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#WeekendCoffeeShare Yogini With Donkey

May 6, 2017 — 4 Comments

Gita and Bingo
Gita and Bingo
Gita and Bingo

If we were having coffee this weekend I know you will want your beverage on ice because we have hit triple digit heat. I don’t really mind it too much, but it is too much for most people. I am drinking a lovely white pear iced tea with a hint of fruity aftertaste that cools the tastebuds if not the entire body. If we were drinking tea this weekend I would tell you I did manage to write my first tea review, and found it to be easier than I thought it might be.

If you want to know the most interesting part of my week I have to tell you about my friend Gita. I was invited to a pot luck dinner party in honor of an old friend who now lives outside Guadalajara, but lived in Tucson for years, and visits here frequently. She was my mother’s lawyer, and a brilliant one. She had been a fancy tax attorney in Chicago when she decided to become a yoga teacher. She studied at Kripalu and later moved to Tucson where she developed a large following of devoted yoga students. She practiced law on the side, and was doing very well in life when she learned she has Parkinson’s Disease. She lost much of her physical strength and abilities, but still she persisted.

She became a teacher of laughter yoga, and developed a following in that innovative for of yoga, calling on her vast experience in al forms of yoga.  I admired her greatly for shifting to accommodate anything that came her way.  Since she moved to Mexico I had not seen her, and I assumed her Parkinson’s would be much more difficult to handle with time.  I did not make the dinner party, but scheduled a private visit to catch up with her.  She fit me into her busy social schedule for a visit before her donkey photo shoot.

Much to my great surprise I found my friend healthy happy, and showing no symptoms of her disease.  She now spends her time studying and dancing the tango.  I was shocked to see how great her recovery has been.  She found a Mexican doctor who put her on the right drug, and then performed brain surgery.  After ten years of pain and downhill slide, she got her life back.  She drives, lives on her own, and will join a group of tango aficionados on a trip to Buenos Aires in the fall.  I asked her if she felt bitter after 10 years of failure with the medical pharmaceutical industry.  Her response has blown my mind and made me think about what it really means to be a yogini. She said she had been bitter during the 10 years, but then medicine gave her back her life.  Parkinson’s taught her patience and gratitude.  Once she got her strength and ability back she knew he just wanted to dance for the rest of her life.  Gita is by far the greatest yogini I have ever met ( and I have known many great ones). Yoga is not flexibility of the body..it is strength of mind and character.

Her custom now is to meet a donkey in each city she visits and have a photo shoot.  I had not planned to go along for the donkey photo shoot, but it turned out to be the icing on the cake. Here is a woman with a donkey, but not just any woman.  This picture captures an ascended master with a donkey, enjoying the great cosmic joke.  Dance on, Gita. Your insight and sense of humor are precious.  You embody the meaning of yoga.

Let me pour you another glass of iced tea while you tell me about your week and your writing projects.  I enjoy keeping up at these digital beverage parties.  Read or contribute to the party at Nerd in the Brain’s party link.  This movable feast takes place every weekend, rain or shine.  Join us.

#WeekendCoffeeShare

#WeekendCoffeeShare

Elizabeth Cheney, 17th Great-Grandmother

May 5, 2017 — 2 Comments

St Augustine, Broxbourne, Herts

St Augustine, Broxbourne, Herts

Elizabeth Cheney (1420 – 1473)
17th great-grandmother
Elizabeth Tilney (1450 – 1497)
daughter of Elizabeth Cheney
Lord Thomas Howard (1473 – 1554)
son of Elizabeth Tilney
Lady Katherine Howard Duchess Bridgewater (1495 – 1554)
daughter of Lord Thomas Howard
William ApRhys (1522 – 1588)
son of Lady Katherine Howard Duchess Bridgewater
Henry Rice (1555 – 1621)
son of William ApRhys
Edmund Rice (1594 – 1663)
son of Henry Rice
Edward Rice (1622 – 1712)
son of Edmund Rice
Lydia Rice (1649 – 1723)
daughter of Edward Rice
Lydia Woods (1672 – 1738)
daughter of Lydia Rice
Lydia Eager (1696 – 1735)
daughter of Lydia Woods
Mary Thomas (1729 – 1801)
daughter of Lydia Eager
Joseph Morse III (1756 – 1835)
son of Mary Thomas
John Henry Morse (1775 – 1864)
son of Joseph Morse III
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of John Henry Morse
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

