mermaidcamp
Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Eclipse Mania: Weather Worries
August 14, 2017
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Have Patience
A spectacular composite eclipse image from 1999, by Fred Espenak.
Can you believe the eclipse is only a few weeks away? I can’t wait! I’m concluding my series on planning for this eclipse by tackling perhaps the most difficult thing to plan for: weather. But it really isn’t just about weather. It actually has more to do with psychology. I’m doing what is unusual for me, including images from other photogs. Click on the image to go to the source web pages.
Weather: What, me Worry?
As you talk to other eclipse enthusiasts, the subject of clouds and weather is sure to come up. It is probably the most over-thought aspect of chasing solar eclipses. But I can’t really blame people for worrying. Who wants to travel and spend a lot of money getting to a spot to watch an eclipse, only to be clouded out at totality. Weather on…
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#WeekendCoffeeShare Fall Semester
August 12, 2017
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fall
If we were having coffee this weekend in Tucson I would invite you to relax with an iced tea. I am enjoying a white strawberry tea that refreshes me in this muggy weather. Please help yourself to apricots while we kiss this summer good bye. The stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots, etc) are a symbol of summer. Along with berries they have the lively colors and flavors that remind us of outdoor dining in the warm season. At this time of year I buy the best looking stone fruits at the market and savor the last of the crop from this year. These apricots are luscious.
If we were relaxing with tea I would tell you my week went well. I fit in dermatology as well as dental appointments and continued trimming down and organizing my possessions. I excavated loads of paper files to destroy, and a few to save. I can’t believe how much useless paper I have stuffed into the spaces in my house. This is all changing, and making me very happy. I listed the real estate, so vacating the barn and dealing with anything stored over there is a signal I am really ready to sell. I found the appraisal on the land I had done when I inherited it in 2008. I have lost a huge amount of imaginary money on this property, and payed Pima County about $15,000 in taxes over the time I have owned it. I will be pleased to give up the tax burden and end the madness. It probably will not sell overnight, but I am ready if it does.
Again this week I trended more into poetry and fiction. I enjoy the more creative forms. I think all of my writing needs practice, in every form. As long as I continue to work on it I am satisfied. I have started to dream up fiction scenarios in my spare time, which is new for me. Usually I am all about finding more facts. I have been invited to a mermaid parade next week in downtown Tucson. I do have an outfit I could wear. It has made me think about getting some photos and covering it as a real news story, and then writing some poetry or fiction using the images. That could be fun. I have done little photography lately, and the event promises to be a visual delight.
Parent, student, teacher, or not, the whole world feels the back to school season. Here in my neighborhood we welcome back the U of A students and faculty along with many other locals who leave in the summer because the can. School and university traffic is noticeable on the roads, but then again so is the economic impact it represents. I don’t mind the students, but I saw my first set of ceramic pumpkins in a grocery store display this week. Hold on with the pumpkin spice and the Halloween gear until at least September. Let’s enjoy some Indian summer before you start playing Christmas music. How is back to school season for you, gentle reader? Do your local merchants jump the gun on holidays like ours do?
#WeekendCoffeeShare
Join the digital beverage party every weekend at Diana’s parttimemoster blog. Catch up with news from writers around the world over your beverage of choice. Read, write, comment, or check #weekendcoffeeshare on twitter
Listing To The Left
August 11, 2017
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crew
Returning from the voyage with a dangerous leak in the hull
The ship barely remained afloat while listing toward starboard
The lifeboats had all been deployed when the mast snapped
The crew had no choice but to try to make land on the carcass
Of the wooden vessel, laden with treasure, sinking from the weight
Plundered booty, food stores and ammunition, symbols of victory
Were all tossed overboard in an attempt to save human life
What did this say about the success of the voyage?
How does this comfort those who drowned in the service
Of the now deceased captain of this ship?
