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#MemoirMonday Fishing With My Father
July 10, 2017
— 1 Comment
Dick on a family fishing trip
My father was a fisherman. This sport consumed his free time and a lot of his money. I think he inherited the love of fishing from his mom. It was mentioned in some early notes by my great-grandmother that Olga, my grandma, was an ace fisherwoman as a child. It was a family activity for multiple generations. We would go to lakes in Arkansas and Oklahoma when I was very young. After we moved to Pennsylvania I don’t really know where or if my dad went fishing. The Allegheny River near our home was way too polluted for fishing, and Lake Erie was on the way to completely ruined too. I think he just fished when he was down south visiting his parents.
Our family moved to Venezuela in 1963, to a rural part of the country. My father was the general manager for Mene Grande, aka Gulf Oil in the Eastern part of Venezuela. Maracaibo, in the west, had another operations manager. The companies built camps for their workers. Service companies like Halliburton had small camps, and sent their kids to school at the large camp, by agreement. My dad was the boss of all the people in my neighborhood and all the people we knew in other towns. I was a princess of petroleum. Inside the camp life was lavish. Outside life was primitive by the standards I knew in Pennsylvania.
One of the privileges my father enjoyed was being invited on fishing trips by service companies. We also had a yacht at our disposal in Puerto la Cruz, so my dad had his own deep sea fishing craft with a full crew. I liked the yacht part because I never had to fish. I was not really into it. I ate them, but that was about it. I got to water ski when my father was not trolling for fish in the Caribbean Sea. That was excellent.
We went into the jungle to a fishing camp owned by some service company on a jaunt to catch a fish called Pavón. It is large and free, and was very abundant in the Amazon Jungle. We flew in a WWII German plane with the owner/pilot. He was most certainly a Nazi who got out with his plane. It still had military style seating ..as in not much. You just get strapped to the side of the plane and bounce around in an open metal fuselage. I believe we were in Colombia, but there were no signs of statehood. There was a tiny trailer and an indigenous family of caretakers. It was the hottest place I had ever been in my life.
We set out in small boats, a couple of guys stood up in the boat and shot the crocodiles in the head when the approached our boats. The bloody and creepy memory is clear in my mind today..as is the amazing heat. Finally we landed and started casting lines from the shore. The Pavón were biting and we were catching them non-stop. A few Piranha were caught and set up on the bank, far from the water. They were snapping their awful jaws together rapidly an hour after they had been taken out of the river. They were scary as hell. I quit fishing after my first 15 fish or so. I walked back away from the shore. I spotted a black jaguar ahead of me walking perpendicular to my own path. I froze and was unable to scream for my adults who were close, but not visible. The majestic cat must have known I was there, but kept his eyes forward and walked on into the jungle. I quickly made it back to the guys with the guns and told them, but nobody thought it was a great idea to chase the cat.
Memory is an unreliable source of fact. I know I must have embellished this story in my mind a bit, but I am sure of the central elements. I remember the jaguar as a vivid spirit message that came to me because I had stopped fishing. I felt an odd blessing that came with the sheer fear of the moment. I am very glad I went fishing in the Amazon, but not because of the fishing. I had a destiny that included an exotic tropical wild animal crossing my path with no desire to harm me. I did some fishing as an adult, but always with a hand line. I am not a rod and reel person, nor am I greedy. I am pretty sure that the sport of fishing has something to do with feeling what is unseen. Do you fish, gentle reader? Literally or figuratively?
#SelfCareSunday Art As Therapy
July 9, 2017
— 2 Comments
floral art
An appreciation for art of all kinds is a practical way to stay sane. During free time we can fall into the trap of planning too much, doing too much, and expecting others to do too much. Then the pleasure of leisure dissolves into another competitive realm to conquer. I believe that one of the best ways to indulge oneself and nurture creativity is to spend time making or admiring art. This is an open category. Art includes performance art, movies, theater, stand-up comedy, dance, and musical concerts of every kind. It is also written, painted, sculpted, and drawn. One can find it in museums, galleries, front yards, gardens, and libraries. There is plenty of art to view on line, but I think the best place to look for artistic talent is within.
