mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Chris Brogan was my first teacher of social media by way of his books. He is very smart in my opinion, and constantly evolves. One of his practices for which he is now very well known is finding three words to inspire at the first of every year. To replace resolutions, the words are meant to inspire and represent goals. On January 1 Chris will drop his words, as is his custom, for the eleventh year in a row. Well done, Brother Brogan. I know I am not the only one who appreciates your leadership in this exercise. Three is plenty if they are kept alive daily for an entire year. That is the idea of having only a few….. no excuse not to work on them. I am looking forward to a happy and fun 2016. My words are:
I plan to combine forces with a wonderful woman I met in Phoenix by chance. She makes the best artisanal sauerkraut I have ever tasted. The Garden Goddess was planning to expand her distribution to Pima County, where I live, when we met. There are some logistical issues to work out, but we are looking at an arrangement that is extremely simplistic and independent. I am very interested in the teaching part of the concept because I have become a fermented foods crusader and believer. I am reading books and experimenting like a mad scientist in my own kitchen as well as eating Suzette’s kraut daily. This is a very exciting adventure for me. I know most people might not be so turned on about teaching others to make their own sauerkraut, but I feel a complete sense of mission to teach the world to ferment raw food and feel so much better. Fermented foods themselves are a simple, independent adventure you can enjoy at home. It is an explosive and exciting new hobby/passion I look forward to cultivating in 2016.
My 10th great-grandmother was born in England and died in Massachusetts. She sailed to the new world with her parents and settled in Ipswich. She probably met her husband there. They moved to Newbury and then to Amesbury, MA, where they laid down some very litigious history in the records of the courts of that town. It seems her husband was the more litigious of the two, but I am grateful for the records, so we know something about them today.
Elizabeth came to America with her family aboard the Lyon, William Pierce, master on 1 December 1630 for its first trip to the New World. They embarked in Bristol, England and arrived in Nantasket, Suffolk co., MA on 5 February 1631.
The Sargent family were some of the original settlers of the Agawam section of Ipswich, Essex co., MA, with William receiving 12 acres in the 1634 Ipswich Land Grant. The family later moved to Newbury, Essex co., MA; Hampton, Rockingham co., NH; Salisbury, Essex co., MA and finally Amesbury, Essex co., MA. Remember that NH & ME were all part of MA at the time. The family moved from Newbury to Hampton because “…’Willli[am] Sergant’ was amongst the list of petitioners mostly Newbury men who were headed by Stephen Bachiler, who were on 6 September 1638 granted ‘liberty to begin a plantation at Winnacunnet [what is now Hampton, Rockingham co., NH]..” And “Will[iam] Sargent” is listed as one of the married men in the list of first comers to Hampton.
The Sargents found themselves in court over disputes with their neighbors on many occasions. Given the fact that this pattern of contentiousness continued after Eliabeth’s death, I contend that William was the fractious party in the area. On 26 December 1643, William “Sargeant” sued Mr. William Hook of Salisbury for 56s. in corn[67,68]. William acknowledged the court’s judgment in favor of Mr. Jonathan Wade on 26 September 1648. Michael Spencer sued him for detaining corn and other goods on 2 January 1650.
But the biggest battles were reserved for their near neighbors, the Martins. Either William or his namesake son was sued for slander on 13 April 1669, because the Sargent in question had called Martin’s wife “a witch”. The bad blood transcended generations, for Martin later sued William’s son Thomas Sargent “…for saying that his son George Martin was a bastard and that Richard Martin was Goodwife Martin’s imp…”
In 1672, William Sargent and Joanna his second wife sued Christopher Osgood for debt due part of the estate of Joanna’s late husband, Valentine Rowell. However, Joanna was curiously not mentioned in his will, although she had married him a few months earlier. To contemporary credible researchers, this strongly suggests that there was a pre-nuptial agreement between them which left Joanna nothing.
