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Road Trip Epic
May 28, 2015
— 4 Comments
Christmas 1960 Pam & Father
When Jack Kerouac was on the road with Neal Cassady they immortalized a time in America marked by dramatic change. In the 1950’s I was on the road frequently myself. I lived in Pittsburgh and my paternal grandparents had a farm in Arkansas. I went with my parents to visit the farm on holidays. We had a giant Buick sedan for most of my childhood. The entire back seat was my space, complete with bedding and books. My mom packed food and drinks so my dad could “make good time” on the road. There was always time to stop at the catfish farm near Louisville, Kentucky to catch and eat catfish. I was heavily into that place.
My 1950’s road trips in no way resembled the Beat generation experience. When I read On the Road in the 60’s it was hard to imagine that we had been alive in the same 50’s decade. My parents were into helping my grandparents in Arkansas then hauling back produce and meat from the farm to Pittsburgh. The Beat Poets were into drinking, sexual experimentation, and living from hand to mouth. My grandparents’ farm in Arkansas and Alan Ginsberg’s poetry farm had nothing in common, other than the word farm. Their worlds would never meet. I listened to Ginsberg read Howl and other poetry on stage at Duke University as part of the cultural enrichment program in 1969. This performance might have shocked my parents to death, but they would have no contact with any such thing. The road had changed significantly from the vision my parents cherished of America. The times were a changing.
My parents continued to love driving and road trips until the end because it gave them a sense of freedom. We sang and played games in the car when I was a kid. I did a lot of driving as an adult, but now am content to stay very close to home. I drive less than 200 miles a month normally, which is just my style. I am very glad, however, that I did hit the road early in life and often. I have fond and vivid memories of exciting epic adventures that could only happen on road trips. Do you have a favorite memory of travel by car, gentle reader?
Being Vegetarian
May 27, 2015
— 5 Comments
Fiddler’s Convention
I became a vegetarian at Union Grove, North Carolina in March of 1970. I had travelled with a group of friends to camp over Easter weekend at my first fiddler’s convention. I cooked and baked for the occasion, very excited to be camping out right next to the music. I did not know what to expect, nor did I have any idea what others might bring. I made hot crossed buns and brought a really giant (about 15 pounds) country ham, and made plenty of biscuits. I can’t remember the rest of the spread but do know everyone brought way too much food. We ate, drank, and gave the food to our fellow merry makers so we would not need to take it back home with us. The ham was super savory, chosen very carefully for Easter on the go. Country hams are salt cured and require no cooking. I was 19 years old with a big appetite and plenty of energy to dance late into the night. The party was memorable, wonderful, and very delicious. A fun time was had by all.
When I arrived home in Durham Sunday night something just clicked in my mind. I had a friend who had recently become a vegetarian because she witnessed a bird hang itself. This did not strike me as a good reason not to eat meat, but the idea of being a vegetarian sprouted in my mind because of her. She worked with me, and on Monday at the office I started talking to her about her two week old vegetarian practice. I decided to try it. There was no particular issue or reason at the time. I ate way too much ham, and was having some kind of rebound from it. In North Carolina in 1970 people did not take kindly to being questioned about meat in the restaurant dishes. Vegetarianism was an extreme fringe belief system with few believers. The Seventh Day Adventists were the core. They sometimes had little health food stores with Worthington fake meat in cans, but there was not much catering to vegetarians in the 70’s.
Now being vegan is all the rage. The vegetarian lifestyle services and product lines are mind boggling. My diet went through a metamorphic change over time. First I stopped eating meat, but had few cooking skills. I learned to make tasty food, but had never heard of vegetarian diet for health, so I was heavy on the butter and whipped cream, etc. Any food can be made to taste great with enough cream and butter. In about 1972 I met a woman from California who was not only a vegetarian, but did not eat white flour or sugar. We thought her odd in our Austin household of hippies and did not know what to feed her. We cooked from scratch but put sugar and white flour in almost everything. We also drank Dr. Pepper like it was going out of style. She did leave an impression, however. By learning to cook and expand the healthy ingredients in my cuisine I eventually gave up all sugar and white flour myself.