Elizabeth Cheney (April 1422 – 25 September 1473) was an English aristocrat, who, by dint of her two marriages, was the great-grandmother of Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, and Catherine Howard, three of the wives of King Henry VIII of England, thus making her great-great-grandmother to King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, and Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Her first husband was SirFrederick Tilney, and her second husband was Sir John Say, Speaker of the House of Commons. She produced a total of nine children from both marriages.
Born in Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire in April 1422, she was the eldest child of Laurence or Lawrence Cheney or Cheyne, Esq. (c. 1396 – 1461), High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Elizabeth Cokayn or Cokayne[1] She had three younger sisters, Anne, wife of John Appleyard; Mary, wife of John Allington; Catherine, wife of Henry Barley, and one brother, Sir John Cheney who married Elizabeth Rempston, by whom he had issue. Sir John Cheney and his wife are ancestors of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. She had two half-brothers by her mother’s first marriage to Sir Philip Butler.

Her paternal grandparents were Sir William Cheney and Katherine Pabenham, and her maternal grandparents were Sir John Cockayne, Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Ida de Grey, the daughter of Reginald Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Ruthyn and Eleanor Le Strange of Blackmere.[2]

Anne Boleyn, granddaughter of Elizabeth Tilney, eldest daughter of Elizabeth Cheney

On an unknown date, Elizabeth Cheney married her first husband Sir Frederick Tilney, of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, and Boston, Lincolnshire. He was the son of Sir Philip Tilney and Isabel Thorpe. They made their principal residence at Ashwellthorpe Manor. The couple had one daughter:

Elizabeth Tilney (before 1445 – 4 April 1497), married firstly in about 1466, Sir Humphrey Bourchier, by whom she had three children; and secondly on 30 April 1472, Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, who later became the 2nd Duke of Norfolk, by whom she had nine children. These children included Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth Howard, mother of Anne Boleyn, and Lord Edmund Howard, father of Catherine Howard.
Sir Frederick Tilney died in 1445, leaving their young daughter Elizabeth as heiress to his estates. Shortly before 1 December 1446, Elizabeth Cheney married secondly Sir John Say, of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, Speaker of the House of Commons, and a member of the household of King Henry VI. He was a member of the embassy, led by William de la Pole, which was sent to France in 1444 to negotiate with King Charles VII for the marriage between King Henry and Margaret of Anjou.[3] Her father settled land worth fifty marks clear per annum upon the couple and their issue before Candlemas, 1453. They made their home at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.

Sir John Say and Elizabeth had three sons and four daughters:

Sir William Say (1452- 1529), of Baas (in Broxbourne), Bedwell (in Essendon), Bennington, Little Berkhampstead, and Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, Lawford, Essex, Market Overton, Rutland, etc., Burgess (M.P.) for Plympton, Knight of the Shire for Hertfordshire, Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset, 1478–9, Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire, 1482–3, Justice of the Peace for Hertfordshire, 1486–1506, and, in right of his 1st wife, of East Lydford, Radstock, Spaxton, Wellesleigh, and Wheathill, Somerset, and, in right of his 2nd wife, of Wormingford Hall (in Wormingford), Essex, Great Munden, Hertfordshire, etc. He married (1st) before 18 November 1472 (date of letters of attorney) Genevieve Hill, daughter/heiress of John Hill, of Spaxton, Somerset. She was still alive in 1478. He married (2nd) shortly after 18 April 1480 Elizabeth Fray, widow of Sir Thomas Waldegrave, by whom he had two daughters, Mary Say and Elizabeth Say.
Mary, the eldest daughter married Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex and 6th Baron Bourchier, by whom she had one daughter, Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier.

