Also known as 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, am obsessed with seashells, sea glass, and rocks; gardening and baking, Hello Kitty, Chanel, Leon Russell, 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!
Every full moon in September, this song comes to mind…
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned? Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain? Can you paint with all the colors of the wind? –Colors of The Wind from the film, Pocahontas
September’s full moon is special because it’s accompanied by a total lunar eclipse. Sadly, I don’t think we’ll be able to experience the eclipse here in the States but we might observe the moon’s deep reddish hue; not blue, though.
We are reminded to connect with themes of gratitude, release, and harvest by writing down what we’re thankful for and what we want to let go of, and by creating a gratitude chart. As always, this is a great time to charge crystals under the light energy of this full moon.
Because both of the Angel Kids’ eyes literally roll back in their heads when I make them listen to Leon Russell music, I found a slightly obscure song called “Too Much Monkey Business”. It’s more spoken than sung, like a precursor to rap music, and was written by Chuck Berry in 1956.
I played it and the Angels started singing along, as it’s a very catchy tune. I’d call out “How much monkey business” and they’d respond, “Too much monkey business!”
This song is totally earworm-worthy because they couldn’t stop singing it to themselves. All day long, during breakfast and helping to organize their books so we could donate some, I heard them quietly repeat “too much monkey business”, or “too much for me to be involved in.”
I said, “Cool song, huh?” as I planned my final move in my neverending quest to make them love Leon as much as I do.
When we sat on the sofa together after dinner playing card games, I asked Siri to play “Too Much Monkey Business” by Leon Russell and AB said, “Wait, that was LEON? It didn’t sound like him!” I replied, “That was my little joke. You had no idea you were singing one of his songs hahahahaha!”
Too late to stop it from happening; the lyrics are firmly embedded in their brains. They changed the words to: “How much Grandma business?” and “Too much Grandma business.”
They grudgingly agreed it was GOOD but asked me to pleasepleaseplease stop dancing because I was embarrassing them. I can only imagine the many ways I’ll be an embarrassment when they’re teenagers. It’s a rite of passage. They can ask their dad for confirmation.
Those kids are uber funny but I won. They’re now listening to and appreciating the Master of Space and Time–in spite of themselves. My work here is done.
Runnin’ to and fro, hard workin’ at the mill Never failed in the mail, yet come a rotten bill Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
Salesman talking to me tryin’ to run me up a creek Say, “You can buy it, go on, try it, you can pay me next week” ah Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
Blonde-haired, good lookin’ tryin’ to get me hooked Want me to marry, get a home, settle down, write a book, ha Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
Same thing every day, gettin’ up, goin’ to school No need to be complainin’, my objections overruled, ah Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
Payphone, somethin’ wrong, dime gone, will mail I ought to sue the operator for tellin’ me a tale, ah Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
I been to Yokohama, been fightin’ in the war Army bunk, army chow, army clothes, army car, ah Too much monkey business, too much monkey business Too much monkey business for me to be involved in
Workin’ in the fillin’ station, too many tasks Wipe the windows, check the tires, check the oil, dollar gas, ah Too much monkey business, too much monkey business I don’t want your botheration, get away, leave me be
In a space of a blink of an eye, I injured my back, hurt my right foot, and need skin cancer surgery on my left shoulder.
One-two-three.
The phrase “things happen in threes,” especially “bad things happen in threes,” is a common superstition and an example of apophenia, the human tendency to find patterns where none may actually exist.
I have no idea how what happened to my back — one minute it was fine and the next minute it was so painful that I could hardly move without screaming, not that I let that stop me. Targeted stretching and yoga definitely helps, but it’s still a mystery. I can’t figure out what caused it.
My foot was a different story. First, it felt like there was a rock in my shoe, and when I checked, there wasn’t, but there was a lump on the bottom of my foot.
I remembered that’s a classic symptom of a plantar fibroma, so of course I Googled at-home treatments. One of the suggestions was that a massage ball would help, so that’s what I did. It not only didn’t work, but the nodule grew and my foot swelled up and it was so painful I couldn’t put any weight on it. The vigorous massaging made it a hundred times worse. I then re-read the treatment suggestion — which said to massage AROUND the lump, not directly ON it. Oops, my bad.
Plantar fibroma is a benign condition that causes fibrous nodules to form on the bottom of the foot, along the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes.
I called my doc who told me to soak my foot in epsom salts and use a specialty pad to place around the now very painful growth area, and if that didn’t work, I’d need a steroid injection. Her non-invasive ideas are starting to be effective and the lump is slowly subsiding, which is great because I hate steroids.
Every six months I have a check up at the dermatologist’s office because I’ve had previous Mohs surgery for basal/squamous cell carcinoma. This time, she noticed an area of concern and performed a biopsy. When the results came back positive (not melanoma, thank goodness), she called to schedule a Mohs microsurgical removal. It’ll be difficult to use my left arm for a while until the sutures are removed, which is sort of annoying, but I’ll be happy to be cancer-free. I’m definitely paying the price for many summers at the beach with no sunscreen, just liberally applied baby oil and cocoa butter.
I’m not too sorry to say goodbye to August and hope for a healthy September!
