Author Archives: Enchanted Seashells

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About Enchanted Seashells

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!

Remember Martin Luther King, Jr. (NOT The Other Event) On January 20,2025

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And that’s about all I have to say about that meaningless event that’ll take place in Washington DC on January 20, 2025. Instead, let’s focus our attention on Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little Black boys and Black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is SO repulsive…I learned that Alabama and Mississippi both combined the King holiday with “Robert E. Lee Day” to honor the birthday of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was born on January 19.

If you’re like me and refuse to watch a single second of the inaugural farce, there are plenty of ways for us to stay busy by streaming the King Center’s commemorative service and by volunteering in our community, as MLK Day is designated a day of service.

I absolutely will not acknowledge the magacult funeral of the death of democracy and neither will beautiful and intelligent former first lady Michelle Obama…

After election day, I really hoped something was going to be done to nullify the fraud, but now I’m really depressed. It’s going to happen and no one stopped it.

I’d never use the word “presidency” to describe his criminal power grab. Muskrat/Russia seemed to have succeeded in stealing the vote and I’ll never stop wondering why Kamala Harris conceded and why President Biden didn’t do something — ANYTHING — to stop this travesty.

That orange POS is a twice-impeached, convicted felon and that’s his legacy.

I will never acknowledge him as president. I didn’t last time, either. My condolences and sympathy go to democracy. It’s on life support right now.

P.S. I always kinda sorta liked Carrie Underwood, but I can ‘t understand her very poor decision to perform at the rapist felon’s inauguration. Shame on her!

Randy Rainbow nailed it in 2017:

Word Of The Day: Effulgent

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Effulgent comes from Latin meaning “out” and fulgere meaning “to shine”. A light that is effulgent shines brightly.

A personality that is effulgent radiates warmth and goodness.

The effulgent glow of the sunset painted the sky in hues of pink and orange.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

More effulgence….


Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Heart/Light

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The first full moon of 2025 — the Wolf Moon in Cancer — emphasizes emotional depth, renewal, and balance. Associated with heightened awareness and introspection, this full moon is a gentle reminder about how important it is to provide our deepest inner feelings space to bloom. Don’t forget that Mars is still in retrograde until February 23, 2025.

As above, so below…

A Painful Anniversary

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly a year since I almost completely split open my leg in that stupid crazy accident.

Last year, we were drenched in neverending rain and this year we’re in the midst of a drought — it hasn’t rained a drop in months — and those LA fires are still burning out of control.

I’ll never forget the moment I slipped and fell on the steps and freakishly hatcheted my leg open all the way down to the bone. (It was SO gross.) Nor will I forget how I perfectly executed everything my RN mom had ever taught me as I carefully bandaged the gaping wound and drove myself to the emergency room in a heavy rainstorm; wracked with pain.

There’s still a slight numbness, an absence of feeling directly at the site, but my worst fears of an infection never happened, thank goodness. That would have been TERRIBLE. No MRSA, no staph, no bone nor blood infection; although the possibilities were there. Sometimes it hurts when I accidentally knock into furniture (actually, I just did that again), but healing was unremarkable.

I watched the whole sewing-up process; stuff like that doesn’t bother me, and I was especially interested in the internal suturing and VERY happy the doc was well trained in trauma. My wound was exceptionally deep (to the bone) and eight inches long — such a bizarre accident.

I’m surprised the internal sutures didn’t pop open because I didn’t pay very much attention to doctor’s instructions about not walking or putting weight on my leg or avoiding physical activities for a month.

Did I learn anything from that unfortunate experience? Did I stop running down the stairs in slippery socks? Actually, I DID, and I’ve continued to be slightly more careful because I definitely don’t want a repeat performance of that fateful day.

It’s an anniversary date that I won’t soon forget. I saved all the photos that I took when it happened and while I was in the ER. They’re constant reminders that life can change in the blink of an eye but those pics are too graphic and scary to share. (You’re welcome.)

I’m no stranger to accidents like the time I ran up the hill at sunset because I heard a coyote, and slipped and fell in the ditch. I broke a bone in my wrist — another completely avoidable incident. I think I finally learned the lesson. Well, maybe. Only time will tell.

