Category Archives: All Posts

Angel Numbers (514) and Life Path Numbers (11)

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It’s so weird. I’ve been seeing this sequence of numbers (514) for a couple of years.

I see it all the time; on clocks, my phone, the oven, a timer, auto license plates — any and everywhere one might observe a series of numbers.

Since I was already aware of the significance of 11:11 and 1:11, I figured it might be symbolic to see recurring numbers — and especially 514, which is personally significant since it’s my birthdate.

I’ve always loved my birthday because every few years it falls on Mother’s Day, so I get a double celebration. A friend with psychic abilities told me that 514 could be a sign that my mom is around, offering love, support, and guidance. Whether it’s true or not (the jury’s still out on all that stuff), I appreciate the thought.

My life path number is 11 which means I’m supposed to be nurturing, highly sensitive, intuitive, a natural leader, an old soul, and a healer. That’s all good and fairly accurate, I guess.

What’s your life path number? Add up all the numbers in your birthdate including the year, and check it out. Is it accurate for you?

Vibrant Pacific Northwest

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Here’s a tour of the dramatic, colorful state of Washington:

Check out the Northern Lights (My son took these pics of the Aurora Borealis, not me)

A spectacular sunset, no filters needed:

Leaves in full color; red…

…and yellow:

So very green, the rainforest of the Pacific Northwest:

Morning blues:

Evening; a kaleidoscope of colors during sundown on the Salish Sea:

A Lifetime of Waiting

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“Patience is not sitting and waiting,
it is foreseeing.
It is looking at the thorn and seeing the rose,
looking at the night and seeing the day.” Rumi

I was thinking about how much time I’ve spent waiting for people and things in my lifetime.

Just now, the original Angel Boy (son) said, “Wait a minute, I told you I’d walk with you at noon.”

“OK”, I said, “I’ll wait.”

While I’m waiting for him, I decided to be productive and jot down my thoughts.

I’ve waited at music and gymnastics lessons, I’ve waited to pick up kids after school, I’ve waited for doctor’s appointments, I’ve waited for cars to be repaired, I’ve waited for loved ones to come home, I’ve spent countless hours waiting at the airport.

I guess you could say that waiting is a big part of being a mom. We wait for them to lift their heads, to crawl, to walk, to speak, to read, to grow. It’s all about waiting.

I can’t even do the math to figure out how many years I’ve spent waiting, in limbo, for anyone and everyone.

One would think that all that waiting indicates a high level of patience, but I’m not a patient person; I just surrender and radically accept the action of waiting because there’s nothing else to do.

Most of the time I bring a book and read to make the time go faster, and that helps me feel like I’m DOING SOMETHING.

I’m still waiting because Angel Boy’s idea of a “minute” is not the same as mine…I told him I was leaving without him and again, he told me to wait.

So I’m waiting.

What happens next in this scenario is that he’ll find me and say, “Hurry up! I thought you were ready. Let’s GO!” As if I haven’t been waiting for him all this time. LOL.

I literally just said, “I’ve been waiting my whole life to see the northern lights.”

And I hope I do. Hope springs eternal, and that’s exactly what waiting feels like; an eternity.

let her be

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Let her be
For her heart is filled with stardust
Her soul is as wild and free
As the wind

A Little Poem by Athey Thompson
Art by Roger Guinee

Word Of The Day: Kahu

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This time of year is when I really miss all my babies that have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge.

I never felt as if I “owned” them; I always felt as if I was their caretaker and protector and that we were a loving family, so I was profoundly touched when I learned there was a word to describe that concept.

Kahu is a Hawaiian word with a deep spiritual meaning, as it implies that the person and their pet are connected on a spiritual level. 

Kahu is a guardian; person who is entrusted with the safekeeping of something precious, a protector, steward, beloved attendant.

In Hawaiian culture, the relationship between a person and their pet is described as a kahu relationship. 

That sounds about right, the way to describe what is most precious. The word kahu, and what it means, is incredibly beautiful, so much more accurate than being referred to as our furbaby’s “owner”.

Happy New Year 5785!

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The elephant in the room is what’s happening in Israel. October 7 will mark one year since the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip and Israel. It’s the fifth war of the Gaza–Israel conflict since 2008, and the most significant military engagement in the region since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. I don’t have an opinion to share because I think all the killing is terrible with horrendous collateral damage.

Now is the time for an end to war and hope for long lasting peace.

Happy New Year! Shana tovah!

Rosh Hashanah is one of Judaism’s holiest days. It’s also a powerful new moon, which enhances the overall spirituality of this holiday.

Meaning “head of the year” or “first of the year,” Rosh Hashanah — the Jewish new year — marks the creation of the world.

It also marks the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. 

As is the custom with all new years, it’s a time to reflect on the past and how we can improve in the future.

This is the time for apples and honey to represent a sweet new year, to be eaten with challah bread and pomegranate seeds.

L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu
“May you be inscribed [in the Book of Life] for a good year.”

Life Goals

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Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

— Mary Oliver

world of love hearts

Garden Crimes

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Look at these poor tomatoes. It’s a tragedy...

I’ve shared lots of stories about our plight with RATS here in SoCal; for whatever reason — whether it’s overbuilding or decimation of natural predators — many neighborly conversations are about the growing rodent populations.

Because rats love tomatoes, I use mesh bags to protect my beautiful heirlooms from being vandalized and I check on them daily.

Look at that photo...a rat ate through the bag to ravage a gorgeous tomato that was just beginning to turn color. I harvested the rest of them even though they’re green because I refuse to feed those disgusting, destructive, villainous vermin.

I had anticipated simply slicing the heirlooms to enjoy with homegrown basil. I am so sad; it’s a crime against humanity!

I wondered if it was safe to still eat the mangled tomato if I chopped off a large area around the bite and cleaned it really well, but I learned that it’s not worth the risk of any saliva-borne diseases that may have infected the whole tomato, so I had to toss them out. That was PAINFUL.

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!