mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Tracking the Pennsylvania Petersons
July 1, 2013
— 1 Comment
In each tree there are challenging branches. My own difficult ancestor to whom I have dedicated untold number of hours in research is Thomas Peterson. He is special because he is mentioned in the handwritten notes I had to begin my whole search. His granddaughter, Sarah Helena Byrne, wrote facts and her own opinions about family members, said he is Pennsylvania Dutch. She also mentions that his nephew, James Peterson, married my grandmother Scott after her first husband died. This seems simple enough, but I am stumped because I can’t find a record of Thomas’ birth in Indiana in 1825. His parents are alleged to be born in Pennsylvania, but I know facts were sometimes recorded incorrectly in the census. What were his parents doing way out west before the Civil War? Who were they, and where in Pennsylvania were they born? This all remains unanswered. It makes me crazy…
Thomas Peterson (1825 – ?)
is my 3rd great grandfather
daughter of Thomas Peterson
daughter of Harriet Peterson
daughter of Sarah Helena Byrne
son of Olga Fern Scott
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
I will travel to Pennsylvania in 2 months, so I am going on a search. Thomas’ second wife, Emiline Nichols, was born in Somerset in 1837, as were many of her ancestors. Her father was a teacher from Maryland who moved his family to Ohio. She married Thomas in Ohio in 1855. They moved to Kansas to homestead by 1870, and farm in a small community called Ladore, Neosho. I went there in person a few years ago, to the cemetery. I ran into nephew James and Grandmother Angelina Pendergrass, Scott, Peterson buried there, but no trace of Thomas or Emiline. It is time to hire a professional genealogist. I have found a very good deal at the Somerset Historical Society for research into family history for $20 an hour…$15 for members. I am going to become a member and invest $100 and see what I find. I have considered hiring a pro before, but this time I can see how it might be very worthwhile. They are familiar with the references they have, and can work faster than I could in person. I am very curious to see how a real one works. Either way I can visit the ancestral homeland of the Nichols and Wrights, Emiline’s family. Thy also maintain some cool historical farm and maple camp displays I believe I saw as a child, but am not sure. It will be an excellent adventure into the history of PA, but I might really score some tree data I have been seeking for years. Wish me luck, gentle reader.
Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
June 29, 2013
— 2 Comments
Zappos Headquarters
The 7th core value at Zappos is about team building. The social fabric of the Zappos team is strong and purposely flexible. Diversity is encouraged; self expression is made mandatory; teams tackle problems in groups. The jolly team spirit is evident in the work environment at Zappos headquarters. I think it is closer to being the happiest place on earth than Disneyland is..but that is not saying much. Family in the workplace means shared responsibility as well as camaraderie.
My specialty is teaching swimming. In order to teach the skill an environment of trust must exist. This week I had the pleasure of teaching two young ladies who are friends. They have a big age difference but get along well as friends. The right atmosphere brings out the best in everyone. The girls worked hard each day in lessons, and at the end of the week, they had their little doll family on the steps with them for a swimming lesson. They had become the teachers, inspiring the dolls with their confidence. This is how the positive team and family spirit works. It is contagious, and uplifting for everyone. Cooperation and inspiration are natural partners in business.
In Tucson and around the country damage from mold is a serious issue. This health hazard can be dangerous to humans and pets. It is most devastating to real estate value because insurance companies rightly treat it like the plague. Mold that is rampant must be treated and removed to avoid spread and contamination of the entire area. Since the property with an adjoining wall has been used to collect donations for a decade, the water has been leaking profusely for months, and everything points to heavy duty mold damage I have repeatedly asked the HOA board that collects the donations from the public to hire Rocky the Mold Dog, who appears on TV. He is a beagle with a nose for mold. He sniffs the property and helps the humans identify problems so they can be treated. All health department code has been violated in this building for more than a decade. The unsupervised food collection, storage, and preparation in a leaky environment is a very likely contributor to the growth of mold. There is probable cause to believe the building is completely infested with mold which is damaging my home every day.
