eBook of OUR BASIN OF RELATION available now!

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Book Cover

OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of Living with water is published. 

 

Thank you for your contribution in making this happen. Over fifty people have contributed. You will soon receive your copy of the book. 

 

I love it. The coffee table 13”x 11” book looks and reads better than I originally imaged. The excellence comes largely from the curation of great articles by informed experts, and writings, by Trevien Stanger. I refer to Trevien as Thoreau-like. You can’t put his prose down. And, he is clearly a passionate environmentalist, as are the seventeen people he gathered for articles in OUR BASIN.

 

We self-published, with Blurb, just 100 Contributor’s Edition books – that’s all we could afford.  Our cost was $70 a book – a single book order costs you $135 at Blurb – way out of line. I put the ‘shelf value’ of the book at $40. The reason for the high cost is the low number of books published.

 

But the good news is, the eBook with Blurb is just $10. I love it – the low cost, accessibility, mobility, zoomability – how can the hard cover compete? You can order the eBook at www.Blurb.com bookstore. 

 

 

We need your help! Trevien and I wish to raise enough money to publish a smaller version of OUR BASIN, in sufficient quantity, to offer to the general public, in bookstores all over, at an attractive cost – say $30. We feel the message of clean water, as cultural behavior, is particularly important… now.

 

Please do what you can to contribute and promote the book to others. We don’t have sufficient first edition Contributor’s Edition books (about 30) to raise the needed money, without major sponsors. 

 

We will publish another 100 Contributor’s Edition books at Blurb to help. However, it would be nice to go directly to publishing the smaller (10x8), low cost, public version. Accordingly, any leads you have for sponsorship, beyond the $100 book contribution is appreciated.

 

Contributions and Contributor’s Edition book orders can be made by payments to Clean Water Advocates, 60 Wolf Lane, Richmond, VT., 05477. Or, you and your contacts can order the book online for $100 at www.MySCGpriorities.com/buy-prints. After clicking on the link, you click on the book image and you will be taken through the purchase click by click.

 

Thank you again for your help. And, here’s to clean water!

Water's Long Run

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Water is everywhere and, for some, no where clean. Our effort to make a difference with OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of Living with Water, seems unimportant, but if people come together, for clean water, we can make waves - progress - lasting impact..

In the long-run we are all dead, and water remains. In fact, we live short lives - nearly, a mere hundred years for Kay Myles Hartley. The image Ripple, below, is dedicated to her life. Her daughter Eileen chose the image to represent her mother’s constant and consistent positive impact on many people.

Think about it - a hundred years on earth is nothing - compared to the mind boggling billions of years of earth’s existence, water. We are stewards, responsible for such a short time.

I reflect - Love as if there is no tomorrow, and know that there are probably billions of tomorrows, for heirs, and heirs and heirs, to be stewards - be responsible.

Ripple

From ripples comes waves. Individually we are able to start a momentum. Together, going in the same direction, we impact greatly. Caring - in unison, is powerful.

I invite you to join our Clean Water Advocates and enjoy our book on clean water - OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of Living with Water - www.MySCGpriorities.com/buy-prints

Light Wave

Sailing Clean

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Water touches me. You?

I love sailing Lake Champlain, drinking ice water on a hot day, washing my hands - more now than ever. Water is most important to me. I would die with none.

Trevien Sanger, curating inspirational and educational relevant water messages, and I, exhibiting water images I like, advocate for clean water in OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of Living with Water.

We wish to connect with you. Will you be a Clean Water Advocate and encourage others to treat water with care? We are asking for pre-orders for our Contributor’s edition of OUR BASIN - the Proof looks great, and the book is in printing - only 100 copies of the Contributor’s first edition will be available - Sixty are spoken for - thank you to those who have contributed..

We hope to raise enough money with the first edition of contributors donations to do a second contributor’s edition. With sufficient contributions (or large sponsorships) we will do a long run of books to be sold at our cost to inspire and educate as much as possible. We will also have a nominal cost ebook available.

If our efforts end with this first edition it will feel like our project was just a vanity project. I hope not. Clean water is too important. And now, the public needs to participate to do the job that environmentalists and public water agencies aren’t able to get done on their own.

