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Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

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Self Indulgence, Choose Well

March 6, 2014 — 4 Comments

Most luxury goods from ice cream to cars are marketed as being self-indulgent.  The idea that we deserve some luxury is a tried and true method used to sell overpriced goods.  Obviously luxury has to mean different things to each one of us, and our fortunes limit what we include in our worldly possessions.  We do have to choose and over time our choices change.  We move into a new phase or environment or hobby and find that what was a big treat in the past is not even interesting now.  We may own something we thought we needed and wanted that now we no longer like.  This is natural.

I am in favor of self-indulgence if it is done in a true spirit of enhancing  the self.  Self care and self-awareness  are valid and necessary for a healthy balanced personality.  To make good long-term investments in self ask yourself:

  • Are there unhealthy consequences I am ignoring?
  • Will this be likely to make me as happy next week as it does now?
  • Do I have sufficient extra money for this indulgence at this time?
  • Is there a way to try, rent, or take lessons before committing to buy?
  • Am I responding to peer pressure or marketing?
  • Might I enjoy this indulgence more if I saved for it or split the expense with others?
  • Is there a possibility this indulgence may appreciate in value?
  • How great is the possibility of buyer’s remorse?

There may be another element to consider when finding a reward for yourself that will reap future dividends.  Would I enjoy this time/money/thing more if I gave it away or shared it with others in some other way?  I personally can think of at least a million things I would rather own than the yacht A, and a million people who could make good use of a more reasonable boat.  Everything is relative.  To each her own.  Choose wisely, gentle reader.

Self Image, Centering

March 5, 2014 — 2 Comments

Centering by Mary Richards

Centering by Mary Richards

I made pottery on the wheel when I was young.  Two books were read by almost all the potters I knew in those days, Clay and Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes, and Centering by MC Richards.  The first technical manual often called simply Rhodes gave formulas and facts needed to produce pottery.  The centering book was all about zen and becoming one with the clay in the middle of the wheel.  I used to think the centering book was too silly, but now I think it is brilliant.  I have not thrown pots for at least 30 years, but the practice did make a difference in my philosophy.  To center the clay one must be centered.  All work is exactly like that.  If you are not centered, balanced, able to focus, your clay will be hard to manage.  Your vision will not quite be achieved because of distraction.  With clay it is possible to endlessly recycle it if it has not been fired.  However, if one works for too long on a thrown piece it is very likely to collapse.  Brevity and self assurance are the essence of throwing pots.

Centering was taken from an inspirational speech given to fellow craftsmen.  Mary Richards was asked to elaborate on that talk in a book.  The 25th anniversary edition is out so I have zapped it into my Kindle.  In her introduction Ms Richards states, “The imagery of centering is archetypal. To feel the whole in every part.”  Chapter one begins, “CENTERING:  that act which precedes all others on the potter’s wheel.”  This seems obvious, but the metaphors are many.  Whatever raw materials we have must be treated as a whole to make the most of them.  Many mediums are not as forgiving as clay.  Once wood or fabric has been cut it can’t be thrown into a slip barrel and become new.  An unfired  pot that does not meet standards can begin as a new lump of clay.  Sensitivity and refined touch are the main skills needed to center and throw pots.  Porcelain has different feel and qualities to stoneware.  Each clay body has potential and personality.  Each will take glazes differently.  The chemical process of  fusing glaze to pot happens at high heat and must be cooled slowly to avoid cracking and crazing.  There is technical accuracy, just as in distillation. One follows a recipe and keeps a firing log in order to attain exact desired results on a regular basis.   There will sometimes be pots that are ruined in the kiln, and this is a fact that must be accepted.  Not every pot will survive.

Mary Richards quotes Emerson who said the law is: “Do the thing, and you shall have the power.  But they who do not the thing, have not the powers.”  When I read this book about centering today I know that being a potter early in my life gave me an appreciation for practice and balanced design in all things.  I enjoy making my own clothes, growing my own food, and designing my own life.  The concept of centering means connecting from my center to the center of others, touching the core.  That is the essence of life.  Stay centered, my friend.