Thomas Say, of Liston Hall, Essex.
Leonard Say, clerk, Rector of Spaxton, Somerset. See Testamenta Eboracensia, 4 (Surtees Soc. 53) (1869): 86–88 (will of Leonard Say, clerk).
Anne Say (died 1478/1494), married Henry Wentworth, K.B., of Nettlestead, Suffolk, Goxhill, Lincolnshire, Parlington and Pontefract, Yorkshire, and of London, Esquire of the Household, Knight of the Body, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, 1481–82, Sheriff of Yorkshire, 1489–90, 1492, Knight of the Shire for Yorkshire, 1491–92, by whom she had issue, including Margery Wentworth, mother of Jane Seymour.
Mary Say, married Sir Philip Calthorpe, Knt., by whom she had issue.
Margaret Say, married Thomas Sampson, Esq.
Katherine Say, married Thomas Bassingbourne.

Fen Ditton from River Cam

Fen Ditton from River Cam

#WritePhoto The Family Obelisk

May 4, 2017 — 11 Comments

obelisk

obelisk

The family sailed from England when they had a chance to come to America.  The hardship of the voyage and the harsh conditions in the colonies took a toll on the surviving members of the family.  They wondered about the decision to live in the new world, and felt lost without the comfort and status of British society.  Carving out an existence turned out to be much more difficult than they had ever imagined.  They lost touch with the roots of their family back in England and had no way to return even if they wanted to go.  They had little money and just barely the time to protect and feed their offspring.

Eventually they came to feel pride in the American adventure they founded, and erected a monument to the first Morses to come to America.  They had sailed from a harbor with a large assuming obelisk that bid them adieu when they left their homeland.  The group decided to model the new world monument after the last sight they saw as the ship left the shore.  British no more, but connected to the language and the culture of the motherland, the American obelisk builders were sure that God was on their side.

Morse Monument

This is a piece in response to Sue Vincent’s weekly photo prompt.  Please join writers from around the world each week to read or submit your own story.

#writephoto

#writephoto

Elizabeth Tilney, 16th Great-Grandmother

May 3, 2017 — 8 Comments

 

Elizabeth Tilney

Elizabeth Tilney

Elizabeth Tilney

Elizabeth Tilney

Elizabeth Tilney, Countess of Surrey, was an English heiress and lady-in-waiting to two queens. She became the first wife of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey. She served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen consort Elizabeth Woodville, and later as Lady of the Bedchamber to the Queen’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, consort of King Henry VII of England. She stood as joint godmother to Princess Margaret Tudor at her baptism.
She was the mother of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Through her daughter Elizabeth she was the maternal grandmother of Anne Boleyn, and through another son, Edmund, the paternal grandmother of Catherine Howard, both queens consort of King Henry VIII. Elizabeth’s great-granddaughter was Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Elizabeth was commemorated as the “Countess of Surrey” in John Skelton’s poem, The Garlande of Laurell, following his visit to the Howard residence of Sheriff Hutton Castle.

Elizabeth Tilney was born at Ashwellthorpe Hall sometime before 1445, the only child of Sir Frederick Tilney, of Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk, and Boston, Lincolnshire, and Elizabeth Cheney (1422–1473) of Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire. Sir Frederick Tilney died before 1447, and before 1449 Elizabeth’s mother married as her second husband Sir John Say of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, Speaker of the House of Commons, by whom she had three sons, Sir William, Sir Thomas and Leonard, and four daughters, Anne (wife of Sir Henry Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk), Elizabeth (wife of Thomas Sampson), Katherine (wife of Thomas Bassingbourne), and Mary (wife of Sir Philip Calthorpe). A fifth daughter died as a young child. Henry VIII’s third queen consort, Jane Seymour, was the granddaughter of Henry Wentworth and Anne Say, and thus a second cousin to Henry VIII’s second and fifth queens consort, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard.

Elizabeth’s paternal grandparents were Sir Philip Tilney and Isabel Thorpe, and her maternal grandparents were Sir Laurence Cheney of Fen Ditton and Elizabeth Cockayne, widow of Sir Philip Butler. Elizabeth Cockayne was the daughter of Sir John Cockayne, Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Ida de Grey. Ida was a daughter of Welsh Marcher Lord Reginald Grey, 2nd Baron Grey de Ruthyn and Eleanor Le Strange of Blackmere.  Through her mother, Ida was a direct descendant of Welsh Prince Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran and his wife Emma de Audley.

Elizabeth was co-heiress to the manors of Fisherwick and Shelfield in Walsall, Staffordshire by right of her descent from Roger Hillary, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (d.1356).