You can contribute $100 or more to Clean Water Advocates (a 501(c)(3) Vermont non-profit) and receive a copy of OUR BASIN (shelf value of $40) at www.MySCGpriorities.com/buy-prints .

We will also send you a CLEAN WATER ADVOCATE face mask to encourage others to participate in this worthwhile effort. And….. doesn't it look great, as modeled by Patty and me?

Sailing Clean


KINDNESS

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What a great word - KINDNESS - What a great thing - Love - if you will.

Believe it or not - they say - nearly 50% of all deaths with the great pandemic of the century are people in nursing homes or assisted living.

Love is God. Is this death Love’s euthanasia? Is there a message to slowdown, appreciate more, smell the roses? Do we know we are not in control - only do what we can do, given our humanity’s limitations?

I pray to be kind…. as humanly possible as I can be.

kindness


A Drop in the Bucket

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Trevien Stanger and my effort to inspire clean water, using words and images, with the production of OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of Living with Water is now at Press - ready for orders. The proof of the 11x13 inch coffee table book looks great. It was five years in the making. Nearly twenty informed and inspirational writers were crafty curated by Trevien for short pieces in the book. Trevien also has three articles in OBOR.

I fell in love with Trevien’s writing when I was first exposed to his artfully delivered message about ‘Thinking like a Watershed’, published in the Burlington Free Press five plus years ago. He is very Thoreau like - I believe his words will some day be widely read - like Thoreau.

There will be 100 contributor edition books published now. All proceeds from contributions of $100 or more to CLEAN WATER ADVOCATES, INC. will receive a copy of the book and be a clean water advocate, assisting, in our little way, to inspire, educate and restore water ways.

Our plan is to raise $20,000 or more to produce an affordable book with about 1000 copies to be distributed to the general public. We will also be making available, at a nominal cost, probably $10, an ebook version.

Please consider a $100 donation to Clean Water Advocates, Inc and, in addition to helping the cause, receive a copy of, what I think, is a priceless book. Click here to order.

OBORcover-.jpg

I feel better now

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It’s been an unusual 4th of July for me - lonely, but good - no family, no lake, no fireworks (in person, that is), but an introspective, inspirational day, none the less.

I watched TV - a lot of which I do these days. I see a lot of bad stuff on TV, but the two 4th of July specials I watched brought reflection, resulting in a real good feel about the good growth, and good people, that I have been fortunate to benefit from, over my 74 years.

244 years of freedom - maybe a little less - seemingly - this century.

I dream there is no police, no military, no need for government to protect me. I wonder what the last 244 years would have been like without ‘the fight’! We would not have anything to to talk about, to see on TV. Maybe love experiences would be our discussion.

Maybe Biden was right, “there are 10% to 15% bad people”! I hope not. I know we are born good. It’s our environment, I suspect, that influences our goodness. I am grateful for my environs, and I give me credit, too, for the goodness I am….. albeit, not perfect, I know. Humans are just not able to be perfect - I’m resigned to that reality.

We’ll have to work on dealing with that ‘Bad Element’ - a mere billion people or so, world wide, at 10% to 15%. “Love is the Answer”, with a sprinkle of education. I suggest celebrating the good, in the meanwhile, and not let the “tail wag the dog” or “ throw out the baby with the bath water”.

Hero

Raptor

Trees for Granted

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We’ve planted 125 trees at our new home in the foothills of the Green Mountains, Vermont. I frequently call the fifteen acres of bliss, Walnut Woods, due to the 65 Black Walnut tree saplings I.m nurturing. I love it. I’ve taken trees for granted - they are so valuable.

The following passage from the wonderful photo art book, Sacred Earth, by Ernest L King, says the truth about the value of trees:

“Trees are vital to life on earth. They help regulate planetary climate , while renewing the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil that grows our food.

Down through the ages, trees have provided us with shelter from the elements, fruits, and nuts for food, wood to make weapons and tools, and fuel to keep us warm. They have given us materials to build homes and villages, valuable medicinal drugs and herbs, ships to sail the seven seas, and paper to record our exploits and ideas.