Self Defense, YouTube

March 4, 2014 — 3 Comments

The extraordinary power of the people’s evidence locker, YouTube, is changing the world at a rapid pace.  The police in Rialto, CA are using shoulder mounted cameras to improve their service to the community.  They also have tools for predictive policing.  Since this technology exists and helps reduce waste in the law enforcement budget why are we not outfitting all the cops in the country with these cameras and these crime maps?  Criminals today are tech savvy and steal up to and including people’s identities without even physically looking at them.  Let us act smarter with our law enforcement resources.

Self Propelled, Cyclovia

March 3, 2014 — 1 Comment

Cyclovia Tucson is looking for a few good volunteers. This twice a year event is held to encourage the use of our public streets for alternative uses.  I used to travel to Lugano, Switzerland in the summer to visit the lakeside city.  Once a week for an evening the center of town was closed to motor traffic and skates, skateboards, bikes, and other self propelled transportation filled the streets.  This was a great opportunity to get out and share the warm nights with locals as they rolled.  Now Tucson has joined an American movement to follow a similar plan.  Last year I was out of town for Cyclovia, but my friends who attended told me it was excellent.   On April 6, 2014 a route that will include downtown will be opened for Cyclovia.  Super volunteers can assist during the event and others are invited to participate by rolling through all or part of the route.  Entertainment and local color are on display.  It will be fun to join the moveable feast.  I hope the concept catches on and becomes a more frequent part of our culture in Tucson.

Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol

March 2, 2014 — 2 Comments

Elisabeth of Tirol

Elisabeth of Tirol

Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol was a Queen of Germany whose husband was murdered by his nephew.  After his murder she joined a monastery.

Consort Elisabeth the Romans Carinthia (1263 – 1313)
is my 19th great grandmother
Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg (1298 – 1358)
son of Consort Elisabeth the Romans Carinthia
Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg (1351 – 1386)
son of Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg
Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg (1377 – 1424)
son of Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg
Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg (1420 – 1493)
daughter of Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg
Christof I VanBaden (1453 – 1527)
son of Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg
Beatrix Zahringen (1492 – 1535)
daughter of Christof I VanBaden
Sabine Grafin VonSimmern (1528 – 1578)
daughter of Beatrix Zahringen
Marie L Egmond (1564 – 1584)
daughter of Sabine Grafin VonSimmern
Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)
son of Marie L Egmond
Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
son of Richard Sears
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
son of Silas Sears
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
daughter of Silas Sears
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Sarah Sears
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Tenure
1299-1 May 1308
Spouse
Albert I of Germany
Issue
Rudolph I of Bohemia
Frederick the Fair
Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Otto, Duke of Austria
Anna, Duchess of Breig
Agnes, Queen of Hungary
Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
Catherine, Duchess of Calabria
Judith, Countess of Öttingen

House
House of Habsburg
Father
Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia
Mother
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Born
c.1262

Died
28 October 1312
Monastery of Königsfelden
Burial
Monastery of Königsfelden
Elisabeth of Gorizia-Tyrol (c. 1262 – 28 October 1312 was Queen of the Romans, Queen of Germany and Duchess of Austria by marriage. She is also known as Elisabeth of Tirol.

Family

She was the eldest daughter of Meinhard, Duke of Carinthia, Count of Gorizia and Tyrol.

Her mother was Elisabeth of Bavaria, daughter of Otto II Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria and his wife Agnes, herself daughter of Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine and Agnes of Hohenstaufen. Her mother was also the widow of Conrad IV of Germany. Therefore, the young Elisabeth was a half-sister of Conradin, King of Jerusalem and Duke of Swabia.

Marriage
She was married in Vienna on 20 December 1274 to the future Albert I of Germany, one of the founders of the House of Habsburg, thus becoming daughter-in-law of the King of the Romans. Her husband, then a Count of Habsburg, was invested as Duke of Austria and Styria in December 1282 by his father King Rudolf. They solidified their rule in what was to become the Habsburg patrimony, also with the help of Elisabeth’s father who in his turn in 1286 was created Duke of Carinthia.

Elisabeth was in fact better connected to powerful German rulers than her husband: a descendant of earlier kings, for example Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, she was also a niece of dukes of Bavaria [1], Austria’s important neighbours.