Today I am still a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I like to make vegan food, and tend to eat much of my food raw. I am not interested in full on veganism although I think it can be a very healthy choice. I still enjoy dairy and eggs, so I buy organic products and use them as a minor part of the menu. A little cheese goes a long way, and my butter habit is well under control now too. I eat a bit of sugar these days too, but keep that at a minimum. Common sense and savoring each bite are the keys to happy relating with sugar. Why I am telling you this story, gentle reader? I want you to know that being a vegetarian since 1970 has shown me a lot of different attitudes toward the idea. I am often asked how to become a vegetarian by those who want to make a change. I think the way to go is find one new vegetarian dish you like each week and start to switch out that for some of your beefier meals. Experiment and try recipes your mother never served you. Check out some ethnic restaurants with exotic vegetable preparations, and make them at home. Don’t restrict yourself or feel deprived. Just branch out and do it. If and when you succeed, don’t give us a bad name by telling other people what they should eat. Badgering will never become popular.
Feng Po, Goddess of the Wind
May 26, 2015
— 3 Comments
Mistress of the Wind
In China the goddess Feng Po is in charge of wild animals, weather and movement. She must certainly be involved in global warming. She is seen riding a tiger. She holds the wind in a bag over her shoulder on the days when it is calm on earth. She has the power to move and or shake things into place. Her message is integrity. Representing the winds of change, she must discern the most appropriate velocity of wind for each purpose. Her energy can be very refreshing, cleansing and clearing the air for new ventures. Think of how many metaphors there are in English for this breath of fresh air.
Like other gods and humans she has a dark nature that is dangerous. She warns against all false agreements and conditions. Move carefully through your obligations and promises to others. Giving requires a cheerful heart. Quid pro quo, expecting something in return for favors, leads to resentment. Feng Po teaches a healthy balanced approach to the needs of others. If we allow space, time, and understanding into our decision making process we will be authentic. We will say yes only when we genuinely want to engage, and we will discover the beauty of saying no when we are really not into it. Feng Po will support and stay at the back of the sincere sailor on the winds of change. She is known to reek havoc, unleashing stormy gusts of destruction to tear down bonds built from guilt. She is sometimes called Feng Po Po, and even sometimes referred to as a male. She represents the value in conserving and preserving energy, and spending it wisely. On a personal basis she shows us how to say no to time wasting. On a global level she asks us to make some sense of the power balance at work around the world. We need to resist certain larger issues on the world stage in order to survive. It is time to both show power and control it wisely.
Self Surveillance
May 25, 2015
— 9 Comments
I recently shopped my brains out to select a surveillance camera to mount outside to catch the casual thieves who steal things in our neighborhood. I selected the D Link system, which offers many different styles and models for both inside and outside. It is mounted on the wall over my front entry walkway. It is motion activated, which means on windy days it records frequently because when the trees move it captures 7 seconds of that too. I have needed to reset it a couple of times, but it works really well. No incidents have occurred since I placed it out there, but I am pretty surprised at the amount of traffic we have after midnight here in my residential condo village. There is nothing illegal about that, I am just surprised.
My friend Ms Cheevious held a contest on Mothers Day to win a Piper system, which I entered. Lisa was so impressed with the quality of hers, so I decided maybe I would like it. I won!!!! This is really a thrill, since I rarely even enter contests. Now that it is here and I have installed it I am a huge fan of my new Piper. It is for indoor use. My dog has end of life issues. At the moment she is doing pretty well, but she needs more attention than she used to. Her issue is kidney problems, so she needs to urinate frequently. She does let us know and has had very few accidents inside the house. When I go out I start to wonder if she needs me, so I keep my trips away from home short. More often than not when I come back to check on her she is in deep slumber exactly where I left her and does not wake for hours.