Elizabeth married her first husband, Sir Humphrey Bourchier, the son and heir of John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, and his wife Margery, in about 1466. The marriage produced a son, John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners and two daughters. Following her marriage, Elizabeth went to court where she served as lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth Woodville, whose train she had carried at the latter’s coronation in May 1465 at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth accompanied the Queen and her children into sanctuary at Westminster Abbey when King Edward IV had been ousted from the throne, and was present at the birth of the future King Edward V. She remained with the Queen until Edward IV was restored to power.

Sir Humphrey was killed at the Battle of Barnet on 14 April 1471 fighting on the Yorkist side. On 30 April 1472 Elizabeth married Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, a marriage arranged by the King. In 1475, Elizabeth inherited her father’s property of Ashwellthorpe Manor.  Her second husband was a close friend and companion of Richard, Duke of Gloucester who was crowned king in 1483. Elizabeth was one of Queen Anne Neville’s attendants at Richard’s coronation, while her husband bore the Sword of State. On 22 August 1485 Thomas’s father John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk was killed at the Battle of Bosworth while fighting for Richard III; like his son, John was also one of King Richard’s dearest friends. Thomas Howard was wounded at Bosworth and imprisoned in the Tower for several years, and the dukedom of Norfolk was forfeited. Elizabeth was fortunate that Thomas’ attainder stipulated that she would not lose her own inheritance. On 3 October 1485, she wrote to John Paston, who was married to her cousin. The letter, which she had written from the Isle of Sheppey, mentioned how she had wished to send her children to Thorpe, pointing out that Paston had pledged to send her horses as a means of transporting them there. She continued to complain that Lord FitzWalter, an adherent of the new king Henry VII, had dismissed all of her servants; however, because of the stipulations in her husband’s attainder, FitzWalter was unable to appropriate her manor of Askwell. In December 1485 she was living in London, near St Katharine’s by the Tower, which placed her in the vicinity of her incarcerated husband. After Thomas was released from prison and his earldom and estates were restored to him, he entered the service of Henry VII. In November 1487, Thomas and Elizabeth attended the coronation of Henry’s consort Elizabeth of York, who appointed Elizabeth a Lady of the Bedchamber. Elizabeth was further honoured by being asked to stand as joint godmother to the Princess Margaret Tudor at her baptism in late 1489.

Her second marriage produced nine children, including Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Elizabeth Howard, mother of Queen Anne Boleyn, and Lord Edmund Howard, father of Queen Katherine Howard.

Elizabeth Tilney died on 4 April 1497 and was buried in the nun’s choir of the Convent of the Minoresses outside Aldgate. In her will, she left money to be distributed to the poor of Whitechapel and Hackney. By licence dated 8 November 1497 Thomas Howard married as his second wife her cousin, Agnes Tilney, by whom he had six more children.

Lady Elizabeth Tilney was governess to 1st Princess Mary Tudor and then later to Princess Elizabeth Tudor.

Elizabeth Tilney (1450 – 1497)
16th great-grandmother
Lord Thomas Howard (1473 – 1554)
son of Elizabeth Tilney
Lady Katherine Howard Duchess Bridgewater (1495 – 1554)
daughter of Lord Thomas Howard
William ApRhys (1522 – 1588)
son of Lady Katherine Howard Duchess Bridgewater
Henry Rice (1555 – 1621)
son of William ApRhys
Edmund Rice (1594 – 1663)
son of Henry Rice
Edward Rice (1622 – 1712)
son of Edmund Rice
Lydia Rice (1649 – 1723)
daughter of Edward Rice
Lydia Woods (1672 – 1738)
daughter of Lydia Rice
Lydia Eager (1696 – 1735)
daughter of Lydia Woods
Mary Thomas (1729 – 1801)
daughter of Lydia Eager
Joseph Morse III (1756 – 1835)
son of Mary Thomas
John Henry Morse (1775 – 1864)
son of Joseph Morse III
Abner Morse (1808 – 1838)
son of John Henry Morse
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

