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!

Foot Fascination

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Due to a communications mixup, I didn’t get to see the new podiatrist until today.

Lemme back up…about a month ago, my foot started to hurt after a long walk. At first I thought it was a stress fracture, but there was no bruising.

Pretend doc that I think I am, I decided it was a joint or tendon injury: extensor tendonitis and possibly capsulitis of the second metatarsal. I wore a boot in the house, iced it, soaked in epsom salts, taped it up with KT tape, and did a lot of stretching.

Refusing to give in to the pain, I forced my poor foot to go on long walks that were excruciatingly painful.

Finally, this morning, I got an xray and waited for the doc. Actually there were two of them that came in to see me, ‘cos I guess it was a slow Monday. They asked me what happened and I gave them both the benefit of my ZERO years of medical school.

I was pretty chatty and finally, one of them broke in and said, “How’d you like to look at the xray?”

I said, “Well, you could have shut me up about five minutes ago haha”, but he said he liked listening to my diagnosis, even though I was totally wrong.

The xray left no doubt as to what the problem is IT’S a COMPLETELY BROKEN stress fracture at the base of the toe and not healing because I kept re-injuring it.

My initial diagnosis was correct! I should have gone to medical school for real, oh well, too late now…

I hate my feet, I really do, they’re tiny but completely deformed from too many years of ballet and toe-crushing pointe shoes, in addition to breaking every toe multiple times because I’m CARELESS. I call them my fat little trotters.

I can’t walk anywhere for two weeks, I have to wear a hiking boot in the house, I can’t go barefoot at all, and I had to promise to actually and truly wear the boot so I wouldn’t be forced to have an aircast up to my knee. In other words, my foot needs to be completely immobilized.

On the plus side, they told me I had the softest feet they had ever seen, (which was only slightly weird) and they loved my high arches–from an anatomical perspective. The docs said I should see the rest of the feet THEY have to look at all day, and in that regard, my feet were a PLEASURE. LOL. AND that my sunny disposition cheered them both up because they were having a not-so-great Monday. We spent a lot of time laughing which made me happy, too.

There’s a SLIGHT chance I’ll have to have surgery in January, but only if it doesn’t finish healing correctly if I disregard their expert advice.

That’s my Monday, I hope yours is less fraught with injury!

Daytime Moon

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I love seeing the moon during the day even though it’s so very confusing.

Daytime Moon

In the morning
When the sun
Is shining down
On every one,
It’s very strange
To see the moon,
Large and like
A pale balloon,
Drifting over
Roof and tree
Without one star
For company…
~ Dorothy Aldis, American children’s author and poet (1896-1966).

Chanel and a Sort Of Moral Dilemma

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Here’s the story…

I found an adorable pair of Chanel CC logo earrings on Amazon, not real, but “replica” and so sparkly that I purchased them. I don’t normally go for fake anything but these looked a lot like my real Chanel necklace, and I thought what the heck, I’ll just return them if they’re not great, plus I lose earrings so often that I’d be totally freaked out if I lost one that cost hundreds of dollars.

The delivery tracking number wasn’t working so I messaged the seller. She immediately responded, said things were unfortunately delayed and she was very sorry, issued a refund, and told me if they did arrive, keep them as a gift from her.

Well…two days late — today — they DID arrive and they are even more sweet than I had imagined.

What would you do?

Here’s what I did: I emailed the seller, told her I received them, and asked her to either give me an address so I could send a check OR re-charge my card.

Again, she responded promptly:

I am very sorry for the delay of the package,
So you don’t have to pay, you can keep it,
thanks.
GOOD DAY,

Here they are. I never expected to receive such an awesome gift, but I feel much better about keeping the earrings knowing that I offered to pay and she still wants me to keep them!

The earrings look perfect with my (real) Chanel necklace.

Would you have tried to pay or would you have not bothered to make the effort based on the first email?

Of course this wasn’t a life altering moral dilemma, just one of those medium-sized quandaries that pop up in our lives on a daily basis to test our character.