The Piper can show me a shot of her on her bed, and record a clip of 35 seconds if it detects motion. It also records if it detects a loud sound. I have set each of these up on a menu. The set up could not have been easier, and there is no chip to record. It all goes to the cloud, and then is easily deleted after you see the clips. It has a huge wide angle lens that captures the whole room, and the audio quality is excellent. Since I have the one camera I can tell if my dog is still passed out or howling at the door. If I chose to combine several cameras I could follow her in all rooms of the house. The app on my phone tells me if an event has been recorded, and gives me a live view. I also have the capability to talk to the dog remotely. That should be funny. Piper did have pet parents in mind when they created the system, so one of the settings is Pet at Home. I am a very happy customer who may extend my coverage one day with more cameras.
The Piper has elements that measure temperature, light, and activity in the area. If you install the interactive switches in your home you can remotely turn your lights on and off or change the thermostat. You get a read out on the high and low temp, the humidity, the light, and activity during the last 24 hours. If one of these were drastically wrong you can also set up alerts to call trusted friends if you are in vacation mode. They have put this together with all the options of a home security company, for which you pay monthly, in a permanent and versatile solution for which you pay only once. I like to be able to see the entry to my house as well as my snoozing hound from wherever I may be with my phone. I had no idea how satisfying it would be.
Fully-customized, modular solar house is 3D printed prefab
May 24, 2015
— 1 Comment
3 D printed dwellings!!!
Another trend that could be huge ..
Consider that these house are built with the geographical location in mind… a house made in say Charlotte NC would be vastly different than one built for Vancouver BC and very different than one built for Madrid despite having the same plan. . Because they are built to suit the environment the homeowner can realize enormous efficiencies in energy use in terms of use of light, environmental control and even water usage.
Lyssa, Stark Raving Mad
May 23, 2015
— 1 Comment
May is mental health month, so I want to pay a tribute to Lyssa, the Greek goddess of rage, rabies, and madness. In Rome she became known as Furor. She is the daughter of Nyx and Erebus, who was ruler of the underworld. She hangs out with other terrifying qualities like death and darkness, but she represents sudden uncontrollable rage and frenzy. Her sisters are vengeance and retribution. This is one very angry family. Lyssa is seen in the company of dogs because of her rabies association. Fits like rabies are attributed to her influence. She is the messenger the gods send to drive a victim into madness.
What does this character have to do with mental health? The acknowledgement that rage, fury, and madness really exist is very good because they do. The pantheon portrayal of mad dogs suggests that this misfortune can befall anyone. In Athenian tragedy she is a figure who has the power to drive humans and dogs suddenly out of their wits. Madness itself is a character that plays central roles in the plays of Aeschylus, Euripides and others. Anger, and repressed anger create illness and depression when left unattended. The sudden and supernatural anger experienced by victims of Lyssa show dark rage as a curse. Tragedy follows angry outbursts in these stories teaching the dangers of explosive fury.
It would be impossible to go through life without anger entirely. Some of us have more than others. Our mental health and well being depend on our relationship with anger. Finding constructive ways to engage in happiness producing activities is a life long search. Learning to control stress and personal need to be right can make the difference between a close relationship with Lyssa and her sisters and a walk in the park. Learn to recognize and avoid this goddess. Here she is dressed in a short hunting skirt, driving dogs mad and causing them to eat their master Actaeon:
Lyssa and Actaeon
If you see her coming run the other way.
Captain John Peabody, 11th Great Grandfather
May 19, 2015
— 13 Comments
My 11th great-grandfather was born in England in 1590, and died in Bridgewater, Massachusetts in 1667. He was active in service to the colony.