#WritePhoto Solo Peak
August 10, 2017
— 8 Comments
solo at the top
The course included exasperating coded directions to find the path. Only the experts who had experience in mathematical code could make any sense of it. The others gathered strength for the climb by resting, meditating, and stretching. The recruits knew they would not all be able to make the ascent to the peak. Some would not be in physical condition for the rigors of the steep hike. Others could not resign themselves to the idea that only a few of them would survive the attempt to scale the sacred solo rock.
It was said that the surviving members of the party would be initiated into the noble society of knights of the vast horizon. This powerful, yet underground fraternity required extreme loyalty as well as full secrecy from the membership as well as their families. Sons usually followed fathers into the lodge. Often the young disappeared during the testing phase, never to be found. The most powerful worked hard to assure their progeny had the power and the accomplishments to inherit command upon death of a leader.
A complex game took place when a leader died or left. The people believed that this process revealed the best person to step into the newly vacated position. Potential candidates were summoned to the town square and given maps. Each map was different and contained both real and bogus directions to reach the summit of solo peak. The player who managed to climb to the overlook before sundown would be given the office. The new leader left his mark on the rock then hurried back down to the village.
The trip back down the steep rocky path was the most treacherous part of the journey. All the other candidates hide and do what they can to ambush and kill the new leader so they can claim the win. The field is thinned to one at the end. Nobody is sure if the winner is the one they saw at the top of solo peak, or just the one who managed to kill the others and make it back to the village. And that is how politics were born.
#writephoto
This story is in response to this week’s photo prompt on Sue Vincent’s Echo. Please join us each Thursday to interpret her intriguing image. It is fun to see how many different ways people use it.
War On Drugs
August 9, 2017
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Getty Image The Trump administration will not declare a public health emergency related to the opioid epidemic, dismissing the top recommendation his own blue-ribbon commission called for a week ago. The commission argued such a declaration was critical to unlock emergency funding and expand treatment. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said at a…
Masters Of War
August 9, 2017
— 1 Comment
arms
The masters of war have gathered armies before.
The youth have been sacrificed in other generations to satisfy the desires of rulers greedy for more power, control, wealth.
As times change value comes and goes, while control is more elusive.
The digital reality of our big data and big vulnerability sets us up for conflict and invasion by enemies.
The new definition of war and the lowered probability of peace has altered the course of history.
Ancient weapons of ignorance and separation are still in use. Placing blame is still the most common excuse for leadership.
It is futile for us to worry or vex ourselves about our fate. Sadly, it is in the hands of some dangerous hombres.
#WeekendCoffeeShare Editing Possessions
August 7, 2017
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stone
If we were having coffee this weekend I would invite you to sit back and overlook the chaos going on in the house. I am in the middle of moving my furniture for a more practical and useful arrangement. I am also still editing all kinds of items for give away. I have a small haul to take to Goodwill tomorrow. I have been lucky in that some of my friends have desired some of the things I no longer cared to keep. This happy situation was enhanced by our city brush and bulky pick-up of larger items curbside. I made good use of it. We could already achieve the goal of parking both of our cars in the garage now if we had to do it. Since there is still much shifting, moving and arranging to do, it is easier with just one car in there.
Some shelves and storage units that had fallen into uses that did not really suit their original design are being moved to places in the house that make much more sense. When I complete the overhaul and elimination I think our space will be much more enjoyable. I know I will be able to find things more easily when I need them. I already can. My office is one of the spots in need of a tidy and clearing. I always feel good and am more productive when my office is clean and free of clutter. I am hoping the muse will move in and inspire like crazy once the office is spic and span. She has been okay lately, but nothing to write home about..I have done a little fiction and some poetry. I did not post every day last week, but such is life. I am leaning more toward poetry this year, and I like the trend. I used to be so factual all the time.
Every week has a different feeling and rhythm. I am settling into my job and my new car. It is still perfect weather for my friend and I to work out in my condo pool 3 times a week from 5-7 am. Soon the water will cool down and in September we will have to move to the jacuzzi. This is my favorite time of year. The summer is fading, but it is still raining a little. The plants are green, and some of the washes are still running. All in all, this has been a healthy rainy season. We had no big destructive storms, but received a good amount of rain in a steady manner.
