Category Archives: Activism/Protecting Animals/Politics

Sunday Vibes

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Today’s mood: out of the loop by choice…

I don’t want to hear about that orange POS or worry about WW3 or the economy or ICE or any of the other no good, terrible, very bad things that are going on. I want to bask in my ignorance.

Just for today I want to be the innocent who waters her garden and talks to crows and delights in butterflies and believes in the inherent goodness of humanity.

Curated from Cottage Whimsy / Artist: Naoko Stoop

This Beach Boys song seems to convey the vibe of the day, only good vibes! Here’s Good Vibrations studio footage. I know that Leon Russell played on a version of GV, but I don’t see him here:

It Was a Good Day for a Protest and a Surf: THIS Is What Democracy Looks Like!

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🇺🇸 UPDATE: Conservative estimates place the coast to coast attendance of the #NoKings event more than 13 MILLION defenders of democracy! It’s considered to have been the most successful protest ever organized!

Before the rally, a peaceful ocean view with some decent waves…

And then everyone began to arrive for the protest. It didn’t take long until there were four to five people deep (and more at Offshore), and then we spread out all the way from Tamarack to north of Carlsbad Village Drive. I estimate between 7-10,000 defenders of democracy showed up to be seen and heard. I’ve never experienced such an incredible turnout along with powerful, positive energy. We didn’t witness any trouble from outside agitators, I’m happy to report, HOWEVER…

This is unconfirmed but I heard that a white supremacist group out of Carlsbad was allegedly planning to show up to the No Kings Day protest in armor and armed, with the intent to harm protestors and “non-white” people. According to what I was told, NCIS and the FBI have been monitoring the group’s leader and may already have him in custody—or will soon. But the situation is still uncertain, including whether the group is targeting a specific location. If I hear anything else, I’ll update this post.

One of the most energizing parts of the day was the neverending line of cars driving back and forth on Carlsbad Boulevard honking in support while decorated with their own signage.

San Diego also understood the assignment. SDPD estimates 60,000+ attended today’s No Kings Protest.

Credit to photographer.at CBS news

Did you see the videos from around the world? This is only the beginning and it’s a beautiful thing. Check out New York and Chicago. Here’s LA:

Did you hear about this? An elderly man from Gainesville was one of dozens of veterans arrested outside the U.S. Capitol Building as they protested against Trump’s stupid military (birthday) parade scheduled for Saturday. U.S. Capitol Police confirm Vietnam veteran John Spitzberg, 87, of Gainesville, was arrested for crossing a police line during a demonstration on Friday. HE WAS IN A WALKER FFS.

Officers say around seventy-five veterans were protesting peacefully outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Later, a group of about 60 left and officers began establishing a perimeter.

Arresting an eldery veteran for protesting Trump’s BS parade shows how much this insane administration respects and appreciates veterans.

This is why we show up, chanting, “What does democracy look like? THIS is what democracy looks like!!” 🇺🇸

NO KINGS! Attend June 14 National Day of Action

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I’m so proud of the San Diego community that stood strong to protect and defend the ICE kidnapping that happened on May 30 at a local restaurant, Buona Forchetta.

A video of the ICE raid showed heavily armed and masked agents (modern day Gestapo) dressed in full tactical gear surrounding the restaurant. A large crowd of community members pushed back at the ICE agents, surrounding their vehicles and yelling. The ICE agents deployed flash bang smoke grenades which broke up the crowd.

A local politician questioned why ICE agents were carrying machine guns and “aggressively shoving people against the walls,” handcuffing all the employees. He said the warrant for the raid, which was signed by a federal judge, instructed ICE agents to arrest everyone and detain all the employees.

“I don’t know how a federal judge signs off on that,” he said. “What about the rights of those citizens?” He said the warrant didn’t indicate reference to any of the workers having committed violent crimes.

Another politician said that the TWENTY armed agents who burst into the restaurant traumatized the staff and the owner.

Can you believe this is actually happening? And THIS, too…

The orange POS has planned a military parade in Washington, D.C. for his birthday on June 14. This display of might is intended to intimidate opponents and solidify his image as a strongman on our dime—we won’t stand by while that happens.

Instead of allowing this military farce to overwhelm the day, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.

It’s significant that the new Pope also chose this day to appear in Chicago as hopefully millions of people gather and celebrate the election of its native son — and first North American pontiff — Pope Leo XIV.

Have you seen the news that the orange POS sent the National Guard to Los Angeles EVEN THOUGH our Governor did NOT request their presence?