It is fine to be a student, a novice, a dilettante. We do not need to be naturally endowed with talent, training, or determination. We simply need to dedicate some time to the discovery of the inner artist. I believe we can all seek greatness in one medium or another. It does not hurt to try, and it can enhance life to find a creative outlet at which we may excel. I have pursued many crafty, arty visual arts, but now I like to combine the visual art with something in writing. I am attempting a little bit of fiction lately, which I find liberating. It inspires me to broaden my vocabulary and learn more about story crafting. I think writing is good for my imagination and problem solving skills.
I love singing and was trained very well in my youth. I am a second alto and can hold my part in harmony. I no longer sing in public but I accompany many of my favorite recording artists, providing the harmonic third while I listen. I don’t want to go to choir practice any more, but raising my voice is a thrill and a chill. It puts me in a good mood, which usually means I dance around the house too. For me there is no better stress relief than belting a song.
Do you make time for artistic expression? Can you think of ways your creative side helps you deal with some of the more annoying parts of living?
garden
#WeekendCoffeeShare A Date With Dates
July 8, 2017
— 3 Comments
dessert from the desert
20 pounds of dates
If we were having coffee this weekend in Tucson, I would try to cool you off and ask you to join in a rain dance before you go. Our wildfires are very hard to control with no rain, so things are out of hand here in Arizona. I know the weather is warm all over this summer, but we are truly surrounded by a burning ring of fire. We went out early this morning to a produce distribution near our home. Our produce haul this week includes a 20 pound box of fresh dates. They are beautiful. Please help yourself to some while I pour you some iced tea. I will be studying Pinterest for date recipes to try that do not include baking…it is too hot for that. Sit back and tell me how your week and your writing has gone. Is your muse treating you well?
If we were having coffee I would tell you I am really enjoying that Audible subscription I purchased. I am tearing through the books, and loving the podcasts. I may disable myself from true reading with my own eyes, but I think it is super fun to have a great voice read to me. It is the perfect companion for my job. I continue to learn more every time I go to work. Yesterday I learned exactly where the big mesquite tree branch is in the parking lot. I was leaving work, obviously kind of distracted, and backed right into said tree branch. I had a long way to drive home with a shattered rear window, and later discovered body damage on the door that will require repair. I had to stay calm while hoping my window would not drop out on the road behind me in severe heat. I made it into my garage, had some exchange with the insurance company, then slept on it.
Of course I wish I had not damaged my car, but I always ask “Compared to what?” I did not hurt anyone else or anyone else’s car. I do have insurance coverage to repair the damage. I reflected on the central messages of my most recent audio books…I decided this accident was the flash of reality I needed to sell this car and get a much smaller more efficient model. I can save money on my insurance premiums by purchasing a small car, so I am going shopping for a Prius. I think it will be fun, and will suit my present lifestyle much better. I am not in a big rush. I have to get my car fixed in order to trade it in. This turns out to be some kind of turning point that will not require a dark night of the soul, just a car purchase. That is why it is an excellent idea to listen to Buddhist philosophy before you smash your rear window. Since one never knows when one may smash a window, it is always good to listen to the Buddha. The same might be said of death. Nothing is more valuable than equanimity.
How is your writing? I am still enjoying tea reviews and weed Wednesday. I shot some footage yesterday to use next Wednesday that I think will turn out well. My short fiction this week was again kind of gloomy and dystopian. The memoir book has been very helpful to me as a guide to creating fiction. I have not written much of it, and have not thought about character development and story arc, etc. Like my poetry, I have miles to go before I create my masterpiece, but I find the journey interesting and stimulating.
Speaking of stimulating, have some more iced tea. I have Peppermint Butler brewed for a cool zing and a caffeine buzz. It pairs well with the dates. If you know any simple, bacon free (I am a vegetarian), date recipes please let me know. I think I might attempt date chutney, but I am low on ideas beyond that.