Elizabeth Judith Perkins (1611 – 1670)
is my 10th great-grandmother
Mary Sargent (1634 – 1716)
daughter of Elizabeth Judith Perkins
John Challis (1655 – 1741)
son of Mary Sargent
Mary Challis (1699 – 1739)
daughter of John Challis
Amos Nicholls (1740 – )
son of Mary Challis
Amos Nicholls (1780 – )
son of Amos Nicholls
Amos Nicholls (1808 – 1868)
son of Amos Nicholls
Emiline P Nicholls (1837 – )
daughter of Amos Nicholls
Harriet Peterson (1856 – 1933)
daughter of Emiline P Nicholls
Sarah Helena Byrne (1878 – 1962)
daughter of Harriet Peterson
Olga Fern Scott (1897 – 1968)
daughter of Sarah Helena Byrne
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Olga Fern Scott
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse
Elizabeth PERKINS was christened/baptized on 3 MAR 1611 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. She immigrated on 1 DEC 1630 from England to America. She died on 18 SEP 1670 at Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. She has Ancestral File Number 7TTF-7J. Elizabeth’s father came from England in the ship “Lyon” with Roger Williams, in 1631; lived in Boston two years; settled in Ipswich in 1633;
Sailed on the “LYON”, William Peirce, Master, from Bristol December 1, 1630, and arrived February 5, 1631, with about twenty passengers and two hundred tons of goods.
SOURCE: 1. Ancestral File (TM), data as of 2 January 1996, Family History Library, 35 North West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150
2. Perkins Family in Ye Olden Times. p 78-79 (B11C27)
3. Old Families of Salisbury & Amesbury, Mass by Hoyt, p 281 (Mass S&)
4. Dawes & Allied Families by Mary Walton Ferre, p 484-85 (B12F12)
5. Planters of the Commonwealth, Charles E. Banks 1930
6. Hoyt’s “Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury” page 281/282 (John Perkins #12)
My latest craze is making sauerkraut. I discovered Garden Goddess Ferments products at a farmer’s market in Scottsdale a couple of weeks ago. We returned to Phoenix the following weekend to buy more sauerkraut and attend a workshop about making fermented foods. Suzette Smith of Garden Goddess Ferments organized an expo with break out learning sessions at the Office Pile. The space was perfect for the event, and many interested patrons turned out to learn more about eating healthy food. Healthy snacks, bone broth, personal chef services, and health coaching tables greeted guests, and classes were held both upstairs and in a conference room.
The fermented food class Suzette taught was so basic, simple, and informative that anyone could leave and go make kraut after attending. She told us about the benefits of the natural probiotic cultures and how she created her own delicious line of small batch artisanal krauts which she sells to the public. She also has for sale hand made crocks and cabbage shredders for the home fermenter. She forgot to bring the tool with which she had planned to mash the cabbage, so while she gave her informative lecture she pounded the cabbage with her fist until it yielded enough liquid to submerge itself. It really drove home the primitive, and as Suzette stressed in the class, forgiving nature of this process. If you have a glass or stainless steel vessel, a cabbage, a small amount of salt and a fist you can preserve food like our ancient ancestors. The mixture was rubbing up immediately, demonstrating the basic chemistry involved. This is the most natural way to preserve food and keep it alive.
It is so simple I can’t believe we are not all doing it all the time. I am hooked. I had both succeeded and failed in the past with large batch kraut in a ceramic crock. After seeing the class I understood that I had used too much salt and left it in the crock too long. Other students reported the same thing. This is what we got for following directions. This is one of those hands on experiences, like bread baking, that can be best learned by personal observation. Suzette is enthusiastic about the healthy possibilities and has developed a range of zesty flavorful krauts containing very healthy ingredients such as ginger, garlic and turmeric. The difference between her products and commercial krauts is the living probiotic culture present in the home made version. Bubbbie’s is the only live sauerkraut I know on the market, but she does not have anything like the range of flavors Garden Goddess offers. Suzette also creates seasonal varietals. Right now at home I have Kowboy Kraut, finished with cumin, Kristmas Kraut with some apple and my favorite, Power Kraut, made with red cabbage, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. She is constantly creating new and exciting combinations. If you live in the Phoenix area I urge you to run right out and buy some Garden Goddess kraut. Your digestion will thank you for it.