Without the tree, civilization as we know it would not have been possible.”

Tree Evolution

Double Duty

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I’ve been watching the series Monk. I love it. One episode made a point of a double rainbow. Solving the murder mystery paused, to make a note of the rare occurrence. The ones that could, wowed.

Double Duty

“We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are” The Talmud, a collection of ancient jewish law and tradition, from the wonderful book - SACRED EARTH, by Ernest L. King.

Steptoe

“The only real society is the complete society of the natural world… The refusal of human beings to become intimate members of the community of Earth is leading to their own destruction.'“ Thomas Berry, christian theologian and cultural historian.

Just saying.

Idyllic Time

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According to Abenaki mythology, Lake Champlain was created by the great being, Okzihozo. So pleased with the masterpiece, he changed himself into the mighty rock Dunder, quietly enjoying his masterpiece for all eternity.

Moon Over Rock Dunder

The Abenaki, and other native Americans revered nature, and probably, whomever remain, still do. They became one with nature and, I am sure, were blessed with bliss by It’s being. Much of their life of connection with natural loving healing power is unimaginable to me. To the extent they connected with nature seems something special, lost because of human nature - greed - self absorption - naivety. If we could only break the stupidity and understand that love of others, not taking anything personally, would give us peace - able to defund police, defund military.

Realistic? No. We are too human, stupid, to all love all others and love ourselves in the process..

Sundowning

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Sundowning has new meaning, for me. I learned about Sundowning from Patty, as she desires the shades down at 3pm winter and and 6pm summer - common for the Alzheimer's crowd.

I got my kind of Sundowning, for the first time, this spring, in my newly appointed Birch Bowl. I love it.

Sundowning

Sundowning is last light. We awake to new light. We awake to another Spring - Unless you are nursing home bound.

You go to a nursing home to die. You go to a nursing home because you can’t take care of yourself. You go to a nursing home because no one else is able to take care of you. No one wants to go. I can’t imagine. Shades down. Last light.

For most that go to a nursing home, it should be a loving hospice. Extending life, at all costs, should not be the objective. A short stay is a blessing. Pneumonia (DNR in place) is the elders friend. Life is not meant to extend beyond what is meant to naturally be. I wish to respect the transition to everlasting Light.

I am getting in line - there may be a need with Alzheimer’s. I am looking at 2022. It’s hard to believe but waiting lists are long, even though costs are six figures a year. A local home says it will cost about $10,000 a month, and you will receive up to an hour of nursing care a day. You’ve got to be kidding. I want around the clock care. Who will be there to work the remote, find the bath room and frig, lay out the cloths, scoop the ice cream?

I’m opting for home care - to the max!

Five Years of The Love Priorities Blog

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I started THE LOVE PRIORITIES blog in the middle of 2015. It seems like just yesterday, and yet, a lot has happened with me and my love priorities over the last five years - Images captured in wonderful places, family happenings, Alzheimer’s, stroke, multigenerational home completion, books published, life events, grandkids, and more. I would not have imagined so many feelings, if I hadn’t journaled. I am grateful it came to be.

 Thanks to my brother Richard and our shared involvement in his third book of poems, SMELL THE ROSES, feel the soil, reach the sky, I have grown as a contemplative photographer, or what I call the process of image reflecting. It is Zen, for me.

 It is fun for me to blog, and share my Self-realizing, Connecting and Giving (The Love Priority Principles). As a Life-Wealth planner, I encouraged clients to record their life story and ‘Transferring’ (one of the nine activities of daily loving) them to family and friends – It is a process that benefits both the giver and the beneficiary.

 I would not have started blogging if I hadn’t discovered The Love Priorities. Discovered, late in my planning career, was unfortunate for my Clients, because I lacked the SCG understanding while practicing. However, the ‘never too late’ idea prevails. Consequently, I wrote ADVOCATE PLANNING, To Do What You Love To Do and make available free, at www.MikeSipe.com. And, I stay in front of interested former clients, family, and non-client friends, with my love priorities blog.