In 1298, her husband was finally elected king upon the end of the reign of Adolf of Nassau. In 1299 she was Nuremberg was crowned Queen of Germany and the Romans. Her husband was murdered on 1 May 1308 by his nephew John “the Parricide” in Windisch, located in modern-day Switzerland.

After the murder of her husband, Elisabeth joined the monastery of Königsfelden were she died 28 October 1312 and was later buried.

Elisabeth was a shrewd and enterprising woman who had some commercial talents. The construction of the Saline plant in Salzkammergut goes back to her suggestion.

Their children were:
Rudolph III (ca. 1282–4 July 1307, Horazdiowitz), Married but line extinct and predeceased his father.
Frederick I (1289–13 January 1330, Gutenstein). Married but line extinct.
Leopold I (4 August 1290–28 February 1326, Strassburg).
Albert II (12 December 1298, Vienna–20 July 1358, Vienna).
Heinrich (1299–3 February 1327, Bruck an der Mur). Married but line extinct.
Meinhard, 1300 died young.
Otto (23 July 1301, Vienna–26 February 1339, Vienna). Married but line extinct.
Anna 1280?, Vienna–19 March 1327, Breslau), married:
in Graz ca. 1295 to Margrave Hermann of Brandenburg;
in Breslau 1310 to Duke Heinrich VI of Breslau.
Agnes (18 May 1281–10 June 1364, Königsfelden), married in Vienna 13 February 1296 King Andrew III of Hungary.
Elisabeth (d. 19 May 1353), married 1304 Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine.
Catherine (1295–18 January 1323, Naples), married 1316 Charles, Duke of Calabria.
Jutta (d. 1329), married in Baden 26 March 1319 Count Ludwig VI of Öttingen.

Albert I, King of Germany Habsburg

February 28, 2014 — 4 Comments

Albert I King of Germany

Albert I King of Germany

My 19th great grandfather was born in current day Switzerland and married well:

Albert I of HabsburgKing of Germany
(formally King of the Romans)Reign27 July 1298 – 1 May 1308CoronationUncrownedGermanAlbrecht I, römisch-deutscher König, Herzog von Österreich und der Steiermark, Markgraf von MeißenTitlesDuke of Austria
Duke of Styria
Margrave of MeißenBornJuly , 1255
Rheinfelden, Free Imperial CityDiedMay 1, 1308 (aged 52)
Königsfelden, Breisgau, Further AustriaPredecessorAdolf of NassauSuccessorHenry VII, Count of LuxembourgConsortElisabeth of Gorizia-TyrolOffspringRudolph I, King of Bohemia
Frederick the Fair, King of the Romans
Leopold I, Duke of Austria
Albert II, Duke of Austria
Anna, Duchess of Brieg
Agnes, Queen of Hungary
Elisabeth, Duchess of Lorraine
Catherine, Duchess of Calabria and three others Royal HouseHouse of HabsburgFatherRudolph I, King of the RomansMotherGertrude of Hohenburg