Read the full stories here: https://enchantedseashells.com/2024/01/21/tales-of-the-er/
https://enchantedseashells.com/2013/07/09/slip-fall-break/

OUT OF CONTROL | Los Angeles on FIRE

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As I’m writing this post, there are six major wildfires ravaging the Southern California Los Angeles area, about 100 miles north of me, burning more than 30,000 acres. As many as 10,000 structures have been burned and the death toll is reported to be ten, but will most likely rise.

**The last time there was a major fire in my area where neighbors just a few blocks away were evacuated was in January 2021. https://enchantedseashells.com/2021/01/20/fire-in-carlsbad/

Santa Ana winds were calculated at 100 miles per hour BEFORE they were supercharged by the heat of the fires themselves. We haven’t had rain in months; everything is bone dry.

Many celebrity homes in Malibu are completely destroyed, not that I think those people are any more special than anyone else who lost everything in the fires or other disasters. It’s just crazy to see those beach homes right on the Pacific Ocean burned to a crisp.

Thousands of homeowners were dropped by their insurers before the Palisades fire, leaving them with no protection. It’s been happening for the last few years to homeowners who live in regions prone to climate disasters.

The coastal Palisades Fire is now the most destructive ever to hit Los Angeles County, while the Eaton Fire has devastated communities below Angeles National Forest to the east. There’s also the Hurst Fire, Lidia Fire, Kenneth Fire, and the Westhills Fire near Calabasas.

I don’t want to even think about the cause or repeat any unsubstantiated gossip. Mostly I care about the poor animals– pets and wild creatures — who are now injured and displaced. It’s so sad.

In the midst of this tragedy, I’m sharing a heartwarming story of a heroic woman who rescued forty one pets from the wildfires.

Dr. Annie Harvilicz, a veterinarian, bravely risked her life to help rescue dogs, cats, and a rabbit from the path of the Pacific Palisades fire as their owners were forced to flee.

The animal lover has opened her home and an empty pet hospital because their owners simply don’t have the space or resources to bring the pets with them.

She also rescued 4 dogs near LAX airport and has taken them into her home.

If you’d like to help, her email is: drannieawc@gmail.com and you can donate here: www.animalwellnessfoundation.org

Here’s video from the BBC:

Bathroom Banter

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Recently, I was in a public restroom that had several stalls on either side of a long aisle.

It was crowded with lots of flushing and doors opening to welcome another visitor.

There was an obviously broken toilet on the right side with a large black plastic bag covering it, but women kept peering in before they realized it was not usable. If it were me, I’d have an “Out Of Order” sign on the door and taped it shut…oh well.

I was next up in the (not-very-long) line when a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, swooped in with a flourish of her long trendy coat, high heels, and designer handbag — way WAY overdressed for the setting of a public lavatory. I could smell the entitlement wafting off of her.

Impatiently, and with a pompously demeaning tone in her voice, she turned to me and asked, “Is there a line?”

First of all, I wondered why she chose to address ME…did I look like I was in charge of the line? I was just standing there, minding my own business.

(Let me back up a wee bit and explain my response–I was tired, recovering from a horrible upper respiratory infection– not Covid–and her “I’m definitely more important than anyone else” attitude simply rubbed me the wrong way.)

I repeated her question slowly, “Is there a line? — looked around and responded, “No, obviously I’m just standing here so I can meditate for a minute before I urinate.”

I then pointed to the stall door (the broken toilet) that was ajar and said, “There’s an opening. Go for it.”

And then I confess that I laughed to myself as she flounced in, only to immediately discover that the toilet was out of order and she had to back out on her precariously high heels. (Heehee)

Admittedly, this wasn’t indicative of my very best self, but it was so satisfying to put that haughty and pretentious little girl in her place, to maybe take her down a notch or two as she assumed her rightful place at the end of the line.

No cuts! Wait your turn!

And namaste…

P.S. Lest anyone think I am always this snarky- whenever there’s a child or someone pregnant, the unwritten bathroom code is to allow them to go first, but that was NOT the case here.

Crow Brain

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Crow Brain: keeps shiny and useless things or things to put shiny things in.

That is totally ME.

Neighbors have begun to complain about a recent increased influx of crows in our area and I am one of the few who defend their right to live and eat and roost anyplace they choose. I tell them the same thing I say when they complain about coyotes..LEARN TO COEXIST!