 I posted 150 blogs between 2015 and 2020 - 100 will be reproduced in a book - the first printed volume, of hopefully four planned books, for the next three, five-year increments. This may be my most treasured gift to family and friends. It is me, as I discover and share my feelings, at the moment. Nothing planned. 

 One of my favorite fifty images www.MikeSipe.com/buy-prints was captured in 2011, while on a wonderful week with Elizabeth and John McGinty in Tuscany, Italy. Castellina was captured with a very long lens, and dramatically cropped. Consequently, I can only enlarge to about 13x16 before it breaks down. At 13x16 it has a nice impressionistic affect. This was unplanned, and I’ll accept as a gift - pleasing me.

Castellina

Water Rush

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Zoom is quickly becoming the next Kleenex or Scotch Tape - everyone is using it, and it is becoming the standard. I Zoom with Siblings and their Significant Others (about ten people), every week - our social outlet while big-brother ‘ordered’ us to ‘shelter in place’. Thank you John (The Celebrator) for arranging the connection - it is rare for us to connect so often - a benefit of the quarantine.

You can imagine how difficult it is to have an orderly, meaningful, conversation with ten people while video chatting. My (The Quiet One) idealism speaks it is possible, but really not - with my family - maybe any family. Consequently, the need for a facilitator and a theme topic.

The theme this week is travel pleasures, suggested by Elizabeth (The Travel Lover). She, and husband John have been travel beasts, planted in a wonderful place to access world treasures - Trieste, Italy - on the beautiful Adriatic. Thinking more about the amount of travel, maybe Steve has traveled more, but loved more, I do not know.

Love - you can not compare, only feel one’s own emotion. My mother (The Character Builder) used to say (her sayings were the theme last week) “comparisons are odious” - astute - a wise woman - and with only an eighth grade formal education.

The theme this week - travel pleasures - really struck a cord with me. The realizations therefrom is a real rush - a water rush. I say water rush because I realize that my life’s travel pleasures largely involved bodies of water - Balsam Lake, our family cabin, to start with. Then there was Gull, Sagatagan, Rhine, Mosel, Grand, Whitefish, Mille Lacs, Leech, Superior, Michigan, Boundary Waters, Hubert, Itasca, Mississippi, Snake, Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, Adriatic, Mediterranean, Como, Garda, Walden Pond, and of course, for the last, nearly twenty years, Lake Champlain.

I have yelped skiing over water, been awed snorkeling under water, sailed on water, watched fireworks over water, fished in water, and mostly photographed ever changing waters. I took three fishing trips with my father - two to Lake Michigan and one Canadian fly-in!

I am sure I left out many bodies of water I have pleasured in the past. Water is wonderful. There is no wonder I am excited about producing OUR BASIN OF RELATIONS, The Art and Science of living with Water.

Nature inspired imaging is my photographer tag, and water images represents the bulk of what I capture. www.mesipe.com. I am honored to have fifteen water expert’s articles, curated by Trevien Stanger, in the coffee table book. The well known marine biologist, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols of Blue Mind graces the book with his words of wisdom in the Foreword. I am grateful for his inspiring message.

Clean Water Advocates, a Vermont Nonprofit, is publishing a Contributors Edition. We are creating an ebook also. It’s nice to share images of water I love, but the real benefit of the book are the motivating words explaining why and how we care for clean water.

Mediterranean Blue



Social Distance Connections

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Uncle Irvin was a hermit - I never met him. He lived in the woods in Canada. I have his beaver hat - it fits. You see how stylish it is in the picture below. He died in his late eighties, probably with a smile on his face. My dad retrieved the hat at Irvin’s life’s end, over forty years ago. Other than my daily touch with my dear multi-generational home family, I feel like a hermit, especially now with Covid-19.

Birch Bowl

I have a personal (usually) retreat on our land. I call it the Birch Bowl - a natural perch for a Adirondack chair , ground-covered with Vermont clover, surrounded by gray birch, and with site-lines to the Green Mountain foothills. I love it - a little Irvin in the genes, I suspect.

I have warm feelings when I think about Patty and a couple of my dad’s brothers. She connected - a special gift she has - with the old men.