Please stay hydrated during your visit to our hellish weather. Visit our hostess, Emily, at Nerd In The Brain to stay in touch with this digital party. Share your own post, drink some coffee, and let us know what is happening in your life.
#WeekednCoffeeShare
Since this is a digital and moveable feast, next weekend we will converge in New Orleans at the blog of our original coffee share hostess, ParttimeMonster. We do this through the magic of the internet. Thanks for stopping in today.
#WeekendCoffeeShare
#WritePhoto Peace Trance
July 6, 2017
— 8 Comments
peaceful paradise
At the most stressful times she could remove herself from the action by calling on her ability to go into a trance. She had been a captive since her early childhood. She can barely remember her own abduction and the long ride down the mountain out of the forrest. They crossed barren plains scarred with the remnants of war to the camp where she remained. She never saw her family again, and was taught a new language, full of harsh sounds and concepts. In her few hours of rest she remained faithful to her tribe’s values, trying to keep the few sacred words of her mother tongue alive in her mind. There was no speaking around in that forbidden language, for the camp was used to erase culture and tribal belief. The process was a special kind of stripping of confidence that left them all exhausted.
Her skill to call down the moon was still in tact. She spent the full moon nights in reverie, practicing the trances and the dances she had been taught as a little girl. She felt her own power grow as her values changed. She knew the secret of taking responsibility. The people brought to the camp were stripped of their identity and culture, then programmed for menial and dehumanizing work. They were hoodwinked into thinking they had no choices in life, that this awful slavery was a punishment for something they had done.
In her meditation she saw the logs in the forest that her grandmother used for an altar. She could pull in every detail of that scene, and even hear the voices of her people chanting to bring her back home. Finally one night in her dream the path to return to her village was revealed. A strong bold figure opened the gates and brought all the people into freedom. She ran quickly up the hill with an unlimited energy she had never had. Her steps were swift and sure as she climbed the last hill. She saw her whole family gathered around the altar, dancing slowly, chanting sweetly. When she awoke and found herself safely snuggled in her own hammock she knew she had been taken on a special dream journey. She ran to her grandmother for an explanation. All her grandmother would say was, “You have been chosen. Now you must choose which path you will use.” She was not sure which one, if any, was real.
#writephoto
This story is a response to the Thursday photo prompt on Sue Vincent’s Echo. Please join each week for poems and stories on a photo theme. It is fascinating to read the different ways writers interpret the picture.
#WeedWednesday Welcome To Arizona
July 4, 2017
— 1 Comment
cannabis
cannabis
cannabis
cannabis
Arizona made medical marijuana legal in November, 2010 by enacting Prop 203, which won by a narrow margin. The health department of the state regulates and licenses dispensaries. The number of dispensary licenses issued is linked to the number of pharmacy licenses in the state. Prop 203 calls for no more than one dispensary license to be granted for every 10 pharmacy permits issued by the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy. As of 2010 when the law was passed, that equates to 124 dispensaries statewide. Patients who live more than 25 miles form a dispensary can apply to have a caregiver grow for them, or be their own caregiver. Many rural areas of the state are more than 25 miles from a dispensary, most of which are concentrated in the urban areas of Phoenix and Tucson.
In Nov 2016 Proposition 205 was defeated by the voters, 51.32% to 48.68%. Had it passed Arizona would have joined the adjoining states of Colorado, Nevada, and California in legalizing recreational marijuana. This makes Arizona a less well-funded state, and creates a tourism draw for the other three. The marijuana tourist tax dollars Arizona turned away will visit Las Vegas and have no remorse.