There is much more than a conflict of interest between the HOA board members who run the charity scam collecting donations, and the property owners in this neighborhood. I had some work done on my home recently and was informed by the contractor who did the work about the level of danger to my structural integrity posed by the neglect of my next door neighbor. He took some pictures of the rotting roof piled with debris, and explained that the load of all that garbage was a serious threat to my home. He taught me a lot that I did not know about the dangers and damage that mold represents. I read my insurance policy and spoke to my agent who explained the complex and very depressing details of mold, what it does, and what happens to your insurance policy once it is discovered. I am officially freaked out about the physical damage the charity scam has done to my home. The donation traffic has slowed to nothing, the water leak was repaired a couple of days ago after leaking for at least 6 months. I need the people who took advantage of all their neighbors to begin to acknowledge reality and the neighborhood by getting a mold test to confirm or deny the presence of a very hazardous material. Their behavior suggests that they do no believe in cause and effect. Believe it or not, every action will continue to have an equal and opposite reaction.
Mold and Your Health
June 28, 2013
— 5 Comments
The Spies Who Love Us
June 24, 2013
— 1 Comment
Garbo Mata Hari
Does it sound like a compliment to you to be called a traitor by Dick Cheney? Do you wonder what espionage is? Do Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, and Edward Snowden appear to be more or less trustworthy than the United States government? Do you trust the military to police itself? My personal theory is that leaking is the new journalism. More high profile leaks will be celebrated with caviar and vodka faster than you can say Vlad’s your uncle. Shortly a woman will join the ranks of leaky whistle blowers, and the balance will shift. You do not need any psychic abilities to predict this. You simply need to wake up and smell the data.
Swimming is a Con Game
June 23, 2013
steps
flippers
stylin gear
play on steps
small group
lots of floatation
shade
deep end inspiration
watch and learn
options
facing mom
Confidence and floatation are close relatives. To swim is to move across the water, and it requires coordination and skill. To make learning both fun and effective for young swimmers they need to feel very good most of the time, and challenged to practice some of the time. I have learned from teaching hundreds of kids (and adults) to swim that the confidence it takes to control the breath is the heart of the swimming game. You honestly can’t teach breath control to tiny kids, and you would be foolish to use words like breath control or face in the water to older kids. You need to first recognize that you have completely different agendas.
Kids want to go off the diving board, do underwater flips and go touch the bottom. Very few kids care if they swim properly or master stroke technique. The ones who are fine technical swimmers usually don’t care about that at all. They just like to have fun at the pool. If a swim teacher wants to have fun at the pool that natural desire must be harnessed, never rushed. Making a drill too harsh or demands too tough can be a turn off for a shy student. It is important to alternate between what is already easy and what is yet to be learned. My new students are ideal because they already know each other. This saves much wear and tear since the girls are friends and know what to expect from each other. The older, taller ,more confident one is ready and able to inspire the younger more timid one without any showing off or ill temper. Lucky me. I am also fortunate that our young new swimmer is always in the pool with a parent, so she will not feel stranded in a new situation.
We also have the major stylin’ gear. The mermaid kick board, the floating raft, the matching pink goggles and the flippers are all worth trying. Some work better than others, and some are just there to make them feel they are real swimmers with real swimmer items. I believe in using all the tools and gear that might be helpful, but not allow the stuff to become the major focus, as it can easily with kids. It is natural and easy to switch from kick board exercises to floating to practicing bubbles while walking across the pool. One activity or tool does not become stale when you move through the lesson offering enough variety. Know that they only want to learn enough to swim away, so provide a safe setting in which they can do that. Keep it light because, after all, floating is all about trust and ease.
The New 15 Second Rule
June 22, 2013
— 4 Comments
We have been liberated from long boring presentations we don’t watch anyhow. The new 15 second rule is not about food that has been on the floor. It is about editing. If you can’t express your idea in 15 seconds, you need editing. Instagram has met the public where their attention span is. It is a fun , effortless way to find if you really have content or if you are just taking up digital space. Artemisia, coon hound, was keen to try it out to portray her content.
MacParody
June 20, 2013
— 5 Comments
Apple is a legend and a brand. It has fans and detractors. I have always loved and used Apple products., and have considered buying the new MacBook Pro. I know I am in emotional attatchementville at the time of the new release, so I am not taking action. I have filled in the order in the cloud, and have not pulled the trigger. I am happy with all my stuff, but am attracted to some mystic upgrade I might perceive with a new super power as my tool. Still, none of my purchases has ever for a moment given me buyer’s regret. I have no iPhone and no plans to have one. I just bought iPod 5 that is a tiny iPad with Siri in it. I like it because nobody can call or text me, but I have everything else in a tiny package. Siri, so far, does not seem like such a genius, but I haven’t asked her much. I am Apple faithful as well as a shareholder in the company. In weighing the options I am keeping my money in the bank while I hear more from all the new users. I am a fan, but not sucker.
