Category Archives: All Posts

Autumn Leaves

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And Autumn did say.
“Why the hurry, such a hurry
Why such haste to end the day
Slow down, slow down I say
Look around
For there’s so much beauty,
just waiting to be found.”
Athey Thompson

It’s time to take a few deep breaths, slow down, and discover joy in fallen crimson leaves, joined together by a sudden gust of wind.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

It seems like eons ago that we had that heatwave I thought would never end, but the temp has cooled down quite a bit.

We still haven’t had any rain, but it’s a comfortable Southern California autumn with cool evenings and pleasantly warm days, not too hot or too cold.

Like Goldilocks found Baby Bear’s bowl of oatmeal in The Three Bears, it’s “just right.”

African Violets: Tender Loving Care

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My plant obsession isn’t all about monsteras and fiddle leaf figs, I lovelove African Violets, too.

The African violet symbolizes devotion, faithfulness, and commitment. They’re also supposed to be great for indoor air purification because African violets absorb toxins.

They appear delicate and precious but they’re actually quite hardy and sturdy and not really high maintenance at all, at least not in my opinion. The flowers last for a long time.

Their botanical name is Saintpaulia and they belong to the Gesneriaceae genus. I started propagating my own violets a few years ago. Creating new life gives me a great deal of pleasure, plus it’s pretty easy, so there’s a high success rate.

A couple of my very own babies are flowering. I’m so proud of them!

They’re not too finicky or hard to take care of if you follow a few tips:

❀ Don’t water from the top and try not to get the leaves wet.

❀ They love bright, indirect light.

❀ Fertilize about once a month.

❀ Some websites suggest an Epsom salt drench every two weeks to assist flowering.

❀ Remove dead or faded flowers.

❀ They don’t like to be too wet or too dry, I use filtered water because our SoCal tap water is disgusting.

❀ It’s almost funny but the best performing violets are in the smallest pots, much smaller than you’d think for dinner plate sized foliage.

❀ Propagating is simple. The traditional method of propagating violet leaves is to place the stem into water until roots begin to grow. Select a healthy leaf. It doesn’t take very long for roots to form.

Good luck!

Autumnal Equinox in My Zen Den

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One of the Angel Kids came in, looked around the living room, and said, “Grandma, you turned this room into a zen den!”

I had never heard of that term before; apparently he heard about it from one of Mom’s friends.

A Zen room is a tranquil space designed for meditation, reflection, and relaxation. It draws inspiration from Zen Buddhism’s principles of simplicity, mindfulness, and harmony with nature. 

Recently, my love/obsession for indoor plants has spilled out all over the house to every available space, and the living room is no exception. I found an awesome boho rug and switched out some 90s burgundy drapes for a softer, more gentle mauve. I already had lots of pillows and crystals, rocks, and seashells, so it wasn’t such a drastic change.

If I hadn’t almost burned down the house a few times (truth), I’d add to the ambiance with a few dozen candles, but I don’t think it’s a great idea based on my track record.

It’s a sanctuary, a safe haven, a great place to play Scrabble, work on puzzles with the Angels, or listen to them play in the “mansion”, which is what we call their giant doll house that’s five feet tall and so big that we set it up in the living room.

“We like it down here, Grandma.” That’s all I needed to hear. My zen den is a success. It really does have a serene, peaceful vibe, and I’m happy they could feel it, too.

It’s a great place to quiet the mind and think about the autumnal equinox, free of TV or other distractions.

According to Isis Channelings, this equinox represents the balance of light and dark, and falls within a highly karmic dark night of the soul eclipse gateway. It’s like a bandage has been ripped out and all our wounds are exposed and demanding to be seen .

Dream time is intense right now and can bring much clarity and insights from our subconscious which could prove useful as we navigate these emotional tidal waves.

Enjoy twelve equal hours of light and dark, the first day of fall, and celebrate Mabon and honor Mother Earth by eating apples, decluttering, and don’t forget to write in a gratitude journal.

Word Of The Day: Hurkle-durkle

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Hurkle-durkle is one of my favorite words to say out loud, along with hygge.

To hurkle-durkle means “to lie in bed or lounge about when one should be up and about”.

It’s a legit 19th century Scottish word and nobody embodied it better than my darling Bandit…my undercover lover.

She was an expert hurkle-durkler. I have this exact photo framed, on the wall facing my bed, so I can absorb her beautiful essence every day. I’ll never stop missing that little girl.

I’m not a great hurkle-durkler; like my Angel Boys, as soon as I wake up, I jump out of bed to get the day started, but when Bandit was still alive, sleeping under the covers, it was really hard to leave her hot little purring body. She’d still be there when I came back to make the bed — my Bandit was a next-level sleeper, that’s for sure.

Full Moon Dreams

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Art Marsis

This full moon + lunar eclipse sparked such wild dreams that I’m almost afraid to fall asleep. Has this happened to you?