Albert I of Habsburg (German: Albrecht I) (July 1255 – May 1, 1308) was King of the Romans, Duke of Austria, and eldest son of German King Rudolph I of Habsburg and Gertrude of Hohenburg.
He was the founder of the great house of Habsburg invested with the duchies of Austria and Styria, together with his brother Rudolph II, in 1282. In 1283 his father entrusted him with their sole government, and he appears to have ruled them with conspicuous success. Rudolph I was unable to secure the succession to the German throne for his son, and on his death in 1291, the princes, fearing Albert’s power, chose Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg as king. A rising among his Swabian dependents compelled Albert to recognize the sovereignty of his rival, and to confine himself for a time to the government of the Habsburg territories.
He did not abandon his hopes of the throne, however, which were eventually realised. In 1298, he was chosen German king by some of the princes, who were dissatisfied with Adolf. The armies of the rival kings met at the Battle of Göllheim near Worms, where Adolf was defeated and slain. Submitting to a new election but securing the support of several influential princes by making extensive promises, he was chosen at Frankfurt on July 27, 1298, and crowned at Aachen on August 24.
Albert married Elisabeth, daughter of Meinhard II, count of Gorizia and Tyrol, who was a descendant of the Babenberg margraves of Austria who predated the Habsburgs’ rule. The baptismal name Leopold, patron saint margrave of Austria, was given to one of their sons. Elisabeth was in fact better connected to mighty German rulers than her husband: a descendant of earlier kings, for example Emperor Henry IV, she was also a niece of dukes of Bavaria, Austria’s important neighbors.
Although a hard, stern man, Albert had a keen sense of justice when his own interests were not involved, and few of the German kings possessed so practical an intelligence. He encouraged the cities, and not content with issuing proclamations against private war, formed alliances with the princes in order to enforce his decrees. The serfs, whose wrongs seldom attracted notice in an age indifferent to the claims of common humanity, found a friend in this severe monarch, and he protected even the despised and persecuted Jews. Stories of his cruelty and oppression in the Swiss cantons did not appear until the 16th century, and are now regarded as legendary.
Albert sought to play an important part in European affairs. He seemed at first inclined to press a quarrel with France over the Burgundian frontier, but the refusal of Pope Boniface VIII to recognize his election led him to change his policy, and, in 1299, he made a treaty with Philip IV of France, by which his son Rudolph was to marry Blanche, a daughter of the French king. He afterwards became estranged from Philip, but in 1303, Boniface recognized him as German king and future emperor; in return, Albert recognized the authority of the pope alone to bestow the imperial crown, and promised that none of his sons should be elected German king without papal consent.
Albert had failed in his attempt to seize Holland and Zeeland, as vacant fiefs of the Empire, on the death of Count John I in 1299, but in 1306 he secured the crown of Bohemia for his son Rudolph on the death of King Wenceslaus III. He also renewed the claim made by his predecessor, Adolf, on Thuringia, and interfered in a quarrel over the succession to the Hungarian throne. His attack on Thuringia ended in his defeat at Lucka in 1307 and, in the same year, the death of his son Rudolph weakened his position in eastern Europe. His action in abolishing all tolls established on the Rhine since 1250, led the Rhenish archbishops and the count palatine of the Rhine to form a league against him. Aided by the towns, however, he soon crushed the rising.
He was on the way to suppress a revolt in Swabia when he was murdered on May 1, 1308, at Windisch on the Reuss River, by his nephew John of Swabia, afterwards called “the Parricide” or “John Parricida”, whom he had deprived of his inheritance.
Titles
Albert, by the grace of God king of the Romans, duke of Austria and Styria, lord of Carniola, over the Wendish Mark and of Port Naon, count of Habsburg and Kyburg, landgrave of Alsace
Family
Albert and his wife Elizabeth had twelve children:
Rudolph III (ca. 1282 – 4 July 1307, Horažďovice), Married but line extinct and predeceased his father.
Frederick I (1289 – 13 January 1330, Gutenstein). Married but line extinct.
Leopold I (4 August 1290 – 28 February 1326, Strassburg). Married, had issue.
Albert II (12 December 1298, Vienna – 20 July 1358, Vienna).
Heinrich (1299 – 3 February 1327, Bruck an der Mur). Married but line extinct.
Meinhard, 1300 died young.
Otto (23 July 1301, Vienna – 26 February 1339, Vienna). Married but line extinct.
Anna 1280?, Vienna – 19 March 1327, Breslau), married:
in Graz ca. 1295 to Herman, Margrave of Brandenburg-Salzwedel;
in Breslau 1310 to Duke Henry VI the Good.
Agnes (18 May 1281 – 10 June 1364, Königsfelden), married in Vienna 13 February 1296 King Andrew III of Hungary.
Elisabeth (d. 19 May 1353), married 1304 Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine.
Catherine (1295 – 18 January 1323, Naples), married Charles, Duke of Calabria in 1316.
Jutta (d. 1329), married Ludwig V, Count of Öttingen in Baden, 26 March 1319.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Albert I of Germany 16. Albert III, Count of Habsburg 8. Rudolph II, Count of Habsburg 17. Ida von Pfullendorf 4. Albert IV, Count of Habsburg 18. Gottfried von Staufen 9. Agnes of Staufen 2. Rudolph I of Germany 20. Hartmann III, Count of Kiburg and Dillingen 10. Ulrich, Count of Kiburg and Dillingen 21. Richenza von Lenzburg 5. Heilwig of Kiburg 22. Berthold IV, Duke of Zähringen 11. Anna von Zähringen 23. Heilwig of Frohburg 1. Albert I of Germany 24. Burckhard III, Count of Hohenburg 12. Burckhard IV, Count of Hohenburg 6. Burckhard V, Count of Hohenburg 3. Gertrude of Hohenburg 28. Rudolph I, Count Palatine of Tübingen 14. Rudolph II, Count Palatine of Tübingen 29. Mechtild of Gleiberg, Countess of Giessen 7. Mechtild of Tübingen 30. Henry, Margrave of Ronsberg 15. unnamed 31. Udilhild of Gammertingen [edit] References and external linksWikimedia Commons has media related to: Albert I of Habsburg
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (Eleventh ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Albert I of Germany
House of Habsburg
Born: 1255 Died: 1308German royaltyRegnal titlesPreceded by
AdolfKing of Germany(formally King of the Romans)
1298–1308Succeeded by
Henry VIIMargrave of Meißen
1298–1307
With: Dietrich II (1291–1307)Friedrich I (1291–1323)Succeeded by
Friedrich IIPreceded by
King Rudolph IDuke of Austria and Styria
1282–1308
With: Rudolph II (1282–83)Rudolph III (1298–1307)Succeeded by
Frederick III the Fairand Leopold I