Descendants of John Peabody[From Ancestors and Anecdotes Genealogy Blog, posted 17 Jan 2007 by JEM]
JOHN1 PEABODY was born 1590 in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, and died 1667 in Bridgewater, Mass. He married ISABEL HARPER Bet. 1608 – 1638. She was born 1592 in St. Albans, England, and died Bet. 1624 – 1686. The name Peabody is said to have originated during the reign of Nero, when Queen Broadicia was located at Icena, Briton. This Brave Queen opposed the Romans in their invasion of the country and with her son Boadie, took refuge in the craggy heights of Wales. Among his Britain’s “Boadie” signified a man of great strength and Pea meant “hill or mountain”. Consequently the name Peabody was applied to a mountain man. This name became the name of a tribe and in some branches of the family, “Boadie” became anglicized to the name Mann and Pea into the well-known name of Hill.In later times the name was spelled in different ways; Pbodie,Paybody, and Peabody. One of the earliest settlers in America of this name was William Pabodie who was a member of Captain Miles Standish’s military company of Mass. in 1643. John Peabody was another early settler who was active colonist of the Bay State, serving as its ensign, captain and deputy to the general court. More About JOHN PEABODY:Came to America: 1635, Bridgewater, Mass Isabell married John Peabody in 1608 in Stafford Stafford England. (John Peabody was born in 1589-1590 in St Albans Hertfordshire England, christened about 1635 in St AlbansHertfordshire England, died in Apr 1667 in Bridgewater Plymouth MA and was buried on 27 Apr 1667 in Boston Suffolk MA.More
Note to Reader: This genealogical narrative is drawn from my many years of research on the Peabody family and related families. It is presented here, for what help it might be to other researchers, in the same format as it was first published on my website in about 1998. No effort has been made to update this material or to incorporate more recent genealogical discoveries published on Ancestry.com or elsewhere. The list of sources at the end may prove especially helpful. This narrative is archived at http://web.archive.org/web/20001018124830/www.pbdy.com/begin.html -Velton Peabody
JOHN PAYBODY1 was born about 1590 in England. He probably arrived in the Plymouth Colony in 1635 or 1636, for his name appears on the list of freemen of the colony dated March 7, 1636/37, and he was admitted and sworn with others whose names were on that list on Jan. 2, 1637/8. He married Isabel Harper, sister of Thomas Harper of London, England.John Peabody received a grant of 10 acres of land Jan. 1, 1637/8, “on Duxburrow side, lying betwixt the lands of William Tubs on the north side and those of Experience Mitchell on the south side, and from the sea in the west; and from Blew Fish River in the easte.” Another tract, granted him Nov. 2, 1640, was 30 acres “with meadow to it” at North River. He was a member of the jury that convicted three young Englishmen of the murder of an Indian on Sept. 4, 1638, and of the “Grand Inquest” at the court June 4, 1639. He was one of the sureties on a neighbor’s bond June 4, 1645.In 1645, John Paybody and his son, William, were among the original proprietors of Bridgewater, Mass. He was a witness with Thomas Winterton against Edward Richards when he was tried in court at Salem 4:9:1645, on a charge of making a false statement to them concerning shipboard killings. Richards was convicted and fined 10 shillings and ordered to acknowledge his sin before the congregation at Lynn.John’s will, dated July 16, 1649, at Duxbury, was proved Apr. 27, 1666/7 at Boston:“In and about the sixteenth of July in the yeare of our Lord 1649 I John Paybody of Duxbrook in the Collonie of New Plymoute planter being in prfect health and sound in memory God be blessed for it doe ordaine and make this my last Will and Testament In maner and forme as foloweth;“Imprimis I bequeath my soule to God that gave it hopeing to be saved by the Meritt of Christ my blessed Saviour and Redeemer; as for my worldly goods as followeth“Item I give and bequeath unto Thomas my eldest sonne one shilling“Item I give and bequeath unto ffrancis Paybody my second son one shilling.“Item I give and bequeath unto William Paybody my youngest son one shilling.“Item I give and bequeath unto Annis Rouse my daughter one shilling.