Tofu water can be used to water plants, add to compost, or as a substitute for aquafaba or other liquids in recipes.
My mind is completely blown. I’ve drained tofu water ever since I started eating it, and that’s been a long long time.
Truthfully, I never thought it was anything but messy and annoying. Now I’ll save every single drop and tonight, I’ll try a DIY Tofu Facial.
Here’s what I learned: tofu water contains beneficial nutrients like protein, fat, carbohydrates, and minerals (N, P, K) which fertilize plants and promote growth. You can also drink it, use it in soups, or even for DIY facials due to its soothing properties.
Some things you can do with tofu water:
Plant Fertilizer: Pour it onto your houseplants or in your garden to provide nutrients and help them grow.
Compost Additive: The liquid can be added to a compost heap to enhance the organic material and nutrient content.
Aquafaba Substitute: Use it in recipes that call for aquafaba (the liquid from canned chickpeas) as a vegan alternative for binding ingredients in sweets or savory dishes.
Cooking Liquid: Incorporate it into dishes like soups or stocks, especially if the liquid has been reduced to a thicker consistency.
Baking: Add it to the overall liquids.
Beverage: Some people boil tofu water with flavorings like vanilla almond milk, stevia, or cocoa for a nutritious drink.
Smoothies: Add to blender with juices, plant milks.
Facials: Tofu water contains compounds that can have soothing and calming effects on sensitive skin.
Let me know if you tried any of those suggestions, or if you plan to!
This was chalked into the sidewalk near my lagoon. It’s been there for a while and so far no one has tampered with it, so I decided to memorialize the words in a photo. I don’t know who wrote it, but I would like to meet them, because it’s sad yet profoundly hopeful at the same time.
I am not afraid to keep on living, I am not afraid to walk this earth (world) alone.
I remember that the original Angel Boy was about fourteen years old when he entered the final stage, taller than me. Now I have to get on my tiptoes to hug him and HE bends down to me.
In my mind, he’s still and forever #1 or #2, so it doesn’t seem right that the roles have reversed, and it won’t be long before the Angel Kids will also be taller than me, because mostly everyone else is.
I guess that’s why they call me Little Grandma.
**I found this on Pinterest, but credit goes to artist Giselle Dekel.**
These incredibly observant Angel Kids of mine are full of nonstop chat as they watch my every move with their laser focused eyes and brains, especially when they sit at the counter (their favorite spot), waiting to be served exactly like baby birds in a nest with their beaks open wide for mom to bring a freshly caught worm..
“Why are you always in the kitchen, Grandma?”“It’s like you have a force field around you and you’re stuck in there.” (He is SO funny.)
“Yeah, Grandma, you’re always in the kitchen!” Angel Girl has to offer her opinion, too. ALWAYS.
I stop chopping veggies or flipping pancakes or cutting the crust off another slice of bread (only for Angel Girl), and respond with a question,
“Why are you guys always hungry?”
Well, that made them think a bit, that’s for sure.
“Good point”, Angel Boy 2.0 sagely nods as he ponders what I meant by that, as he chews on a slice of apple.
Those kids LOVE apples as a pre-meal snack. Sometimes dipped in nut butter, but they’re perfectly satisfied with a bowl of sliced apples.
The key is to give each of them their own bowl or they’ll squabble about equal amounts. “Why does s/he have more than me?” Since I only birthed one child, I’m not used to this kind of sibling behavior. I actually find it incredibly annoying and to avoid listening to it, for me, separate bowls are the easiest solution.
They eat a lot, not junk food or snacks, but wholesome and dense nutrition. That’s what healthy kids do; eat, play, sleep. They’re exactly like puppies. Their growing bodies and brains demand it and I’m only too happy to oblige.
“Play with us, Grandma. We’ll even play Candyland just for you. Or Scrabble.” That’s quite the concession on their part, as they know those are my two favorite games.
“How about after you guys have this smoothie and ants on a log and a (lentil/oat/kale) muffin, we’ll play. How does that sound?”
I love it when someone sends pictures of Leon that I hadn’t previously seen. These photos were taken in Detroit; the one on the left was at the Eastown Theater (1970) and on the right, Cobo Arena in 1972.
Ron Domilici Cobo Arena photo by Charlie Auringer.·Magic bag
One of the most truly amazing live performances took place at Leon’s Paradise Studios in 1979. All the musicians are incredible, but it features Leon’s long-time friend and colleague, JJ Cale. The sole female guitarist is Christine Lakeland Cale, JJ’s wife.
Grammy winner, legendary singer, songwriter, and musician J.J. Cale (born John Weldon Cale,1938–2013) was one of the originators of the distinctive Tulsa Sound. He is most famous for writing songs popularized by others, including Eric Clapton’s hits “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me the Breeze”. Known for his laid-back, blues-rock style, Cale also pioneered the use of drum machines and produced his own records, engineering his own distinctive sound. He was also one of Leon Russell’s engineers in the 1960s.
Check out Leon on the drums!
PS There’s an album/dvd of that session but I haven’t found it available for purchase. JJ. Cale featuring Leon Russell – In Session at the Paradise Studios, L.A. 1979 [DVD] If anybody has one, please let me know! I’d love to own it.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 