I am listening to a course on Audible on the history of human gastronomic evolution. It is fascinating. I am learning so many new ways to look at cultures by understanding how food defines civilizations and times in history. We are still constantly evolving, although some might say our food is devolving in America today. I am also listening to Penny Marshall’s autobiography read in her own voice. It is a great story, but the voice of LaVerne telling about youth in the Bronx is also a real treat. It is called My Mother Was Nuts. I highly recommend it even though I have not finished it.
It looks like our hostess Diana has taken a weekend break. She has a new full time teaching job and must need to organize herself. I am sending this on Monday morning, so all the rules have been set aside for the week. Thanks for sharing coffee and your news. Please catch up with the rest of the gang on twitter under #weekendcoffeeshare.
Wonder
August 6, 2017
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space
Inside the circular passage the whispers bounced
Off the reflections of the insinuations left by the past
Inner balance outer strength come with hard choices
When clouds obscure the top of the peak it is unclear
If there is a reason to climb today to the higher ground
Did pioneers or invaders carve this path on which we travel?
#WritePhoto Who’s Watching?
August 3, 2017
— 10 Comments
watchers
The soldiers scrambled down the rocky terrain and spread out to hide in ambush. They had a secret mission to intercept a currier who was carrying supplies to the enemy general in the field. It was uncertain when the delivery would be made, but they had reliable intelligence about the location. A spy had infiltrated the opposing camp to listen in on planning and strategy conversations. Espionage was rather crude in that era, and extremely dangerous. The young man who had been sent to gather information had to remember it and relay it in person to a contact. This required regular escapes from the camp, as well as returning in secrecy to his tent after the clandestine meetings. He was chosen for his speed and his ability to make his way in the dark in silence.
He was never raised to be a spy. His family was famous for long distance running and athleticism. His brothers all joined sports teams and became stars. He planned to follow in their footsteps, but had been drafted into the army when the war broke out up north. He did not want to go, but since his family felt strongly that he should, he agreed to join the military effort. His politics had not yet developed, but he suspected that the war and strife was absorbed by the poor while seeming to benefit the rich. He did not really believe in defending this state of affairs, but was caught in a trap. He hoped that the war would somehow liberate him. He longed to leave the island and never return.
As the afternoon died he made his way through the woods to meet his contact at the prearranged time. He only had a short window of time because he would be missed if he was not back for dinner. He felt scared this time. Something just felt wrong that day. As he snuck around the bend to the appointed meeting place he was shot in the back by his own brothers in arms. The arrow that pierced his heart was shot from the bow of a counter-spy who had infiltrated his platoon while he was busy in the opposing camp. He died instantly.
#writephoto
Please join writers from around the world each Thursday at Sue Vincent’s Echo for an inspirational photo. Find these stories and poems on twitter using the hashtag #writephoto. This diverse group interprets the photo with great creativity and insight. Read, write, or comment to join the party.
#WeedWednesday Shatter
August 1, 2017
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One of the concentrates available on the market for medical marijuana patients is called shatter. It is a butane extraction of dried plant material. The solvent butane dissolves and extracts the active ingredients from the plant. After the solvent is evaporated through a distillation process, the product is aged in a vacuum oven to further remove any residual solvent that remains in the product. The highly concentrated shatter can then be used in various ways, including smoking it. It is ready to be absorbed easily by the body in this form, and therefore delivers a fast acting onset. For those who want to smoke very little for maximum benefits, shatter is one way to achieve that goal. A little bit goes a long way.
At our dispensary, Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Center, shatter is available in many strains. The flavor as well as the effects are preserved by this method. The essence of the plant’s active ingredients are harnessed for concentrated use. Start with a single low dose to find out for yourself how best to use shatter for your condition. Your bud tender will assist you in selecting a strain that matches your needs, and show you how to use shatter.
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