Albert I King of Germany Habsburg (1248 – 1308)
is my 19th great grandfather
Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg (1298 – 1358)
son of Albert I King of Germany Habsburg
Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg (1351 – 1386)
son of Albrecht Albert II ‘The Wise’ Duke of Austria Habsburg
Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg (1377 – 1424)
son of Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg
Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg (1420 – 1493)
daughter of Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg
Christof I VanBaden (1453 – 1527)
son of Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg
Beatrix Zahringen (1492 – 1535)
daughter of Christof I VanBaden
Sabine Grafin VonSimmern (1528 – 1578)
daughter of Beatrix Zahringen
Marie L Egmond (1564 – 1584)
daughter of Sabine Grafin VonSimmern
Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)
son of Marie L Egmond
Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
son of Richard Sears
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
son of Silas Sears
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
daughter of Silas Sears
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Sarah Sears
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Leopold III, Duke of Austria, Habsburg

February 26, 2014 — 5 Comments

Leopold III

Leopold III

I was trained by Austrian Tourism as an expert in Austria.  The training included classroom study for two full  days and extensive travel around the country.  In the classroom we learned about the Habsburgs who married all the most eligible monarchs in Europe to expand their holdings.  I did not suspect at the time that these were my people.  However, I specifically noticed that Austrian over-the-top castles and music halls thrilled me, whereas French over-the-top design always made me think of them as wasteful. I did have a certain strong feeling for the architecture, especially in Vienna and Salzburg.

Monarchs of the House of Habsburg

A word about the coats of arms: the Habsburg Empire was never composed of a single unified and unitary state as Bourbon France, Hohenzollern Germany, or Great Britain was. It was made up of an accretion of territories that owed their historic loyalty to the head of the house of Habsburg as hereditary lord. The Habsburgs had mostly married the heiresses of these territories, most famously of Spain and the Netherlands. They used their arms then as a statement of their right to rule all these territories. As there were many territories, so their arms were complex and reflected the waxing and waning position of the Habsburgs within European power politics. It was not until the 19th century (see below Arms of Dominion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) that the arms began to take on their own life as symbols of a state which may have an existence outside of the Habsburg dynasty.

Leo

Leo

Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg (1351 – 1386)

is my 17th great grandfather
Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg (1377 – 1424)
son of Leopold III “Duke of Austria” Habsburg
Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg (1420 – 1493)
daughter of Ernst I “Ironside” Archduke of Austria Habsburg
Christof I VanBaden (1453 – 1527)
son of Katharina Archduchess Austria Von Habsburg
Beatrix Zahringen (1492 – 1535)
daughter of Christof I VanBaden
Sabine Grafin VonSimmern (1528 – 1578)
daughter of Beatrix Zahringen
Marie L Egmond (1564 – 1584)
daughter of Sabine Grafin VonSimmern
Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)
son of Marie L Egmond
Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
son of Richard Sears
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
son of Silas Sears
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
daughter of Silas Sears
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Sarah Sears
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

Leopold III

Leopold III

Duke Leopold III of Austria (November 1, 1351 – July 9, 1386) from the Habsburg family, was Duke of Austria from 1365 to 1379, and Duke of Styria and Carinthia (Inner Austria) in 1365–1386.