“Item I give and bequeath unto John Rouse the son of John Rouse my lands att Carswell in Marshfield after my wifes decease;“Item I give unto John Pabodie the son of William my lott of Land att the new plantation,“Item I give and bequeath all the Rest of my goods that are my mine liveing and dead unto my wife Isabell Paybody whome I make my sole executrix of this my last Will and Testament; memorandum all these legasyes before sett downe are to yayed by William Paybody my youngest son when they shallbe demanded John PaybodyJohn ffernesyde Boston in New England the 27th of April, 1667“Mr John ffernesyde came before mee under written and deposed that by order of Paybody above written and mentioned: hee wrote what is above written and Read it to the said John Paybody on the day of the date thereof and declared the same to be his Last Will and that when hee soe did hee was of a sound disposing mind to his best knowlidg and alsoe subscribed his name thereunto John ffernesyde as a witness; As Attesteth Edward Rawson Recorder”Children, probably all born in England: i. Thomas,2 b. about 1612 #2 ii. Francis, b. about 1614#3 iii. William, b. 1619 iv. Annis or Annie, b. about 1620; m. Jan. 7, 1638/9, in Marshfield, John Rouse of Marshfield; John was a Quaker, he was a town officer in Marshfield in 1645; he d. Dec. 16, 1684, in Marshfield, and she d. before Sept. 12, 1688, when he will was proved; children: Mary Rouse, John Rouse, Simon Rouse, George Rouse, Elizabeth Rouse, Anna Rouse.Sources: Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, [Mass.], I, 1911; “Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories,” Mayflower Descendant XVII:1 (January 1915); Justin Winsor, History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1849; Eugene Willard Montgomery, Willard Peabody Genealogy, 1915; Charles Henry Pope, Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1900; William Richard Cutter and William Frederick Adams, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, II, 1910; C.M. Endicott, Genealogy of the Peabody Family, 1867, revised and corrected by William S. Peabody with a partial record of the Rhode Island Branch by B. Frank Peabody, cited hereafter as Peabody Genealogy, 1867; Selim Hobart Peabody, Peabody (Paybody, Pabody, Pabodie) Genealogy, 1909, cited hereafter as Peabody Genealogy, 1909; Leon Clark Hills, History and Genealogy of the Mayflower Planters (Cape Cod Series), I, 1975 reprint of 1936 1941 ed.; Dorothy A. Sherman Lainson, John Paybodie (Peabody) English Immigrant to Plymouth Duxbury, 1635, 1972; Goldie Peabody Brownyard and Theodore Lucius Brownyard, Ancestors and Descendants of Charles Elmer Peabody, 1980; Richard Gentry, Gentry Family in America, 1909; Detroit Society for Genealogical Research Magazine XXX:3 (Spring 1967); Family History Library; William R. Marsh, Ancestors and Descendants of F.A. Marsh and Ivy Crites, 1990; Nahum Mitchell, History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, 1840.
CaptainJohnPabodie
John Peabody and descendants
The PEABODY Family of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Hampton, Rockingham, NH and Topsfield, Essex, MASend comments and corrections to anneb0704@yahoo.co.ukJOHN PAYBODY (d. by 1649) of St. Albans and Duxbury m. Isabel Harper|FRANCIS PEABODY (abt 1614 – 1698) of Hampton and Topsfield m. Lydia Unknown|WILLIAM PABODIE (c. 1620 – 1707) m. Elizabeth Alden|LYDIA PEABODY (bp. 1640 – 1715), wife of Thomas Howlett 2LYDIA PABODIE (1667 – 1748) m. Daniel Grinnell
History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts with Genealogical Registers
Seventeenth Century Colonial Ancestors, Vol. I
Elizabeth (Alden) Pabodie and descendants
A genealogy of the Peabody family
John Capt Peabody Pabodie (1590 – 1667)
is my 11th great grandfather
Lieut Francis Peabody (1614 – 1697)
son of John Capt Peabody Pabodie
Lydia Peabody (1640 – 1715)
daughter of Lieut Francis Peabody
Mary Howlett (1664 – 1727)
daughter of Lydia Peabody
John Hazen (1687 – 1772)
son of Mary Howlett
Caleb Hazen (1720 – 1777)
son of John Hazen
Mercy Hazen (1747 – 1819)
daughter of Caleb Hazen
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
Acrostic Poem. Shipbuilding
May 18, 2015
— 5 Comments
Acrostic poetry is all about spelling with the first letter of each line. This one is brilliant, recalling British history
Silent now the sound of hammer on steel
Held still the giant cranes and wheel
Indolent men lost, without work robbed of future
Pushed aside by business’s uncaring of nature .