Patty was about twenty - before we engaged. She was working at Glenlake Sanatarium. One evening, looking down the hall, she spots the future me, a half century out. She asked, who’s that? He looks like my boyfriend is going to look. They said: that is Alfie…. Alfie SIPE. Who knew? - I didn’t.

I was unaware of Alfie’s existence - even though my oldest siblings knew - they were young when middle-aged Alfie lived with the family. My parents committed Alfie to the sanatarium (that’s another story). Alfie didn’t talk (even though there was no medical reason he couldn’t) while in the sanatarium - at all, ever. And, he slep with his eyes open and head off the pillow - suspended. Like no one else, Patty got him to smile and had an eye to eye connection. She would sneak up to his bed during night-shift to see if she could catch him with his eye’s closed and head down - she never caught him out of character.

Ted, my dad’s oldest brother, close to ninety at the time, would call Patty, just to talk - maybe it was because of her connection with Alfie. Or maybe it was because she listened - she cared.

New Beginnings

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It was November 3rd, 2015 - Bridget’s birthday. Her birthday wish was to picnic on the newly-purchased family acreage - the future site of our multi-generational home - Richmond, Vermont.

The images of the delightful day came to mind while working on the ‘Patty Project’ - Life long images of my wonderful wife and her wonderful life, now with Advanced Alzheimer's.

The images below are poignant, not only due to the Alzheimer’s personal plight, but, because Riley, Jessica’s, and the family’s, long lived companion dog, had to be put down last week.

I love the images. They remind me of Henry Cartier Bresson image of Sunday on the Banks of the Marne'. I can’t compare myself to the Master photographer. However, I learn from the Masters - they mentor me.

The beauty of life is - we are given the ability to love our great memories and learn from our love experiences - given our willingness to explore, to love - to risk loss. We wake up each day and find opportunities for new beginnings. It’s just the way it is. Thank God for giving us the ability to go forth with the confidence that something new will bring great new memories - to love again.

The land we celebrated on November 3rd, 2015 now is Purple Lark Farm, Walnut Woods, Bilder Studio and home for three generations of family - eight family members. I love it.

Vitamin D

Bridget’s Birthday Desert

Bridget’s Birthday Desert

POM

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Years ago I learned a simple truth from the Psychology of Mind (POM) library - We change our mind by deciding to think differently - done like a snap of the figures. We choose what we think! Simple, yet powerful, and certainly worth a mention these trying days.

“When the dog bites, when the bee stings. When I’m feeling sad. I simply remember my favorite things. And then I don’t feeeeel. sooooo baaaad.”

Caring - Touching in imagination. Doctor and patient. Treating leg.

Image over mantel is photo I love - Mediterranean sea, Sicily. I have reached a photo objective milestone - I am now able to print large canvas prints that have wall worthiness - at least in my mind - my reality. I think so, anyway.








FUTURE FEEL

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COVID 19 is big and bad - Hard to image. Some flattening of the curve is going on presently - this is good. Maybe we will be out and about soon!

I made the mistake of reading a little about the 1918 Flu - that I can’t image - 500 million affected, 50,000,000 or more dead - And, with no Internet, to keep them apart and connected, … and a world war going on. What the hell - human resilience boggles my mind. The self-preservation instinct is strong. Also strong is coming together for the common good. I love it.

For the present living, Big 19 is a real anomaly, all three of our resources (time, wealth, and health) in focus, at the same time. I must say something - planning like. I can’t help myself - once a passionate planner, always a passionate planner.

Now is a great time to do a Future Feel. We have the little time it takes. While in this self-imposed incubation state of being, we are likely better, emotionally available to, and connected with, our personal advocate(s). Our health and wealth are in possible peril, so we are thinking about health and wealth anyway.

A Future Feel is a short exercise of expressing how you feel (in this moment) about some, or better yet all, of the nine activities of The Love Priorities, as it relates to a future view. The value activities are: Learning, Serving, Mentoring, Exploring, Relating, Playing, Protecting, Contributing, and Transferring. You feel with your present resources, front of mind.