Canadian firms have started to invest significantly in the AZ market, buying dispensary management companies and making other large investments throughout the state. The cannabis business will grow at a slower rate than our adjoining legal states, but still contribute much to the economy under the current medical law. Most people think it will eventually be legal in all states soon. Investors and consultants are setting themselves up in business within the law and are also preparing for the future. New products and product lines are brought to market and management contracts are being signed. Weed is big business, a growth business. The expanding market will be served in new ways, yet to be discovered. This is an interesting segment to watch. What are the marijuana laws in your state, gentle reader?
cannabis
cannabis
cannabis
#TeaTuesday Dewey Cherry
July 4, 2017
— 1 Comment
Brewing Dewey Cherry
Nothing says summer more than the taste of ripe cherries. I get excited when the various kinds of cherries show up in the grocery store every year. They all make me happy, from the tart to the white Mt. Ranier. The fun of sucking them off the pit never fails to please me. I keep the pits in my mouth for a while because they have their own flavor. All the cherries we eat are imported from other places, so they are pricey by the time we buy them. There is one cherry I can count on all year to deliver that tangy special taste. That is my Dewey Cherry tea from Adagio. I am drinking it this week to accompany all the fruit we are enjoying.
I think it is a pretty good symbolic 4th of July drink because many Americans associate the holiday with George Washington. We may know little about his life, but we have all heard the story of his cherry tree. It is also red in color, so it brightens up the look of the party table. A dessert in itself, it naturally aligns with all fruit flavored sweets such as pie. The slight sharpness of the tart cherry cleanses the palette between samples of sticky sweet samples. It would be the perfect drink for a pie eating contest.
Serving this as a cocktail base leaves the options open. It would be delicious combined with whipped or black cherry vodka, or some rum. I like to make tea cocktails very weak in alcohol so they are drinkable and tasty, but not too psychoactive. I like to micro dose. You could add a splash of this tea to a Pimm’s Cup, designed to be consumed all day while watching tennis matches. The color and taste match well with this legendary beverage.
So, if you are watching Wimbledon today, or celebrating the American Independence (from those fabulous Brits) I can recommend the fantastic fruity flavor of Dewey Cherry to enhance your festivities. Enjoy it straight up or with a little shot of your favorite alcohol. Drink it in good health, gentle readers. Cheers!
Pimm’s Cup
Keeping Our Cool
July 3, 2017
— 1 Comment
best wishes
To whom can we look for guidance in crisis?
The sea is full of troubled waters and dying fish
Our battles and embroiled excuses do not end with ISIS
Our future floats lifelessly on the surface, a futile wish
For earth to find the harmony needed to stay alive
While we argue viciously about every possible decision
Blindly contradicting truth only helps ignorance thrive
Time leaves us with fewer options to complete our mission
#WeekendCoffeeShare Memoir Moments
July 1, 2017
— 8 Comments
raw borscht on ice
If we were having coffee this weekend I would invite you to drink iced tea while enjoying the last of my three blooming jasmine varieties. The yard is again scented with that sweet jasmine flavor that carries well in a breeze. You will want to observe it from the front window while we chat because the heat out there is harsh. Sit back and relax in the air conditioning while I pour your favorite iced tea. I also have two kinds of raw fermented borscht for you, which restores your electrolytes and adds probiotics to your diet. It is like a floating salad suspended in beet juice and kvass. It cools you and helps you keep balance in the heat. I also think it is yummy, but you can decide for yourself. The cucumber and dill will remind you of pickle juice.
If we were having iced tea this week I would tell you I decided to join Audible for a year because the subscription was discounted heavily. For $100 a year I have access to books and podcasts that make my new job a dream. I can do my job and listen to books without distraction. It is a wonderful two birds with one stone situation. I finished the book on biological biodiversity, then knocked off a book about writing by Jeff Goins, and have started The Power of Memoir, by Linda Joy Meyers. This book is inspirational to me because I have studied my family history for years, and written a few very short poems about the ancestors (who were poets themselves). I have wanted to write historical fiction, but never attempted it. Ms Meyers lays out all the steps needed to write a riveting memoir, some of which I have done, like the genealogy research. I was inspired by the book to use my grandmother as the subject this week of my short fiction in response to Sue Vincent’s Thursday prompt. I think I can apply what I am leaning from this generous and well written instruction to my own writing. It can unlock many stories for my future. I recommend the book to all writers, even if you do not plan to write a memoir. She covers technique we all need to remember.