Busy no longer, the ships and trade all gone
Urchins run and play no more
Itinerant men all banished from the shore.
Long ago echoes can be heard still
Dint of history and it’s maddening will.
Indolent seagulls in search of food
Nudge the empty newspapers and brood.
Gone , gone the glory days.
Irene, Goddess of Peace and Spring
May 18, 2015
— 7 Comments
There are several goddesses involved in different aspects of peace. Spring was a season in ancient Greece associated with military campaigns, therefore a time when peace was hard to achieve. Irene is a daughter of Zeus and Themis, one of the Horai. Along with her sisters she rules natural timing and seasons. Her season is Spring. She is a peace goddess who guards the gates of Mount Olympus. Conscious clear peace is a result of coming into alignment with Divine Time. Peace and harmony are results of staying in tune with natural rhythm and seasonal harvests.
As mistress of timing and peace Irene is a natural diplomat. She has the skills and power to negotiate differences between sides to reach solutions. Her symbols, Herme’s staff, corn and the infant Ploutus, represent wealth and abundance. In times of peace prosperity can flourish and progress can be made. Now, as in ancient times, war is devastating to both civil and economic success. In personal ways we can employ the wisdom of Irene to bring more peace into our existence. Take note of the phases of the moon, the seasonal changes around you, and the longer cycles of global warming and dramatic weather. You don’t have to be a farmer to feel the power of nature’s timekeeping. How do you fit into the seasons, Gentle Reader?
Codepending with the Cops
May 17, 2015
— 1 Comment
TPD
In a co-dependent relationship each side wants the other to be different. One striking example today is the relationship between the public and the cops. Police departments across the country are found to be engaging in all kinds of costly and illegal practices that are not in the best interest of the taxpayers. One such practice is the use of public safety disability systems to pay off and retire problem (and criminal) cops. We foot the bill for all the retirement and disability payments retired cops are given, whether they are valid or not. Obviously we want to protect, heal and compensate those who are legitimate victims of on the job injuries. To do otherwise would be irresponsible and thoughtless.
Since this system is so easily deceived by bogus medical claims it only makes sense to examine the system for fraud. Tucson has unreasonably high disability figures compared to the national average for cops, which drains our coffers in an unsustainable way. Either we are really doing something that injures our employees more than other cities, or we are being taken for a ride much more than other cities. I sense that it may be a little of each. If they do nothing to take care of themselves they will not be healthy as they go through their careers. Obesity, drug addiction, depression, mental health issues, and low back problems would naturally arise from a work life sitting in a patrol car all day or wearing a bullet proof vest to compress the spine. There are significant risks to health besides getting shot or killed. I think this problem needs to be addressed. They have direct exposure to the worst of general public all day, every day. None of us could do that without experiencing a loss of optimism and bliss. PTSD is as real for the cops as it is for the people who go to war.
In Tucson our police department is drastically understaffed by the city council. They loose more to retirement and atrophy then they can replace by training because they are so far behind in the process. The lack of personnel leads to highly impaired service. I hear people say they can’t get through to 911 after holding for 5 minutes to report gun shots next to their home. I don’t try to call 911 because I have never had a response, and am not expecting that situation to improve by itself. I do report and send in pictures of suspicious activity and crime I see on a phone app. This is a way for me to contribute to better law enforcement without wasting my own time. I think most of the crime in my neighborhood goes unreported. People have no faith that there will be a response or a solution.
To provide protection under the law for our city Tucson needs:
- Engagement- Citizens and cops need to work on the same side to improve our neighborhoods
- Evidence- Citizens need to know that they are being heard and that evidence we provide is being considered and used to stop crime
- Ethics- Taxpayers need to know that our law enforcement budget is spent with return on OUR investment in mind.
TPD
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