Ziza Mae Merwin nee Schramm was born into a coal mining family, as her mother, Ziza Belle Richardson claimed "One minute before the noon whistle", the Sun was in 7 Leo with 25 Libra rising and her moon was exalted in 22 Taurus, all in all a very likeable sort of Venus ruled horoscope which would serve her well for a full 80 years. Her father's pet name for her was 'Hizy-Mae' and she had vivid memories of various family members coming home covered in coal dust or leaving for the graveyard shift in the mines just across the Ohio river in West Virginia.

The Prequel

Her father Karl Schramm had rejoined the Navy during the Depression, when $30 a month plus three squares and a housing allowance was a worthy profession. During his first under-aged enlistment he had participated in the US Marine's invasion of Nicaragua in 1927, but after re-upping he entered the Submarine Service in the 1930's. Ziza always remembered her father as a Navyman, much of the time smelling of diesel submarines. However, prior to WWII there was little call for submarines so Karl swung a job in Shanghai, China as an extracurricular sports and recreation chief.

1939

Ziza would always cherish and recall fondly her time spent in pre-WWII Shanghai, China. Housed in the Grand Hotel with her father in a position to trade perks for perks, she felt like a princess with the only negative being a bout with the painful Dengue Fever aka 'Break Bone Fever' Her mother Ziza Belle continued her heavy drinking while in China and Ziza began a long road of separation with her mother over the issue of alcohol. The beginning of WWII brought Ziza to Honolulu on a rescue troop transport ship and then on to San Francisco for the duration of the war. Her father went on to win the Silver Star as a crewman on the first submarine to attack Tokyo harbor in early 1942.

1949

Sci-Fi reading and clubs

La Jolla High school graduate of the class of 1948

Married to Tom Butts

Japan Living

Toyopet Lancaster

1959

Returning to Joplin Mo. after her divorce from Tom Butts and now with a daughter to support Ziza sought a new career by studying bookkeeping in Joplin, where she met Dr Bert Lawson and became his reception/office girl and he became her first 'True Love' and from whom she would gain a tremendous knowledge of basic family practitioner medicine. It was at this time she also began developing her remarkable diagnostic abilities. This was a hearty party time in Ziza's life and she recalled drinking with Mickey Mantle at his Mickey Mantle's Dugout Lounge Bar in Joplin. She met her lifelong friends Donna and Joyce Patton as well as Betty Hooker at this time.

1969

By 1969 she had moved to San Diego where she met and married the psychiatrist T Keery Merwin. She also began to dabble in Astrology, finding her way through a mutual friend to Robert St. Germain nee Robert Bullock, perhaps one of the best San Diego Astrologers of the time. In April of 1969 Ziza attended an astrology class at Robert's apartment on 7th and Beech near the old hotel Cortez in San Diego. It was a fateful class because she met Stephen Dyer Wells there, whom as a double Capricorn with Gemini rising, would become her soul mate and longest life companion. They watched Neil Armstrong land on the Moon together at a moon landing party at her 4444 Valley Vista luxury home that she shared with Dr. Merwin. There she assisted him with group therapy sessions and would in short order be able to diagnose his patients problems through astrology much more quickly than he could....until his untimely death in 1978 from stomach cancer. Meanwhile Stephen had begun a two year sojourn to England on a quest for astrological techniques and knowledge. Upon his return in March of 1973 Ziza loaned Stephen $335.00 against an income tax return, much to the chagrin of husband Keery, who proclaimed "He'll never pay you back!" to buy a Nikormat EL, the first electronic camera from Nikon. Ziza and Keery were involved in what we now call 'House Flipping' around the Mission Hills and Point Loma neighborhoods, Ziza was assisted by 'Bird ??? ' in the decorating and remodeling. Once in the early '70's Ziza offered me a small house on Goldfinch St. for $25,000! Too bad I didn't take her up on that. During this time Stephen and Ziza continued to attend astrology classes at R.S.T.'s apartment.