Ashwellthorpe

Ashwellthorpe

Tea Tuesday Honeybush Mango

May 2, 2017 — 1 Comment

The tea I am drinking today is iced honey bush mango tea from Adagio. This is an old favorite at our house.  All the roiboos and honeybush teas deliver flavor punch without caffeine.  They come in many flavors to please any palate. I brew it in the sun, and use a light touch on the measurement.  I think it is important to suit your own taste and mood when brewing tea.  Sometimes in summer I make the teas dark intentionally in order to add lots of ice. In spring I drink them without ice, so I use a lighter dose of tea.

brewing honeybush mango

brewing honeybush mango

This tropical delight pairs well with any fruit.  This tea brings a high refreshing high note that combines with sweets, both natural and man-made.  With the addition of a little passion fruit or pineapple flavored vodka or rum (and a cocktail umbrella) this tea will take you through happy hour in a delightful, tasty, cordial manner.  These drinks will pair well with Joni Mitchell or other soprano voices in the background..something light and lilting.

The health benefits of drinking honeybush (Cyclopia) tea are impressive.  Both long and short-term wellness benefits include reducing inflammation, and improving the immune system.  Consuming this beverage is a delicious way to improve your body’s systems with no adverse side effects. Try it.  You’ll like it.

Poetic Procrastination, Pen Pals, Tea Party

May 1, 2017 — 3 Comments

cactus blooms

cactus blooms

I feel proud of my accomplishment to have finished #NaPoWriMo again this year by writing 30 poems in 30 days. I thought I would be very productive as a poet and in all other parts of life, but I was wrong all wrong. I did wrote the poems, but slacked on all kinds of other goals for no particular reason. I had planned to hand write poems to all my pen pals and send them on very artful paper, and I did that zero times.  In fact I have not even written to the pen pals, which has caused quite a bit of guilt, since many have continued to write letters to me.  My neighbor suggested I send them all a card saying “Roses are red. Violets are blue.  I am so sorry I haven’t written to you.” I might do it. I have a stack of mail to answer. I look forward to getting into the swing of that again and seeking the forgiveness of the pen pals.

After my prose break I have considered new features I want to include.  I plan to do a blog post each week about tea.  I drink iced tea daily in great quantity.  I had a limited knowledge and palate for tea, partly caused my my own ignorance of proper brewing.  I had created bitter and undrinkable black and green teas by brewing them too long at a high temperature.  I began to try new kinds of tea and learned more about making it taste good. I have come a long way in my own personal appreciation for the world of tea.

Almost all the tea I brew now is done in a jar buy the sun.  In Arizona we have plenty of solar energy to brew tea on the sidewalk almost every day.  This method never results in overly bitter or over brewed taste.  It is the natural way to make sure I brew it properly. I do strain and refrigerate it as soon as I bring it in (usually after about 10 hours).  We go through it quickly, so there is no need to cover the pitcher in the fridge.  I collect big pitchers so we can break a few every year. Tea keeps us refreshed and healthy.  It is a bargain in comparison to any bottled commercial beverage.

I plan to promote tea drinking for tea lovers, but I specifically want to interest those who normally drink beverages in cans and bottles which they purchase.  These drinks are very expensive compared to the most exotic and pricey teas, and offer no benefits for health.  Even bottled water has destructive effects on the environment.  When one knows about the varieties and flavor combinations available in tea, a world of gourmet delights opens to reveal a plethora of new experiences.  Tea pairs well with both foods and alcohol, offering new ways to serve old favorites. I hope to bring out some flavorful ideas the gentle readers will want to try.

Since Tuesday is the day of the week that alliterates with tea, I believe tomorrow will be the first installment of Tuesday Tea Party.  I am brewing some mango honeybush right now which will probably be featured. I hope you will join me for a cup.  Cheers!

#NaPoWriMo Car Talk

April 30, 2017 — 1 Comment

hot rod
hot rods
hot rod
tail light

If we could hear the stories antique vehicles might reveal

About all their owners and their follies if only they could

Terrible decisions, stormy weather, shattered windshield

Narrow escape followed by a downhill run through the wood

Finally in this time they are treated like rare treasures at last

They represent the beauty, the art, and the culture of the past

Rumbling pipes, paint jobs and restoration done with pride

The hod rod is a symbol. It is more than just a fabulous ride.