MY Future feel, in 2013, while completing, ADVOCATE PLANNING To Do What You Love To Do is the last few pages of the book, before the APPENDIX. I suggest you look at the APPENDIX and the last chapter of the book - enrichment with advocacy… and talk about your Future Feel with your personal advocate. It can be intimate, stimulating, fruitful and fun.

Lake Cloud

If you don’t have a copy of ADVOCATE PLANNING To Do What You Love To Do, you can download a free PDF at www.MikeSipe.com

Non Essential touch

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My last blog - TOUCH or NOT, challenged you to not touch your face - an almost impossible task. I love touching myself, and do it frequently. I am resigned, already, to deal with just the non-essential touch - whatever that means.

I remember wearing a wrist band to remind me not to complain. The idea was, keep the band on for 20 days of not complaining before you take it off. I had fifty bands…. and have none left, so I went back to complaining..

Since I have little money left, I am now wearing a yellow rubber band, I found lying around, on my left wrist to remind me to not touch my face. Now, that means only my eyes, nose and mouth - everything else is fair game. Also, if I just washed my hands (twenty seconds, at least, with hot water of course) I can touch my face, briefly, and only once, and only if I haven’t touched anything else.

Also exempt, and maybe this is obvious, is washing my face. I wash my face more now, maybe just for the touch.

The Desire to Touch

The Desire to Touch


TOUCH or NOT?

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Social distancing is good, now especially, but even in the long run… except when you need a hug. I suspect we will be more discreet with our hugs. More meaningful, maybe. I hope they are not gone forever - the feel of love so important.

Love is now being demonstrated in distant ways. It is nice to see, talk about, talk with, hear stories of love, even in the press. Maybe this is all about bringing a focus on our common human condition, and the need to care for all - “we are all in this together” - a phrase I am now hearing more frequently.

Really, we are doing a wonderful job managing the deadly virus. We are probably net positive - there have been 1,300 death (a negligible % of 360,000,000 people), in the USA, and probably more than 1,300 lives saved, by staying home and not taking any risks, doing our ‘non-essential’ lives!

If we can’t get back to work (say, some of us, by Easter!) we, non-essentials may start wondering, “What’s it all about, Alfie? What is our purpose? We are not needed anyway. We don’t have money to survive. This is no fun. And, … then we have another death risk.

I hear transmission of Big 19, mostly happens by touching our face. I Challenge You to not touch your face. I suggest you count the number of times you touch your face, each day, record, and get to, and stay at zero, in the shortest time possible. Starting now.

Touching Face


CONNECTING

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I feel a need to connect.

This is about the longest I’ve gone between blogs. Why? I suspect it’s because of focusing on my Patty Project. (see www.mesipe.com, menu Patty.)

Stress, fear, are high. Most of us are taking a pause from normal daily activities, helping all avoid the virus. Stop the world, we need to regroup. Not an easy task. It calls for all to drop petty differences and focus on mitigating serious health concerns, to all humans. We are all in this together. We are always all in this together, but sometimes, we just don’t pay much attention. Sometimes we treat others different than we would like to be treated. “Love will keep us together”, and that is good.

We don’t get this opportunity often. The break from normal busy schedules, gives us an opportunity to pause, reflect and connect - express love for each other.

Capitalize on the break. Connect. Make the time purposeful, and pray the respite is short enough, not to compound the problem. And,… consider CBD!

Forest From The Trees

Love to you and yours

Beautiful Butterfly

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Love in the moment - my mantra. Seeing the future with anticipation of adventure and contribution - my vision. Looking backward - least favored … but that is where I am this day.

I find solace in images of the past - images of Patty over the last fifty plus years of connection. I am scanning images, pre-digital images, to incorporate in my managed computer catalog. Memories - Patty - fond memories. Presence - essentially gone. Future - not possible. Fond memories to hold in my heart - forever.

Beautiful Butterfly

I call this image Beautiful Butterfly. I can’t stop looking at it. Powder blue eyes are over-shadowed by other nicely lite, beautiful, facial features. A moment in self-thought - no interest in capture, despite wall worthiness. Patty - like a butterfly - the more you chase her, the more she alludes you. But put your mind on other people and she comes and rests gently on your shoulder.