The “meaning of the holidays” is a phrase that has been diluted. Although this commercial venture of the company was done for public relations purposes, there could be no better public relations. I wish all the gentle readers comfort and joy for the season and beyond.
We visited downtown Phoenix over the weekend, staying in the Garfield Historic District. The neighborhood is undergoing a major revitalization with very impressive results. It had been few years since I was in that part of town which now is near university campuses for medicine and law. U of A and ASU now have large downtown campuses and hospitals. The demand for real estate has taken off fast. Very cool local businesses have sprouted up to serve the community. We enjoyed eating at two of them, Jobot Coffee and Dining and Mother Bunch Brewery. They both have distinctive atmosphere, excellent service, and fantastic food. There are very few chain stores in the district. Most businesses are local and unique. The Roosevelt Growhouse is a wonderful non profit with a mission to promote healthy food and handmade art. Participants are welcome to work on and pick from the communal garden, and some people rent small individual garden spaces for $10 a month. The folks working in the garden together on Sunday were clearly enjoying each other and the beautiful sunny day.
There are murals everywhere. The back alleys and walls, utility boxes and entire buildings are decorated with brightly painted art. Naturally some are better than others, but the total effect is really stunning. The artsy feeling flows all through the area. Our home away from home was the best part. We rented a shipping container Air bnb apartment that came with bikes for us to ride around the area. We felt right at home. Our local hosts gave us advice and directions and off we went exploring. I look forward to returning to do some more exploration and watch the Phoenix as it rises up from the ashes of the real estate depression. It appears to be a very lively rebirth.
A quick weekend trip to Tempe to take in the sights and sounds of the Festival of the Arts was a perfect get away (but not very far away) for us last weekend. I found a great Air bnb apartment in the perfect location for walking to the action. We discovered new places to drink and dine, and purchased a few pieces of original jewelry at an artist’s booth. My parter Bob is a big beer fan, so we sat for a while overlooking the fair on the balcony of the famous landmark Gordon Biersch Brewery. The beer is okay. The view is fabulous.
Our favorite new spot for food drinks and a lively crowd is Culinary Dropout. We enjoyed wonderful service in a very jovial atmosphere there before we went to the fair. The menu was innovative bistro style food. It was tempting to eat all our meals there, but we wanted to do some investigating into other places. Tempe is full of bars and food offering of all kinds. If there is nothing you like to eat or drink there, you are just too picky.
The Arts Festival turned the town into a large outdoor party with plenty of opportunity to people watch. We had such a good time we may just make a habit of visiting Tempe. There is much to discover.
As part of the Tempe Festival of the Arts everyone was invited to draw on the street downtown. Participants in the professional art show covered large spaces and stuck to the theme “Retro Toys”. The creativity as well as the stunning artistry was very impressive. Watching the work evolve each day is a major part of the fun for us. The artists don’t mind a little visiting while they work. We left before the end to drive back to Tucson, but think I will stay until the end next year. All of the work is amazing considering the medium and the way they have to work. Many of the artists we met were from Tempe, but they came from all over to compete and make the street look extra special for the holiday.
The community participation was the best part. I purchased my chalk and joined the youngsters on the street. I had a very good time meeting my fellow artists on kneepads. I paid $5 to support the festival, and got to keep my chalk to take home and practice on my own driveway. I was pleased with the way my piece turned out, but after I packed up and left it occurred to me that I could have done more than one square..nobody would have stopped me. The way the community mosaic mural looked on Sunday morning was superb. All the styles went together very well to show a patchwork of visitor talent right next to the sidewalk. I am proud to leave my mark on Tempe, and thank that very artsy city for the opportunity to do so.