Did you hear that the orange POS has made it ILLEGAL to wear masks in public UNLESS you’re a member of his ICE gestapo?

Do you understand what is going on? This is not a drill; democracy is in trouble. According to the nonprofit, Third Act, our role is to bring the power and wisdom of elders to this movement, to ensure our voices are heard loud and clear to protect our democracy and our rights.

I think I’ll join my friends and neighbors locally on June 14. Rise up! RESIST!

Lightning, Thunder, and Polar Bear Dreams

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I don’t think these are really connected, but they happened on the same night.

The proof we rarely experience thunderstorms is the fact that there was a flurry of social media posts asking the question, “What was that noise?” “Did anybody else hear it?” “It sounded like a boom, am I the only one who heard it?” “Could it be thunder?”

And yes, it was, because I also heard a strange rumbling in the sky and texted my neighbors to ask if they heard it too. They said they were bewildered for a moment and then agreed that it was, indeed, thunder preceded by lightning, and then it started to rain — not a lot, but any skywater is appreciated.

That event certainly generated a lot of excitement in our little beachy town, that’s for sure.

I went to sleep, happy in the knowledge that my veggies and flowers were having a lovely little drink.

I woke up this morning and remembered a WEIRD dream. I always have vivid, detailed dreams, but this one is strange, even for me.

There was a female polar bear wandering around the front of my house, sniffing at plants and the driveway (weirdly specific), making her way toward the side gate. Following right behind her was a nursing cub that didn’t belong to her and she was sort of ignoring it. How did I know it wasn’t her baby? I have no idea, however, I told the mama bear to nurse the little one because it was hungry, and she did. (I’m bossy like that.)

That’s it. That’s the dream.

How random! How bizarre! I live in Southern California, not in Alaska nor anywhere else in the Arctic. A little research revealed that it’s not all that extraordinary to dream about a nursing polar bear. I guess I’m not as unique as I sometimes think I am!

Additionally, I hadn’t been reading or watching anything about polar bears, so this really and truly came out of nowhere but from the deep recesses of my subconscious.

Polar bears are revered in Inuit culture, representing intelligence, resilience, and the ability to survive in the Arctic. They can also be seen as a symbol of one’s inner strength and resourcefulness.

Dreaming about a polar bear nursing its cub can symbolize nurturing, protection, and the ability to overcome challenges, according to dream interpretation resources. In this context, the polar bear represents strength and resilience, while the cub signifies new beginnings and the importance of protecting vulnerable aspects of yourself or your life. 

  • Nurturing and Protection: The mother bear’s act of nursing her cub in a dream often symbolizes your own nurturing and protective instincts. It can also reflect a desire to shield vulnerable aspects of yourself or your life from harm. 
  • Strength and Resilience: Polar bears are powerful animals known for their ability to survive in harsh conditions. In a dream, they can represent your inner strength and the ability to overcome challenges and setbacks. 
  • New Beginnings: The cub represents new life, growth, and the cycle of change. This dream could signal that you are entering a new phase in your life or that you need to embrace change and renewal. 
  • Overprotectiveness: Dreaming about a polar bear nursing its cub can also highlight overprotective tendencies.  

June Birds: Bursting With Color

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I’m beyond ecstatic to report this awesome news that for the first time ever a California Scrub Jay momma is building her nest here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells.

I’ve been feeding a Scrub Jay family for a long time and they’ve become so trusting that they eat out of my hand, but I’ve never before had one take up residence. The birdhouse is in a fruit-bearing mulberry tree and it’s going crazy this year. Sometimes I harvest all the fruit and make jam and cobblers; haven’t decided if I’ll do it again this season.

I can’t wait to hear and see the babies! Scrub Jays are known for their high intelligence, particularly their abilities in memory, problem-solving, and social cognition. They excel at hiding and remembering food caches, learn new tasks by applying general rules, and even appear to understand the perspective of other jays when deciding where to hide their food.

If that wasn’t awesome enough, check out this (uncommon) Common Yellowthroat OR American Goldfinch–I can’t identify it for sure. I was able to snap a few pictures as they snacked on spent lavender blooms.

What an auspicious start to summer!

Happy June!

What’s Memorial Day All About?

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Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day and I remember we’d always buy red paper poppies to wear. This day honors the sacrifice and loss of those who served and died in the military, while Veterans Day honors all who have served in the U.S. military.

World of Love Hearts

While everyone is honoring the fallen heroes on this Memorial Day, how about the Vietnam veterans who have FALLEN through the cracks?