Kindness Matters

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In color or black and white, the message is the same. I found these cups on the clearance rack for two dollars each. TWO DOLLARS!

In these photos, it appears that the paint might be chipped off a couple letters, but it’s only the lighting. They are perfect and not damaged in any way.

I couldn’t resist. I needed to rescue them and bring them to a good home, a KIND home.

Happy Saturday!

Yes, it does.

Can You Spot the Typo?

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Honestly, does anybody still know how to spell OR proofread OR edit their work?

This sticker is on every single gas pump–at least in my area, and it REALLY annoys me. If I knew who to call to lodge a complaint and demand a correction, I would, but there’s no company info.

By the way, do you have any idea how much I DETEST pumping gas? I let the tank get down to empty every. single. time. It’s one of the little life tasks that I absolutely ABHORE, and this desecration of a common word irritated the hell out of me yesterday when I was forced by circumstance to find a gas station or push my car home.

I discovered this gem, kinder than I’d be…” In the end, we’re only human, and humans make mistakes. That doesn’t mean we can’t do our best to avoid them. Be aware of common errors, learn from other’s mistakes, and take necessary steps to check your work. As author Randolph Hock warns, “If there are spelling and grammatical errors, assume that the same level of attention to detail probably went into the gathering and reporting of the ‘facts’ given on the site.”” https://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/blog/why-spelling-errors-affect-business/

(Also this, as pointed out by an eagle-eyed friend who questioned this: “Buildup is a noun that refers to an increase in something, like plaque on one’s teeth. Build up is a noun phrase that means to accrue or increase something.”)

Did you spot the typo? Let me know in comments…

I Like Big Rocks and I Cannot Lie

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I never liked that song by Sir Mix-a-Lot ‘cos it seemed sexist and disrespectful but I love hiking and I love big rocks. I also see what appears to be the head of a dinosaur.

#wordlesswednesday

Twisty Cucumber Vine

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Here’s the last of the summer cucumbers trained to climb up and around this singular post that seems to have the gigantic job of holding up most of the second story. Or it’s the third story, cos I can’t really figure out how this tri-level house works.

We had a HUGE thunder and lightening and rainstorm last night and my garden is SO happy. Fingers crossed this means we might have a rainy year and end the drought.

“Are you my Grandma?”

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I got the Covid booster at my local CVS because it was easier and closer than the location my doc’s office was using. I didn’t want to drive home all the way from Del Mar just in case I had another allergic reaction.

**** You can read about that experience HERE: https://enchantedseashells.com/2021/01/23/rainbows-ivs-my-covid-vaccine-experience/ ****

There was a line even though we all had appointments, but I was glad to see so many people getting vaccines and boosters.

The woman behind me had her four-year-old daughter with her and clearly didn’t anticipate a wait so she hadn’t brought any books or toys for her little girl who was becoming slightly impatient. (Me too!)

I’ve learned that sometimes it helps to distract kids by engaging in conversation and told her how much I liked her sparkly shirt and that did it; I had a friend for life! She responded by telling me she loved my curly hair. I showed her photos of my adorable Angel Kids, the one with hair curlier than mine and the other with fiery titian hair.

“Hey, mom, LOOK! She has red hair just like me!”

“Are you my grandma too?

“No, honey, I’m grandma to this little boy and this little girl.”

“Can I see more pictures?”

Her mom nodded approval, so we spent a few minutes looking at pictures of T and C, which distracted her until it was my turn for the vaccine and we said goodbye.

It wasn’t as fulfilling as spending time with my own angels, but it still felt good to share some of my grandma magic.

It’s been an hour post-booster, and I guess I’ll live. I had a very slight allergic reaction, a little throat issue and asthma. They brought me Gatorade and readied an EpiPen but I didn’t need it because my albuterol inhaler helped forestall a severe respiratory issue. Even thought I had forced hydration for the last couple of days, I was PARCHED and drank the giant thirty two ounce bottle in about five minutes.

When I got home, I took Benadryl and Tylenol because I already had a headache and chills which tells me that I still have a robust immune system, nothing that ginger tea and a soft blanket can’t fix.