I recently gave thought to the question “What is the opposite of gratitude?” I decided it is entitlement. This exercise works well for all kinds of grand concepts and world events. Our violent world is punctuated with opinions and some bravery, but the violence itself looks more powerful all the time. I am a believer in Chinese medicine and the power of understanding opposite forces. I go to acupuncture every week for my health to balance the chi in my body. There are macro and microcosms of chi as well, like the environment, social order, etc. Energy balances energy and life continuously flows. Balance depends on constant movement and exchange, like inhale and exhale.
With the bigger picture in mind I wonder what is the opposite energy to contradict and balance violence. I don’t own weapons or use them. My life is easy, comfortable, and fun. I don’t think about encountering violence even though there is plenty of it right in my neighborhood as well as across the globe. I agree with the sentiment of the Parisians who believe that fear to go out and live it up is what terrorists want to see in their victims. Caving in to fear may be the worst reaction, but what is the best one? I live in Tucson where we were shaken by mass shooting early in the game. Our city is plenty violent all the time with the full time smuggling at work here. Most people go about our business without any thought of the crime and violence we know happens. I have started to wonder if this is unrealistic or healthy.
As long as I stay aware of the shadow of violence I think it is healthy to be happy and free of fear. The only thing that has worked in my life as a cure for big and little violence is patience. Patience must be the opposite of violence. Patience develops into empathy if practiced for a long enough time. When you restrain your emotions long enough to see the bigger overview you always find ignorance was the cause of all problems. Ignorance continues to cause trouble, but if I sincerely practice patience I can stop myself from adding my own portion of violence to the boiling pot of trouble. What do you think, gentle reader? Have you found any new truths by observing all the horror lately?
Tomorrow is the last day of the annual Ikebana event at Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson. This delightful addition to the garden’s peaceful atmosphere is wonderfully worth a visit. The works are displayed in all parts of the gardens as well as in two interior galleries. There are well defined spaces that allow contemplation or mindfulness practice at Yume any time you visit. To see these adorned with Ikebana is a real invitation to deep meditation. The work itself is done as a meditative practice, finding the best way to use the plant materials to express art. The relatively short life of the materials is an element of the contemplative experience for me. Like sand mandala they will be discarded in the future, with less ceremony.
I was very lucky to be invited to the arranging pre party where I met artists and teachers working on the show. The universe of Ikebana was unknown to me, but it took a very enjoyable guided tour. It was clear to me that in the group situation some found it more difficult than others to be immersed in the creative process. I asked questions but did not want to get carried away and become a big distraction. Once I tuned in to what was happening it reminded me of yoga. The teacher comes around and gives assistance and guidance to to student while the work is in progress. There is a reverent attitude toward the plant materials, and quiet concentration. When I saw all the finished pieces in the show I was impressed with the work in all of them. They caught a seasonal natural harvest in whimsical harmony with the moment in which it was created. The curation of the show is done so that every piece looks natural and harmonious with the surroundings. For this Thanksgiving weekend Yume, which means dream, is one big flower arrangement containing many arrangements. It is the perfect place to be one with nature right in the center of the city of Tucson.
Make sure you take a look around all the corners because there are arrangements tucked into the gardens like a treasure hunt. The indoor galleries are also very well curated to show a range of styles. I am a happy newcomer to this exciting form of art and meditation.
I was lucky to catch up with Patricia Deridder at the Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson as she prepares for this weekend’s big Ikebana exhibit. She is the founder of the gardens, a teacher, and still a student, of Ikebana. She has organized a group of masters who will show their work over the weekend in the gardens. This very special treat will give the public an idea of the different schools of Ikebana and the individuals who live here and practice these special arts. There are monks in Japan who do this practice as meditation. Anyone involved in this way of looking at flower arranging will discover elements of mediation or merging with nature.
I am thrilled to have this artful peaceful alternative to Black Friday shopping offered in my neighborhood. If you happen to be in Tucson this event is offered with the regular entry fee, or to members as part of our membership. This is a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in nature carefully and beautifully crafted by artists. I am excited to learn more and enjoy the show. The three pieces I watched in progress all came out beautifully.