My Privacy Policy
June 19, 2013
— 8 Comments
single hibiscus
single orchid
solo
privacy
free time
Privacy and free time are the only true luxury items, in my book. They will not arrive on their own and they will not stay if not managed with care. We all have a privacy policy, and it is not like the one you get from your doctor. We either announce to the world where we are and what we are doing or not. The other branch of privacy is availability. Each of us decides if we are available to be called or texted all day and night. We let people know how and when to reach us, and based on those parameters our privacy policy is established.
I love technology and enjoy many facets of the world wide web and the power it contains. I do not use GPS or smartphone. I do not want to be tagged and given a free beer when I am in the hood. I would rather retain the privacy. I do no use my cell phone at all except for travel and odd circumstances. I use Skype or my landline to make calls. I do not text or receive texts. There are some on my ancient cell phone, but I will never read them because they are from Virgin Mobile. Some of my friends think this practice is wildly eccentric, and I suppose it is in 2013. The reason I do not live my life connected to the internet or the phone is that I value my freedom and private life.
My filters and boundaries are clear to me, and obvious to others. I publish 2 blogs, one of which is now mostly art. I interact on various social media and in Triberr with a wide array of personalities and specialties. I am active and interactive all over the world in this way. I am a great navigator who does not use GPS because I think navigation is good for the soul. I could never imagine giving up the thrill of knowing where I am and trusting some voice who has no idea where I am. I had GPS given to me in a rental car once, and it sent us drastically out of our way. I did not even turn it on after that..how silly. I have the same phone number at my home that I have had for about 20 years. There is a message system that works, and I respond when I hear messages that are for me. I eliminate the spam and move on with life.
Membership for Dogs
June 18, 2013
— 1 Comment
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- new member
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- shade from big trees
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- garden art
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- canine photo shoot
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- close up
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- treat
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- artists drawing
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- art group
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- desert trail
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- front exit
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- exercise in the shade
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- her instagram
Artemisia, red bone coon hound, is a new canine member of the Tucson Botanical Gardens. On Tuesdays dog members and their families are welcome all day. This was a very special day because professional pet photographer, Vicky Stromee was set up to take pictures against a green backdrop. She and her assistant made the shoot quick and easy. We strolled through the shady paths for a few minutes, stopping for a drink at the cafe, which was closed. She smelled the door and wished it was open. Her shady and relatively cool experience today will be followed by her card and collar ring which will arrive in the mail. The dog membership is valid May through September. We have been family members for years, and now we are officially all part of the garden family. Artemisia recommends this reasonably priced membership to all Tucson dogs because of the shade. She liked it so much she sent an instagram.
Symbolic Transformation, #
June 18, 2013
— 4 Comments
# is a symbol. It has meaning, and it conveys something like punctuation. It says, “This is digital, not linear, not even physical.” It says, “2013 is all about #.” Yet there are those who never use it and maybe do not grasp the power contained in the #. It is clearly and obviously a make-believe entity, the digital reality. If anthropologists of the future go through the twitter accounts of the most famous people in the 21st century to learn about our culture, they will be flabbergasted.
Knowing the code, from secret societies to Morse code has always been significant. Writing code to make the computer world exist is a skill, an art, and a secret to those who do not know how to do it. The dewey decimal system was the grandparent to the #. We no longer have a paper file at the library, and there is no need to go to a library to find reference materials. If we Google, Bing, or # we go straight to the stuff we seek. Hide and seek is not played outdoors, but in search. I have often expressed the opinion here that there is nothing evil about technology. There is a big question about the morality of those who have access to the best technology to act in the best interests of society.
There is no conspiracy to push wealth away from most people and into the pockets of those who have the most data and the fastest computers. The shift from placing value on material goods to mining information about people’s habits has been in play for a long time. The society has participated in this shift willingly, and now is starting to wonder where the path leads. I believe it takes the individual where they intend to go, much like telegraphs and libraries. The choice is wider, but the choice of how to use and misuse is still a personal issue. The broader society, however, is suffering from the concentration of wealth and power in too few #’s.
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