Life
Born in Vienna, Leopold was a younger son of Duke Albert the Wise, and younger brother of the Dukes Rudolf the Founder and Albert the Pigtail. His mother, Joanna of Pfirt, was 51 when she gave birth to him and died shortly after. He was firstly the administrator of Tyrol, and was jointly charged with the rule of the Habsburg lands with Albert after Rudolf’s death. However, by the Treaty of Neuberg of September 9, 1379, he became the exclusive ruler of Styria (including Wiener Neustadt), Carinthia, Carniola, the Windic March, Gorizia, the Habsburgs’ possessions in Friuli, Tyrol and Further Austria. In 1368 he acquired Freiburg im Breisgau, in 1375 Feldkirch and in 1382 Trieste.

However, his attempts to expand his position in Switzerland and Swabia failed, when he died in the Battle of Sempach in 1386.

Family and children
He was married, on 23 February 1365, to Viridis Visconti (1352–1414), second daughter of Barnabò Visconti, Lord of Milan, and Beatrice Regina della Scala, and had the following children:

William the Courteous
Leopold the Fat
Ernest the Iron
Frederick of the Empty Pockets
Elisabeth (1378–1392)
Catherine (1385–?), Abbess of St. Klara in Vienna

He was succeeded by his eldest son William. Other sons included Leopold, future Duke of Further Austria, Ernest the Iron, future Duke of Inner Austria, and Frederick, future Duke of Further Austria.

Jakob I von Baden

February 25, 2014 — 2 Comments

Jakob I

Jakob I

My 16th great-grandfather was from Baden-Baden, Germany.  I have been to Baden by Vienna and Baden by Zurich, both fabulous historical hot springs.  I have not visited the fancy German double Baden, but have always wanted to go.  Now I have all the more reason:

Jacob I of Baden (15 March 1407, Hachberg–13 October 1453, Mühlburg), was Margrave of Baden-Baden from 1431 to 1453.
He was the elder son of Bernard I, Margrave of Baden-Baden and Anna von Oettingen. Jacob I was a man of deep religious beliefs, well-known as a founder of churches. He founded the monastery at Fremersberg and was a major benefactor of the Stiftskirche at Baden-Baden.
According his father’s precepts, only two of his sons were to be considered heirs of the margravate. Therefore only Karl and Bernhard received a secular education; the other children had a strict religious upbringing. Georg, after making a religious profession in his youth, returned briefly to the world, but in 1454 reverted to holy orders and later became Bishop of Metz.
Jacob I was the opposite of his father; Enea Silvio de Piccolomini (Pope Pius II) characterized him as famous among the Germans for his justice and intelligence.
In his early years he was ruler of the family possessions in Hohenberg, until at the age of 24 he succeeded to the government of Baden. He was described as a pugnacious knight and a frugal father of the state and was popular among the princes as a mediator. Both Emperor Sigismund and Emperor Frederick III, under whom he served, thought highly of him.
When as the result of a miscarriage his sister Agnes fled in the middle of a conflict about inheritance, the Margrave lost his claim to the Duchy of Schleswig. He was so angry that he confined Agnes for the rest of her life in the castle of Alt-Eberstein. (The incident is remembered as the “Double Disaster of Gottorf”).
When in 1427 the Treaty of Sponheim came into force, he gained possessions on the Moselle. In 1442 he bought for 30,000 guilders from the descendants of Walter von Geroldseck half the lordship of Lahr and Mahlberg.
Family and children
He married 25 July 1422 Catherine of Lorraine, daughter of Charles II, Duke of Lorraine and Margaret of the Palatinate. They had the following children:
Charles I, Margrave of Baden-Baden (d. 24 February 1475, Pforzheim).
Bernard II, Margrave of Baden-Baden (later beatified) (1428–12 July 1458, Moncalieri).
Johann (1430–9 February 1503, Ehrenbreitstein), Archbishop of Trier.
George (1433–11 February 1484, Moyen), Bishop of Metz.
Markus (1434–1 September 1478), abbot in Liège.
Margarete (1431–24 October 1457, Ansbach), married 1446 to Albert III, Margrave of Brandenburg.
Matilde (d. 1485), Abbess of Trier.
He also had an illegitimate son, Rudolf of Baden.