1979

New Year's eve 1979 would become a major turning point in Ziza's life. Stephen Wells, newly divorced, had traveled to San Diego and was staying with his Astrology mentor, Robert St. Germain, when Bobby suggested we go visit Ziza to ring in the new year. The phone was busy, off the hook... so we drove over to the small condo she had moved into at 2nd and Nutmeg in the "Pill Hill" area. She was painting her bathroom in advance of putting the condo on the market and tried to turn us away at the door, but we we would have nothing of it and managed to gain entrance for a celebrational glass of wine. Later Bobby drove home alone and Ziza drove up to Humboldt county California on the 12th of February, beginning a 30 year personal relationship and business partnership. Stephen and Ziza partnered and began Ruby Valley Growers Supply the very first store dedicated solely to the needs of the illicit hill growers of Southern Humboldt -- Ziza was there for the 'Golden Age' and this experience lead her to writing a book about the Nor-Cali outdoor pot growing world of the early 1980's -- You can read it here -- Humboldt Gold was based on her five years of talking to the early growers of southern Humboldt county. It can now be revealed that the female character 'Kiki' was based on Yvette Erbach .::R.I.P::.

Perhaps the most productive psychic event in her life was when the 'Spirit of TKM' came to her in her dreams and guided her towards ESP Development Inc. a small family run 'wildcat' oil exploration company out in Russell Kansas that was developing 'Stripper' wells that produced less than 20 barrels a day. Following a dream visit from TKM she invested a 1/16th share in the Eldon Chrisler tract and the bore hole was a relative gusher coming in at over 100 barrels a day and maintaining a good return for the next 25 years.

Partly as a result of the oil cash flow and our successful business venture we decided to spend a month in London in August 1983, staying at the John Howard hotel in a suite where Ziza was close by some fabulous museums and she spent many happy hours wandering through them as well as the Kensington Flower Walk which was right up the street. I remember checking out and the clerk said it would be 3,200 and I asked... "Dollars?" and he scrunched up his nose and said..."No Sir, we use POUNDS here in England!" But it was worth every farthing.

Ziza was introduced to computing in 1984 and although she would always remain 'A total computer idiot' she knew how to run the horoscope programs and later the world wide web became her reading matter of choice, even over her beloved books.

1989

Joplin retreat - friends, astrology

Returning via U-Haul truck on November 1994 to Redway California on the day of the annual Southern Humboldt Hemp Fest which was oddly something of a harbinger for the next phase of her life. Burdened with a mounting debt load, Ziza embarked on a pioneering medical M.J. production room using the lastest 'Hydro' techniques... At last, aged 65 she was able to explore the world of horticulture Nor-Cali style. Until her cataracts and her daughters worstening physical condition brought this to a halt 7 years later.

1999

In late 2003 Ziza moved to the desert house she had bought with her daughter in Ocotillo, California about 90 miles east of San Diego, in order assist her daughter Hillary whose Macular Degeneration was slowly destroying her vision. see her house here There she helped her daughter who could no longer drive. While Ocotillo has fine warm clear sky weather in the winter the summer is a fierce 110-116 each day and for months it is over 100 degrees. Three BIG air conditioners and a schedule that started at 03:00 was how she surrvived the super hot summers in Ocotillo.

2009

Ziza and I would chat via computer each day while I was in Mexico and one morning in March of 2009 she suffered a stroke while chatting with me. St Joesph's Hospital Ziza's last words to me were :" I've never been in this much pain in my life". Luckily I had brought documents with Ziza's last wishes regarding medical care and her Doctor was able to put her on a morphine pump immediately. Neverthless Ziza remained with us for the next 12 days, where she was attended by Hospice volunteers and her daughter Hillary. One of her last requests via her will is to have her ashes mixed the those of T. Keery Merwin's and to be spread between a virgen 1000 year old redwood tree, her fathers grave site and at sea.

Died :: November 24th 2009 :: 9:10 PM :: Eureka California