Did you know there are thousands (maybe more) of Vietnam veterans who were injured during active duty — it’s called a “service-connected injury” — but have no idea they’re even eligible for disability benefits?

Did you know that for those same veterans who have learned they’re eligible, that the entire process to obtain their rightful benefits is such a messed up, convoluted, horribly humiliating process that many of them give up or die before they’re compensated? These are veterans who are in their late seventies or eighties and shouldn’t have to spend their final years fighting for what they deserve.

If you check out some of the veteran disability websites or Reddit, you’ll learn that the overwhelming number of disability applicants are denied and try again and again to establish their legitimate claims — some have waited more than SEVEN YEARS to be approved by a nebulous “board“.

This “board” that makes these decisions are cloaked in mystery. No one at the VA (Veteran’s Administration) will disclose who they are. There is zero transparency.

Some say “Have you contacted your congressperson?” and that’s another rabbit hole of dead-ends. Even though someone I know is represented by one that claims to DO EVERYTHING to help Vietnam veterans, when you ask for specific help, they claim not to be able to do a thing and offer a list of worthless phone numbers for assistance. That’s just another way for government to not do their job–even though that’s the platform they campaigned on.

It’s incredibly disheartening.

As we honor fallen veterans, don’t forget the ones who are still here, suffering; often homeless, and definitely underserved. They’ve fallen through the cracks.

Who’s going to help them?

Welcome May!

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Happy May Day, hopefully you are, you won’t have to send out a Mayday call!

The “MaydayMaydayMayday” distress call originated in the 1920s as a way to communicate a serious emergency.. Frederick Stanley Mockford, a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in England, proposed using “mayday” because it sounded like the French phrase “m’aider” (help me). 

Since the United States is mired in an emergency of chaos and destruction, a mayday call might actually be totally appropriate. HELP US!!!

But May Day is special for other reasons:

May 1 is also International Workers’ Day, a day for workers to celebrate and advocate for their rights. Today is all about demonstrations and activism, particularly related to labor issues and social justice. There are planned events all over the country, and one this afternoon near our beach, too.

In Celtic, May Day or Beltane means “lucky fire.” Beltane is a pagan ritual celebrating the height of spring. Today, people celebrate May Day by making flower crowns and baskets, planting flowers for the spring, decorating their homes in bright colors to embrace the change, nature walks, picnics, and enjoying the outdoors. Bonfires have been a part of Beltane rituals for generations, to dance around fire and rejoice in the wonders of the season. 

I don’t have a maypole to dance around and I prefer to commune with nature and probably will NOT start a bonfire because we haven’t had any rain in a while, so it’s not a great idea.

Happy Beltane!

Art credit to respective creators.

My Stupid Little Town

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Our water district sent out notices about a horrendous and onerous rate increase planned over the next two years.

For example, if you now pay around $71 a month, the rate will shoot up to approximately $119 a month by 2027. That is absolutely unconscionable and a definite hardship for a lot of us.

The law requires a certain period of time for protests and objections but only for due diligence, NOT because they’ll take our opinions into consideration.

Some people wrote letters and a few of us also showed up to speak at the hearing to affirm or deny the rate increase. I realize that this was a futile exercise more based in legality rather than actually caring about the community because our council doesn’t really care at all about the people who live here; they are fully invested in overdevelopment and support all the rate increases from water to trash.

I’m really sorry more people didn’t come to the stupid council meeting yesterday to voice concerns about the egregious water rate increases but I understand — nothing we say or do ever seems to change the outcome of anything that’s done to stop the ruin of this once adorable coastal city.

The reality is that those people on council do not represent the community they are SUPPOSED to represent.

One guy who spoke said he was a civil engineer and actually supported the increase; maybe he was looking for a job? Kiss ass or a plant, I’m not sure.

The city consistently approves more and more low income housing projects but doesn’t think about those same low income residents on pensions, disability, Social Security, and other types of fixed incomes who are (or will become) deeply impacted by our chaotic economy and cuts to services will actually be able to pay for necessities.

Who can afford an increase of $30+ a month? Council is out of touch with real people. They live in a bubble and not only don’t understand-they simply don’t care.

The water district’s millennial spokeshead was angling for a pat on her back as she uptalked this NOT very humble brag…”We eliminated two full time positions to save money.” like that in and of itself should justify their economically burdensome rate increase?

