Author Archives: Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

About Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

MIDlifestyle blog. Mom of Professor Angel Boy and Grandma to Angel Boy 2.0 and Angel Girl 2.0. Love to camp and hike. I've been in a few films, co-produced a surf-related radio show, co-owned a couple small businesses, and co-directed a non-profit organization. I'm obsessed with seashells, sea glass, and rocks; gardening and baking, Hello Kitty, Chanel, and anything sparkly. Veg since 1970 and an ardent animal activist forever. Fashionista...veganista...animal activista. I'm still trying to find the perfect shoe!

Salute to The Red Admiral

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I’m so excited! This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Red Admiral butterfly. I had installed a solar powered fountain in the pond only minutes before when this little guy came to visit and take a drink. After that, he spread his wings on the sun warmed rocks and I was able to get a good look.

I hope he hangs around for a while…I’ll try to capture better photos if I see him again.

The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) has much more black than the Monarch. It has a black upper forewing with a bright, diagonal red-orange band across it and spots of white on the tips. It also has a red marginal band on its hindwing and the underside is a mottled brown. 

I found a poem about this butterfly and had to share. I wasn’t able to learn a lot about the poet, David Wood, but I certainly do like his poems!

Sonnet 68: Red Admiral

Patrolling small stretches of the hedgerow
Like a silent sentry on guard duty,
Other butterflies they will overthrow;
The Red Admiral, nature’s real beauty.

Seen fluttering throughout summers hot days
From buddleia to Michaelmas daisies,
And sheltering from the suns golden rays,
All the people will sing of their praises.

But they cannot survive the winter’s cold
Their life is all too brief, a crying shame:
Alas none of them will ever grow old
Their short life is all part of nature’s game.

Their beauty we cannot take for granted
For they are delicately enchanted.

“I’m going to invite you to my birthday party.”

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We’re drawing pictures at the dining room table. I’m not a very good artist and can really only draw butterflies and whales while my companion was creating something that could only be described as nothing I could identify (of course I’d never reveal that.)

She’s an extremely chatty and precociously verbal 3.5 year old, a nonstop talker from the moment she wakes up until the moment she closes her eyes, exactly like her big brother.

Honestly, they are both the most interesting people I know—of any age. I love to spend hours upon hours conversing with them about whatever is in their hearts and minds.

“Here you go. I drew this for you, Grandma!”

“Oh my, that is SO beautiful. Thank you!”

“Grandma, do you know what? I’m going to invite you to my birthday party.”

The way she said it was like a queen bestowing an honor upon one of her subjects. This upcoming birthday is the subject of many conversations. Turning four is a BIG deal.

“That’s awesome, Angel Girl! I accept your invitation. I will love to come to your party. Who else will you invite?”

“Some of my friends from preschool and my brother and that’s it.”

A couple minutes later…

“Can you make a unicorn cake, Grandma?”

“Hmmm, let me think. Yes, I believe I can, Are you sure that you’ll want a unicorn cake for your birthday?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Well, you’re planning well in advance as your birthday isn’t for a few months. Do you think you might change your mind?”

“No, I won’t. I want a pink and purple unicorn cake.”

“You got it, a pink and purple unicorn, no problem. BUT if you change your mind, that’s OK, too.”

Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that my party invitation might somehow be connected to my ability to bake? Am I being cynical?

Upon reflection, if I could accomplish a decent job on her brother’s Pokemon Ball cake for his 7th birthday (and I did) I think I can attempt a unicorn cake for Angel Girl’s 4th year around the sun. It’s really just a horse shaped cake with an upside down ice cream cone in the center of its head, but don’t tell HER,

There’s nothing better than to be able to grant those kinds of wishes.

Word of the Day: Cosmogyral

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Cosmogyral: whirling around the universe.

I like the thought of whirling around the universe, spiraling through the galaxies in a playful weightless freefall.

It seems to evoke the ultimate surrender and that appeals to me, to belong to the sacred geometry of planetary orbits.

I envision the whirling not so much like a crazy fast dervish, but more like a butterfly ballerina, pirouetting from one flower to another to extract equal amounts of nectar and joy from each stop along the way.

Graphic credit to https://vocal.media/fyi/sacred-geometry-of-planetary-orbits

Strawberry Full Moon’s Penumbral Thoughts

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| Penumbra: a shadowy, indefinite, or marginal area |

I sent you a present last night you know
Though it didn’t address you by name
It was all of those meteors showering, dancing
And falling to earth like the rain

I wrote you a letter last week you know
But it won’t have arrived in the post
I wrote on the bright coloured curves of a rainbow
The reasons I missed you the most

I sent you a message just yesterday
But it wasn’t a message in words
For I spoke to the wind and I taught her our song
And I asked her to make sure you heard

I drew you a picture last Tuesday
But you may not have noticed it there
For I drew round the clouds with the rays of the sun
So they glowed as they hung in the air

No, you may not get gifts like you used to
Or get messages stored on your phone
But I’ll make sure I’m sending something each day
So you know that you’re never alone

And tomorrow I’ll paint something wonderful
I don’t know quite yet what it will be
But I promise you’ll know when you see it
That it’s sent just to you

Love from me
Xxx

From When I Am Gone – Becky Hemsley

Sweet Harmony | Push-Fold-Turn

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“Push…fold…turn…”

It’s a mantra of sorts. Do you know what I’m talking about?

Picture Angel Girl wearing my Hello Kitty apron on the other side of the kitchen table, mirroring my movements and my mantra, “push, fold, turn…“

I toss a handful of bench flour on the silicone mat so the dough won’t stick, and hand her a portion of the cinnamon roll dough to start kneading.