castle of birth

castle of birth

Jakob I Von Baden (1407 – 1453)
is my 16th great grandfather
Karl I Von Baden (1424 – 1475)
son of Jakob I Von Baden
Christof I VanBaden (1453 – 1527)
son of Karl I Von Baden
Beatrix Zahringen (1492 – 1535)
daughter of Christof I VanBaden
Sabine Grafin VonSimmern (1528 – 1578)
daughter of Beatrix Zahringen
Marie L Egmond (1564 – 1584)
daughter of Sabine Grafin VonSimmern
Richard Sears (1590 – 1676)
son of Marie L Egmond
Silas Sears (1638 – 1697)
son of Richard Sears
Silas Sears (1661 – 1732)
son of Silas Sears
Sarah Sears (1697 – 1785)
daughter of Silas Sears
Sarah Hamblin (1721 – 1814)
daughter of Sarah Sears
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Sarah Hamblin
Martha Mead (1784 – 1860)
daughter of Mercy Hazen
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of Martha Mead
Daniel Rowland Morse (1838 – 1910)
son of Abner Morse
Jason A Morse (1862 – 1932)
son of Daniel Rowland Morse
Ernest Abner Morse (1890 – 1965)
son of Jason A Morse
Richard Arden Morse (1920 – 2004)
son of Ernest Abner Morse
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Richard Arden Morse

seal of Jakob I

seal of Jakob I

Craft Brew in Tucson

February 24, 2014 — 1 Comment

We attended the Southern Arizona Craft Brew Festival yesterday at Maker House. We received tickets and glasses at the door to taste the many offerings at the brewers’ booths.  The music was excellent, the weather perfect for February, and the crowd very cheery.  That is the thing about beer and its’ fans….they tend to be jolly and care free.  Members of our group all enjoy dark beer so we gravitated to stouts and darker brews.  One of my faves was the salted caramel stout.  After about 3 hours of beer tasting we all had tickets left when we were ready to leave.  We had sampled so many robust and complex flavors that we were both full and sated.  I enjoyed a plate of Yakisoba from the Bam Bam food truck to go with my brews.  A good time was had by all, and the beer scene is growing with gusto.

His Holiness on Instagram

February 20, 2014 — 3 Comments

The coolest monk on earth has opened an instagram account. His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet is now updating his travels with photos.  This is so much more exciting that Pope Francis’ twitter streams, although I do applaud @Pontifex  for multi-lingual tweeting to anyone who wants to stay in touch with him.  If you have been in the presence of His Holiness (I have had the very good fortune of doing so in 3 different teachings) you never forget the way he laughs and smiles. He is infectious and inspires this adoration instantly by giggling.  I have seen him teach in Tibetan, and even in the middle of serious rituals he jokes and giggles with his students.  By the time we had our translations in our earbuds the Tibetans were laughing at his jokes.  He connects on all levels with all people.  Those who understand and practice the fine points of Buddhism learn deeply and some probably glimpse enlightenment in his presence.  Those of us who come in relative ignorance to his teachings may come away with less refined ideas, but we are also subject to instant enlightenment in his presence.  The ancient texts he uses for study require lifetimes of study and meditation to do them justice.  When he flashes a smile from that cute baby monk face he touches everyone in exactly the same way.  Now we can all follow his smile around the world as he keeps us updated.

He enjoys a hobby in horology, and since his youth has taken watches apart to rebuild them.  I believe he is a geeky monk who appreciates technology and wants to understand and use it to the max.  What ever his reason may be, I am following him, and suggest that the gentle readers might want to check out his account.  He is changing the world with his smile.