The Power of Memoir
I began my weekly #WeedWednesday feature with a post in the lab at the grow where I work. The short, warm up, educational piece was well received by readers. It is fun and easy to do, and it informs me as well as the audience. There is so much advancement in the science of medical marijuana that I will have much material to cover on this subject. I plan to interview the experts about the plant varieties and all the ways we process the plant to create various therapies. There are new developments all the time, so I doubt that I will ever run out of material for that segment.
How did you spend the week? Have you made progress with your writing, or with your life? Have another glass of tea and fill me in on the details.
#WeekednCoffeeShare
Thanks for joining me today for tea and borscht. Stay cool, and preserve what you still have of your political cool. It looks like it will be needed for a long time in the US. Wishing all the sentient beings everywhere independence and time to savor it. Please visit our hostess, Emily, from Nerd in the Brain for more coffee and news. Read, write, comment, or just drink lots of digital coffee with us every weekend.
#WritePhoto Flights Of Fancy
June 29, 2017
— 15 Comments
flight of fancy
Her troubled mind had conjured up some frightening scenarios. She sat for hours wringing the hands that had once been so productive and accomplished. Her memory played cruel tricks on her as she tried to survive without her husband. Ernie had taken care of certain aspects of life that had always been a mystery to her. Although my grandparents ran a farm together, sharing the heavy work load, my grandmother was in the dark about the family finances. When she became a widow and could no longer stay alone at her farm it had been sold. Her life of relative freedom came to an end. She lived in institutions or at her children’s homes, never really settling. She missed independence even though she could barely manage daily tasks without a great deal of assistance. She disliked the feeling of being a houseguest, or even a child, of her son’s family. She had lost her matriarch status, and had to defer to her daughter-in-law. This life in suburban Pittsburgh was foreign, and cold. She rarely went out, and when she did she was fearful, even with her family. She lost her ability to relax. Anxiety was her only companion.
When the sun set she sat in the back yard in silence. This time to herself was spent every day engaging in bird watching. She had little sensitivity to human emotions, but was tuned into nature like a trance. She could feel the spirits of each bird soaring. Their playful flight brought a rush of feelings from her youth, from her most sorrowful, as well as her brightest times. She could sense that her own spirit was close to a threshold. She sometimes thought her spirit left her body and explored the sky above her for a while. As darkness fell the caregiver arrived to guide her into the building. Her lightness of being vanished as the door closed behind her. Perhaps tomorrow will be the day she finally takes off for eternity. She feels as if she has already spent an eternity here.
#writephoto
This fiction is written in response to this week’s photo prompt from Sue Vincent’s Echo. Join us each week to read, write, or submit your own take on the Thursday prompt.
#WeedWednesday CO2 Extraction
June 28, 2017
— 3 Comments
Welcome to the first edition of cannabis college. I plan to present a short informative post each Wednesday about the current state of development in the science of medical marijuana. Much has changed, and I anticipate more science based therapies will be developed using cannabis in the near future. I work at the Desert Bloom Re-Leaf Dispensary grow, where we grow indoor and outdoor crops. In the lab and kitchen we produce a wide range of products, which is expanding as new products are tested and developed for the patients. I am new on the job, and learning more every day. I know I am curious about all the varieties being grown and the products on the market. I hope to enlighten both myself and the gentle readers in this series on the science behind this growing industry. Patients now have amazing control of dosage and specific medicine for various conditions. I want to find out more about this, and share what I learn with you.
Justin McKenzie is one of our head growers, with years of experience in growing and processing cannabis. He was good enough to join me in the lab to answer some questions about CO2 extraction. This is the beginning process for many end products. Next we will cover butane extraction in the lab, then go to the kitchen to see what happens there. I am very curious about all the new ways to micro dose cuisine.
Juliana in the kitchen
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