“Like this, watch me. With this part of your hand, push…fold…turn.”

“Like this, Grandma?”

“That’s perfect. Let’s say it together.”

We work and speak in harmony…”Push, fold, turn. Push, fold, turn.”

“You can tell it’s ready because it feels smooth. How does your dough feel?”

“Super smooth, Grandma!”

“Awesome! Now we’ll let our dough rise and finish creating our yummy cinnamon rolls.”

“I can’t wait!”

“Neither can I, but we have to follow all the steps to make your Great Grandma Charlotte’s recipe exactly like she taught me.”

After the dough doubled in sized, both the Angels helped to roll it out, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and they allowed me to complete the process.

One more proofing (no one was patient) and the sweet bread was finally ready to bake.

Dad and Mom came home JUST as they came out of the oven and we all gorged ourselves on more cinnamon rolls than we probably should have.

In case you’re wondering, we don’t ice our cinnamon rolls. We like them just like this.

Dad complimented me, “These are really the best you ever made!”

Do you know what the secret ingredient was?

I do.

It was the sweet, loving assistance of two curly haired angel kids.

Push, fold, turn…

Moonstone Beach | Sea Glass Treasures

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Since it’s just about time to honor June’s Full Moon, it seems like the perfect opportunity to chat about Moonstone Beach, another sea glass location I need to visit. It’s in Cambria on California’s Central Coast.

It’s said that at Moonstone Beach beach you can find moonstone agates plus jade, jaspers, and other semi-precious stones.

Here’s a photo of some of my beach glass collection. Red is the third most rare type of sea glass, and I only have a couple pieces of that color.

Did you know? Orange is the most rare sea glass color. Turquoise is the second most rare color and the rarest type of blue sea glass. Red is the third most rare sea glass color and yellow is the fourth. I guess white and green and brown are more common to find because I have a lot of those colors, probably because most bottles were crafted in those colors.

None of the beaches around me have sea glass OR many seashells, although we have an abundant and endless supply of ROCKS.

A Spicy Crisis

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Do you remember the Tapatio shortage during the pandemic? Well, I do, because I LOVE that particular brand of Mexican hot sauce.

And now I’m horrified to report that there’s a shortage of my other fave, Sriracha.

Yup, the rooster can’t be found anywhere. When I went grocery shopping yesterday, it was on my list and the first store I went to had an empty shelf where the Sriracha was supposed to be.

Hmmm. I thought to myself. That’s strange. So I went to another store. Nothing. And another store and another until I figured out that this was something that needed further investigation.

Apparently, a drought in Mexico caused a shortage of the specific type of chili peppers Huy Fong uses to make Sriracha.

The even worse news is that there’s no way to estimate when supply will increase.

Uh oh.

Now what? I bought some “sriracha” replicas and NONE of them come close to equaling that specific and extremely addictive condiment.

Actually, for me, Sriracha is more of a food group than a condiment. Nothing else offers that singular feeling after the spicy heat hits when our brain kicks in to release endorphins, providing a natural high.

I’m so sad; I miss the rooster!

(If anyone has a spare bottle or two, lemme know.)

| sanctuary |

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“Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.”- Rumi

Vermillion Cliffs Secret Cathedral: Photo by Enchanted Seashells

What would you do if you won the lottery?💰

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As I dug a hole for a new plant in the garden last weekend, I had to laugh out loud at the thoughts swirling in my head.

Sometimes when I garden, my brain goes into an almost trance-like state lightly touching random elements in my subconscious like a butterfly drifting from flower to flower.

With no apparent rhyme or reason, my brain began to ponder the top ten things I would do if I won the lottery (which I never will because I don’t play).

Photo by Muffin Creatives on Pexels.com

At the top of my list is DIRT.

If I had unlimited funds, I’d buy so much good soil that I could replace all the clay and concrete-like death-to-all-plants earth in my gardens. Instead of buying a bag or two at a time, I’d get a dozen truckloads delivered of the finest growing medium that money could buy.

I wouldn’t mind at all loading it up in a wheelbarrow, in fact, it would be a JOY to don my work gloves and shovel that sweetly perfumed soil. I might roll in it too, like a dog–that’s how much I wish I had that loamy organic earth.

Of course, I’d go to South Coast Plaza and splurge on some Chanel, but the dirt would make me equally as happy.

In no particular order, here’s my lottery wish list….

💰Dirt
💰Chanel
💰Fix some things around here
💰A little cosmetic fix on me lol
💰Buy presents for everyone
💰Donate to a few awesome animal rescues
💰Travel to Peru and Paris
💰Visit all the beaches that have beach glass (and a lot of seashells)

*Sigh*

Forget all the other stuff, the truth is that I’d be overjoyed with a mountain of dirt on my driveway.

I’m back to the land of reality, dreading the hot and dry droughty conditions I’ll be faced with this summer as I mourn the death of many of my plantfriends, but for right now, I can enjoy their colorful beauty.

What would YOU do if you won the lottery?

Beachy Memorial Day Celebration

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Established in 1868, Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) honors those who have died in military service for the United States. It’s a day of reflection and remembrance for their ultimate sacrifice.

When I was little, my mom and dad would buy red poppies for us to wear, but I haven’t seen them in a long time.

It’s also a three-day holiday and lots of tourists are here, but it’s still early and cloudy, so it’s not too crowded on the roads or the beach.

However, the waves are full of surfers packed like sardines waiting for the building swell.

I’m continually surprised that I don’t see more surfer collisions when they’re so close together.

Lifeguard Tower 35

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!