Last night I dreamed that I was in a large supermarket which is kind of unusual for me because I do most of my real life shopping at Traders and Sprouts. I stood in the checkout line with a shopping cart full of food. When it was my turn to pay, I realized that I didn’t have any money or any credit cards; they had disappeared from my wallet. I was SO embarrassed and had to leave the store. People were watching me in that covert, silently judgmental way.

To make matters worse, I couldn’t locate my car. It’s not that I forgot where it was; my car had been stolen. When I thought about it, I realized that my credit cards had also been stolen, so I called the police, sat on the curb and waited.

That’s when I woke up.

I hate it when I don’t have a satisfactory resolution to my dreams; the feeling of loss and confusion can linger for hours after I wake up. Now I’ll never know who stole my car and credit cards. I’m still there, sitting on the curb, sad and stressed out.

I don’t even want to research the symbolism of that dream; I just want to forget it.

“Thanks, full moon, for a disturbing night’s sleep.”

Because I love to add music to posts, here’s Neil Young’s Harvest Moon:

If Each Day…

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Since we’re on the precipice of September’s supermoon and a lunar eclipse, powerful cosmic energies unfold, encouraging us to reflect on the past and prepare for positive transformations.

Again, as above, so below. Are you ready?

(Featured image by Enchanted Seashells)

Hearts + Seashells = Love

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World of Love Hearts

I’m going to use this as a template for my next seashell craft.

I love the way it incorporates rocks, too. I haven’t felt inspired like this since I first made several seashell bouquets, and I’ll post a tutorial when it’s finished.

First, I have to decide if I’m going to frame it or hang it by a ribbon, so that’ll determine what kind of base is needed, and now that I’m thinking about it, this will be a great project for the Angel Kids, too. Seashells really do equal LOVE!

Happy Saturday!

Meet Mr. Toad

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Besides my sweet lizard, there’s another eligible bachelor vying for my attention…

A few days ago as I was tidying up the family room, I noticed some ODD movement on a big corn plant leaf (Dracaena fragrans Massangeana) near the patio doors. There was no breeze so it was a bit unsettling to watch the leaf move up and down. I hastily picked up the plant and placed it outside on the deck.

Out jumped this little guy! I don’t know how long he had been living there, well-camouflaged, but I thought the outdoors would be a more suitable environment.

Mr. Toad is a very handsome young man, but not all that photogenic. He’s a bit camera shy and kept running behind a pot while I was trying to snap a pic.

I guess he finds enough to eat because he and my lizard love seem to peacefully co-exist.

In most ancient civilizations, toads were synonymous with transformation and renewal. These mysterious creatures are capable of shedding their skins and reincarnating in new ones, signifying rebirth and regeneration. In Chinese folklore, they were believed to be spirits of blessing and prosperity for everyone they encountered. Native American traditions also hold spiritual convictions about toads, which they view as messengers of the soul world.

Attracting toads to our garden naturally controls pests and enhances biodiversity, creating a healthier and more balanced ecosystem.

Frogs, lizards, toads; there’s lots of reptile love around here!

Among The Trees

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WHEN I AM AMONG THE TREES

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come into the world to do this,
to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”

Poem by Mary Oliver
Art curated from Pinterest

in a dream

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I’ve been having strange dreams again. Apparently the 9/9 portal might be the culprit, or maybe it’s a result of this oppressive heat wave in Southern California, which seems as if it will never end.

The 9/9 Energy Portal is a sacred gateway of powerful energies that invites us to step into a time of profound spiritual growth, completion, and transformation. As the energies of the cosmos align, this portal opens the door to new beginnings, urging us to reflect, release, and renew our inner selves. angelladycrystalsboutique.com

In numerology, the number 9 is the symbol of completion, wisdom, and spiritual enlightenment.

These two dreams were the most intense:

I was waiting in the cell phone lot at the airport for a friend’s arrival when I got a notification that their flight was abruptly diverted to India. It made no sense, but that’s all I remember, except for feeling distraught because there was nothing I could do. Southern California diverted to India? Not to LA or Orange County, but halfway around the world? How odd is that? How random…and I can’t explain how inconsolable and dejected I felt as I had to drive home alone.

In the other dream, it started out OK, because, as I often do in real life, I ran up the steps to the top of my garden at dusk to look for coyotes. (That’s how I actually broke my wrist once upon a time.) However, in the dream, my backyard morphed into a recurring dream location that’s a mountainous hiking trail with a steep ridge. Crazy, but I often dream of this place which is more like Joshua Tree than anywhere else I can recall.

When I got to the top (no coyotes this time) and looked down, I thought I was following the garden trail back home, but the backyard no longer existed as I was now in that recurring dream place.

The sun disappeared completely into a dark and moonless night. It was cold and I realized that I was frightfully lost. I couldn’t find my way home. I started down one wrong trail after another, but there wasn’t any path that took me to a familiar place and my head was spinning with panic.

Still dreaming, I figured the best solution would be to simply stop aimlessly wandering and wait for the morning light as I was becoming more and more agitated. I wanted to go HOME.

That’s when I woke up. It was unsettling to feel so disoriented. I have no idea what it all means, but I thought of that Steve Winwood song, Cant Find My Way Home. I like this acoustic version: