exchange
April 22, 2015
— 1 Comment
poppy
California Poppy
Currencies and agricultural pursuits have exchanges
Changing times, political events, require sensitive gauges
To measure then analyze the progress we have to report
Comparisons to perfection are built on data that we all support
The withdrawal from nature has no column in this audit of value
The inexhaustible generosity of earth has unlimited virtue
Flowing steadily down from high places feeding the demands
Of a hunger impossible to satiate that nobody alive understands
Pioneers of wilderness and giants of industrial conquest
Bequeath to the future a desolate landscape, fully processed
skull and crossbones
Find your muse and write some poetry this month. Enjoy the work of diverse poets here.
NaPoWriMo 2015
Dream Dance
April 19, 2015
— 2 Comments
pineapple guava
Dreaming images float or chase us in spaces we imagine
The faces are all from waking life, although they may not
Play the parts they occupy in regular time, but rather become
Part of an intricate message system designed to save us
From our delusional thought that we are alone, yet stable
Without any assistance from the rest of the universe our
Opinions stagger on in stubborn resistance to the music
Being played in harmony and ecstasy by angelic choirs
wildflowers
When slipping into sleep remind yourself to dance to the tune
Look deeply into the light of the moon, and seek guidance
From stars, from darkness, from your own inner lantern
That preserves the flame, the pilot light, inside your being
Throw silken scarf of brightly colored symbols toward the sky
Encircling the changing constellations of the heavens
NaPoWriMo 2015
Enjoy all kinds of poetry written by all kinds of poets here. April is a special month to write and read new poetry.
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