#NaPoWriMo2017

#NaPoWriMo2017

#GloPoWriMo

#GloPoWriMo

It has been a wild and wonderful ride all month on the poetry train.  Keep up with the poets at #NaPoWriMo  until next April.  I urge you to write, read, and recite to enrich your life.  Words can lead to amazing places.

 

#NaPoWriMo Follow The Lies

April 30, 2017 — 3 Comments

 

We must follow the money and follow the lies
The twists and turns of political intrigue
Burrow deeply into the system to hide from the wise
The secrecy and dishonesty of the big league
The veils must be lifted, the truth must be told
Our leaders deceive us, the facts they withhold
Our nation’s future hangs in the balance between
Those false facades, their mendacity, and coming clean

This month follow the poets at the #NaPoWriMo site to find new poetry, prompts, and contests. Try your hand a busting a rhyme.

cowboy

cowboy

 

#WeekendCoffeeShare Wildfire

April 29, 2017 — 9 Comments

tiny adobe house

tiny adobe house

chard

chard

If we were having coffee this weekend I would offer you your beverage on ice. The weather is warming up quickly, and the wind is blowing outside. The jasmine in the front yard is in full bloom so the breeze is heavily scented as it wafts in through the screen door. It is pleasant this morning, but later you will need your parasol and sunscreen. Relax for a while and tell me how your week has been.

We enjoyed our time away last weekend at the Deep Dirt Farm sleeping in a tiny adobe house. It was the perfect celebration of Earth Day for us. The town of Patagonia, AZ is darling. The humming bird center was very cool, but not so populated with hummers. There are more in my yard in Tucson at this point. There are many birds down there we do not have. Our encounter with nature and farming could not have been better. We plan to return in the future. It is an ideal retreat for us.

We picked vegetables from the farm’s greenhouse to bring home then ate a wonderful breakfast in town before leaving. The drive is beautiful because the elevation changes, and the vegetation along with it. The desert plant ocotillo is in bloom now, painting the landscape with brilliant red flowers on tall sticks. I wanted to stop to take a look at them, but there are few opportunities to turn out on the road. We stopped at a winery to take in the view. I tasted the wine, which was pretty good, and we noticed how strong the wind was. Then we looked across the valley to see the Sawmill Fire, just as it began. The dry grass is kindling for the wildfire, which has spread all across the area rapidly. I tried to find news on twitter, but it had not yet become news. We saw the smoke growing as we finished the drive home. It was a spooky and terrifying reminder of Mother Earth and her freaky powers.  We had seen burned scorched land from a previous wildfire along the road and I had just remarked that a fire now would be fed loads of dry grass and be hard to contain…and that is exactly what happened.  The cause seems to be target shooting by an off duty Border Patrol officer. He caused it and reported it right away, but the fire still raged out of control.  It is early in the year for fires in Arizona.  This does not bode well for the summer.

If we were having iced tea to take our minds of the fire, I would tell you that I am almost finished with #NaPoWriMo this year.  I always say each year that I will continue to do a poem each day on my tumblr, but it hasn’t happened yet. I still need to crank out two more for this month, then we shall see where the poetic muse will reside in the month of May. No predictions. I plan to review teas, and may do it on Tuesdays on Tumblr.  That could be poetic perhaps.

ocotillo and dry grass
ocotillo and dry grass

If you want to catch up with other digital beverage drinkers please visit Nerd in the Brain, where the party continues each weekend.  Read, comment, or submit your own coffee share post.

Weekend-Coffee-Share-Link-Up-Nerd-in-the-Brain

Weekend-Coffee-Share-Link-Up-Nerd-in-the-Brain

#NaPoWriMo Barriers and Boundaries

April 28, 2017 — 1 Comment

wall
wall

When barriers go up they exclude thought
They intend to protect, but offer no real shield
From the harsh reality that must be taught
In order for the entire community to be healed
Boundaries are healthy, they define our rules
Selfish stonewalls of ignorance are built by fools
Know the difference between freedom and deceit
Listen carefully for shenanigans and vain conceit
Don’t bind your mind too tightly, don’t hide in your yard
You may find, to your dismay, you’re hoist with your own petard

ruins

ruins

Please join poets in the month of April for National Poetry Writing Month.  Find new material to enjoy at the #NaPoWriMo site, or by following the hashtags on social media.