“Having a crow brain” means to possess a high level of intelligence, particularly in terms of problem-solving, complex reasoning, and the ability to plan ahead, similar to the cognitive capabilities observed in crows, which are considered to be among the most intelligent birds; essentially, it signifies a sharp mind with advanced cognitive abilities, even if the phrase is often used figuratively to describe someone particularly clever.

We’ve long known that crows exhibit extraordinary intelligence. The more scientists unravel about their brain structure and behaviors, the more crows seem to resemble humans. 

The breakthrough study published in Science revealed that crows show signs of perceptual consciousness and an ability to have subjective experiences unique to their individual minds. This means the birds keep new information, or memories, in the front of their brains for extended periods, and use it in reasoning and navigating new situations they encounter.https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/the-more-we-learn-about-crow-brains-the-more-humanlike-their-intelligence

And specifically, Seattle has a thing about crows.

My son shared this phenomenon with me: a single roost at the University of Washington Bothell campus is home to as many as 16,000 birds. The sight of thousands of crows flying toward the campus at dusk has become one of Seattle’s signature attractions for those in the know.

A crow-filled sky might stir Hitchcockian visions for some, a “murder” of crows harassing people when they venture outside. This is the time of year when Seattleites take to social media with tales of protective crow parents dive-bombing them for unwittingly wandering too close to crow fledglings too young to fly.

The advice to those pleading for help is almost unanimous: Befriend the crows!!!

https://www.kuow.org/stories/seattle-crows-are-so-smart-they-re-challenging-what-we-know-about-evolution

Wisdom From The Master of Space and Time

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My hobby is silence.
Leon Russell

Same, Leon, same. After spending time with people, sometimes it takes a while to decompress and silence is necessary. And lovely.

When Your Gallbladder Isn’t Your Friend

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GALL…

“Of all the unmitigated gall!” “He sure has a lot of gall!”

Have you heard that? My mom used to say it about certain people. I don’t think it’s used very much now, but it still has a relevant place in our language.

Gall is a digestive juice secreted by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, and aids in the digestion of fats. vocabulary.com

“If someone has gall, they’re irritating. In fact, as a verb, gall means “to irritate” like new tight jeans that gall your thighs. Gall is “bile,” too, like what’s in a gall bladder. Back in the days of Hippocrates, if the four humors of the body were out of whack, it affected your spirits. If you had too much bile, or gall, then you’d be aggressive or depressed. It’s also a noun for “deep feeling of ill will.”

I’m reminded of this because I’m on my way for a yearly ultrasound to check on the status of a growth on my gallbladder.

Prior to my first ultrasound, I experienced right upper quadrant abdominal pain and that’s how I initially learned about the cyst/polyp.

Adenomyomatosis: An abnormal overgrowth of the gallbladder lining that forms cysts in the gallbladder wall. Scientists aren’t sure why it occurs, but it isn’t usually harmful.

So far (knock on wood), it hasn’t really changed size enough to cause alarm, but my doctor asked me why I haven’t had it removed. She thought it was easier to have it removed than to monitor it on a yearly basis.

No one had suggested that before, especially since it hasn’t reached the size protocol for removal. I’m also thinking that if I did that, it could grow back and anything invasive seems to increase the probability of creating something new and different and perhaps even malignant.

I told her my prudent course of action is to continue to get a yearly ultrasound and if stays the same, to continue to do nothing. I don’t believe in slicing and dicing my body parts unless it’s a thousand percent medically necessary.

Waiting for the ultrasound report is always stressful and I hope when it finally gets emailed to me, it’ll reveal no significant change in size or location to the little cyst valiantly clinging to my gallbladder wall — which would be great news and I’ll be able to stop worrying about it — until next year.

Say Goodbye to 2024 | Manifest a Sweet Happy Life

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As we slide into 2025, here’s a timely reminder that gratitude is the highest vibration and there’s always, always something to be grateful for, right?

Enjoy “Sweet Happy Life”, an awesomely uplifting song by Peggy Lee, for once NOT Leon Russell, because my grandkids persist in pleading with me, “NO MORE LEON RUSSELL, GRANDMA!”

Happy New Year!