Oh, and the nice people from CVS gave me stickers for my Angel Kids, so I’m a happy, fully vaxxed grandma.

Another Critter Visit; Preparing for the Covid Booster

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Another critter somehow got in the house and spoke to me all night, maybe to reassure me that I won’t have a similar allergic reaction to the Covid booster I’m getting tomorrow morning that I had for the first vaccine. Honestly, it was kind of scary and I’m not looking forward to a repeat performance.

This time it was a cicada. I’ve heard them before in the garage, but I’ve never had one in the house, chirping ALL NIGHT LONG like a worn out smoke alarm battery.

Of course I had to research it…

Cicadas, for many, represent personal change, renewal, rebirth, and transformation. OK, that’s positive; good to know.

The cicada sings by contracting the internal tymbal muscles. This causes the membranes to buckle inward, producing a distinct sound. When these muscles relax, the tymbals pop back to their original position. Male cicadas in the same brood will stick together when calling in order to increase the total volume of noise.

California cicadas aren’t destructive creatures like the Brood X variety, but having one in the house is REALLY annoying!

Cicada appeared over 200 million years ago, all over the world in temperate to tropical climates.

A baby Cicada, called a nymph, remains in underground regions often near trees, waiting until its ready for birth. The pause that occurs before awakening doesn’t seem unusual until you learn the waiting period ranges anywhere from one year to seventeen! Because of this, Cicada became a symbol of immortality, resurrection, spiritual ecstasy, synchronicity, harmony with the Universe, and clever strategy.

The Greeks found themselves fascinated by the Cicada, believing it was sacred to Apollo and Dionysus. Aristotle littered various writing with Cicada meanings, focusing on the topics of rebirth and eternal life. In one of Plato’s dialogues, he and Socrates sit among the Cicada for deep, metaphorical discussion with a strong musical motif. Socrates muses, saying the Cicada are local nymph-like spirits who inhabit the land and sing. Their canticle includes stories of Pan and other Nature Gods filled with joy. The Cicada chorus renders inspiration to people with an ear to hear and even inspires love with lyrical prowess.

Could a cicada be your spirit animal? When the cicada comes into your awareness as a spirit animal, a time of emergence is at hand. You can no longer hide underground or sit on life’s sidelines. It’s time to stand up and work on self-development.

The cicada spirit animal hums to you about the past, metamorphosis, and changes yet to come. It is time for shaking off the restrictions you’ve put on yourself (or imposed by others). Cicada signals shedding your old skin so you can stretch in the way you express yourself. The process will seem a little uncomfortable at first. Examining elements of your past so you understand how they hold you back isn’t easy and requires a lot of honesty. Once you release old ways like the cicada, however, you re-emerge into life and blossom.
https://d2605da9b070c6b91e40be2ab2e53847.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Cicada spirit animal challenges you to work on your communication skills while you walk with it. You need to find your true voice.

Whether the  cicada appears in dreams, visions, waking life or synchronicities, it is a sign and message that you are elevating. The cicada represents illumination, empowerment, insight, breaking through, and having a sense of humor with leaving others to figure out their own spiritual means. You are in this life because you are being entrusted to learn what is necessary for you. Forgive others, let them go so that whatever you do not tolerate, they can be that with those who do. You are not responsible for them. https://www.powerfulmystic8.com/sacred-spirit-shaman-blog/2018/6/27/shamanic-dream-symbols-cicada-bug

Thank goodness for Google!

I’m forcing a lot of hydration today to hopefully forestall another allergic reaction to the vaccine, but I anticipate a high fever and headache is in the future for me after that. My immune system is very sensitive to all vaccines. No crystal ball needed.

Bunny Love

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I’m writing this post from the dentist’s office where I’m waiting for the lidocaine to take effect. This time it’s merely to replace the temporary crowns with the permanent ones, but I have time to share a couple of photos from yesterday.

Happy October 1 from a couple of my bunnies.

They LOVE watermelon!