How much is she paid? Team Leaders at this water district are paid an average of $175,000 per year. Others are paid between $47 and $60 per hour. Group Managers earn $270,000 per year. I think we all can figure out where costs could be slashed to pay for our water increase.

I knew it was a waste of time but I showed up anyway and here’s what I said:

“You all need to learn to read the room. How are you continuously so incredibly disconnected from REGULAR people? It makes no economic nor reasonable sense in this seriously screwed up political landscape to raise rates of any sort, especially now.

Look at it another way—you constantly approve building all these low income housing projects, right?

And there are lots of seniors and retired people in Carlsbad, and other low income families on Section 8– so how do you expect this demographic who rely on some sort of fixed income to pay for these egregious increases when their FIXED income doesn’t match the increased cost? 

Haven’t you thought this through, this macro picture? Do you all live in a bubble?

If the stock market continues to implode, if Social Security and disability is reduced or completely cut, if pensions and public assistance are wiped out, WHO IS going to be able to afford the increased water rates? 

It makes no sense. THIS IS NOT THE TIME. I strongly and LOUDLY object and protest the tone deaf water rate increase.

This rate increase is beyond ridiculous, especially in these uncertain economic times.

It’s an egregious misuse of power to increase financial hardship for those of us who don’t know if we’ll even have a job or are on tenuous fixed incomes. You need to radically correct this type of financial exploitation. It’s an economic burden we do not need to carry.

The truth is that you do not need any rate increase; what you need to do is LOWER your water rates.”

And then I looked at the entire council’s facial valences that communicated zero emotion, negative OR positive as they stared at me with flat affects, and ended my three minutes with, “Crickets again, I see. What a disappointment you all are.”

Featured photo by Enchanted Seashells

Happy Earth Day! 🌎

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I attended the very first Earth Day celebration in 1970 at Balboa Park in San Diego with a crowd of about 70,000 people. The weather was beautiful, about 68 degrees, and I must have skipped school that Wednesday.

I can’t remember who I went with or how I got there but I do recall walking from booth to booth looking for free stuff and having an unpleasant encounter with a San Diego cop, probably about being truant.

There is a vague recollection that I swore at him and he got all puffed up and intimidating, threatened to call my dad until I told him to go ahead, my dad was a lawyer…and then he walked away. Miss you, Daddy, and thank you!

Gaia, known as the mother goddess, was the personification of Earth. She’s described as a caring and nurturing mother figure to all of her children, plants, and other living creatures on this planet.

We’re all children of Gaia, Earth Mother, no matter where we live.

Here’s a photo of boats from my little slice of earth at Agua Hedionda Lagoon, along with a lone paddleboarder.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I walked along a trail high above the water and this view seemed like it could be anywhere in the world, but it’s right here in SoCal.

If we take care of Mother Earth, she’ll take care of us.

With this new administration of chaos and darkness, they seem determined to destroy as much of our environmental protections as they’re doing to democracy and the constitution, so it’s not such a happy day, after all.

Repeating History | Where We Are

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This is exactly where we are. It’s happening all over again, but this time, HERE, in the United States. Who will have the necessary courage to stop this nightmare?

January 13, 1943
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank – Anne Frank

From media sources:

+ Did you all see the video of the ICE agent breaking a car window near the border? He wasn’t an ICE agent. He’s the founder of Veterans on Patrol, a FAR-RIGHT MILITIA patrolling the border for migrants. They’re basically deputizing militias to act as federal agents. This is dangerously out of control.

+ A U.S. born citizen was arrested in Florida for entering the state as an “unauthorized alien.” His mother and a community advocate showed his birth certificate during a hearing in Leon County. The judge said she had no authority to release him. Update: He has now been released.

+ This happened in Boston. Trump’s ICE Gestapo took away a little girl in a Winnie the Pooh shirt who was on her way to school.

+ A 19 year-old living in New York — Family has an asylum case pending with no criminal record or tattoos, ICE grabbed him and two other boys right at the entrance to his building. One said: ‘No, he’s not the one,’ like they were looking for someone else. But the other said: ‘Take him anyway,’” he recalled. He is in CECOT (El Salvador)

Even more disgusting and tone deaf to the destruction of democracy and while all of this is going on around us, was the spectacle of half a dozen entitled women taking a very expensive ten minute joyride to cosplay being an astronaut.

The Blue Origin “flight” took the women more than sixty-two miles above Earth, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space and giving them a few moments of weightlessness. It’s an insult to every real astronaut who spent years training for space exploration. I. CAN’T. EVEN.