Ever so gently
Just as we
Shall be
Let them all be
Let the ladybirds on a rose bush be
Let the worms deep down in the earth be
Let all the little creatures come to me
Let all the elementals come to see
Ever so knowingly
Just as we
Shall be
Let them all be
A little poem by Athey Thompson
Art by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite and Elaine Bayley
Lately, I’ve been acting like Sherlock Holmes in my quirky attempts to capture this elusive Monarch butterfly. It’s like she knowingly teases me–such a coquette–flitting all around but never staying in one place long enough to capture her beauty. “Here I am; oops, now I’m gone. Catch me if you can!”
Yesterday, my patience paid off!
Purely bewitching…
FYI…did you know that the brilliant Leon Russell was the pianist on Bob Lind’s recording of his song, Elusive Butterfly? It’s TRUE, Leon was everywhere with his musical genius.
Here’s she is, in all her glory on the flowering California native sumac, joined by a couple of friendly bees:
The money shot: symmetry, color, perfection…
Check out this older post with video of Bob Lind and Elusive Butterfly.
Along with today’s rare alignment of Mars conjunct Uranus in Taurus, one of the most impactful astrological events of the year, July’s full moon is next Sunday and I can already feel the energy, how about you?
My dreams are crazy intense. I dreamt of whales swirling all around, smiling at me. There were other, darker, sadder dreams that woke me up and gloomily lingered for the rest of the day, but the whales only brought a delightful yearning to speak to them and join in their song.
This is the juvenile California Gray Whale that became lost and almost dangerously stranded in our lagoon.
Lucky me got several super close up photos and videos. At one point, his eyes locked onto mine and I tried to mentally direct him back to the open ocean so he could join his mom. Eventually he did, but I’m sure I had nothing to do with it.
It was an otherworldly experience, as are all my whale and dolphin sightings. There is no greater joy than the exquisite joy that brings tears from our heart and soul.
Did you know that a family of bunnies is called a “fluffle”?
My garden is home to a fluffle of wild rabbits. Sometimes they frustrate me because they eat every single blade of grass, even pulling out the roots, and it’s literally impossible to reseed the bare spots they create.
This is where the ambivalence comes from; a love/hate kind of feeling. On one hand, they’re cute, especially the babies, but rabbits can be quite destructive, and there’s not much that deters them.
One of my neighbors who complained about a similar problem suggested shaving Ivory or Irish Spring soap around the area to discourage the buns and I might try that to see if it really works or if it’s an urban myth.
However, this little guy greets me every morning when I open the patio doors. He’s always perched on the deck bench and devours grape leaves.
What’s even freakier is that he sits at the screen door and watches me, even at night. I have to remember to securely latch the screen because I think he’s trying to come in the house.
Because of all the rain early in the year, the vines grew crazy big. I covered the grape clusters with little white mesh bags to save them from the buns and other critters, but I’m happy to share a few leaves, especially since they’re pesticide-free.
Stupidstupid tourists just won’t stay away. I don’t know why they feel they need to either taunt the sea lions or take an idiotic selfie with them.
The Children’s Pool in La Jolla is closed to the public during pupping season from December 15 through May 15. The recent opening of the area has lead to the usual STUPIDLY dangerous interactions between people and wildlife.
Recent videos have popped up on social media capturing some of the troubling interactions between people and wildlife at the Children’s Pool. Some involve crowds gathering too close to seals on the beach. Others have seals and sea lions barking at swimmers in the water, one even has a sea lion chasing imbecilic humans.
I think these are the same types of people who get too close to the bison at Yellowstone National Park and are injured by them. I believe that’s the classic definition of instant karma, don’t you agree?
I’ll be happy when tourist season is over, that’s for sure. A friend who lives nearby has made it her life’s mission to protect the sea lions from harm and she says the harassment this year is far worse than in the past. WTF is wrong with people???
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In other startling news, neighbors and I received a Ring video about a brazen daytime burglary that had just occurred on my street, a couple blocks away.
Two masked, gloved, and hooded men carrying plastic bags were seen entering a home through the backyard. How scary is that!
On my way to the post office to mail a package to the Angel Kids, I drove right by the house as it was being robbed, which is a freaky thought.
Police were swarming the area and when I went out to talk to them, I was informed that the criminals had NOT been caught and the police were gathering evidence and taking statements.
I didn’t see a whole lot of active detective work going on, no forensic van had pulled up, nothing like you see on TV, so I’m not exactly sure what they were doing, but I know we are all on high alert.
It’s not clear exactly how the burglars gained access or what was taken, but I have a feeling the home didn’t have security or it wasn’t armed, because the police weren’t notified until a couple hours after the robbery occurred.
I’ll post any future updates if and when the perps are apprehended, OR if there are more incidents.
I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy Independence Day. Let’s also think about what this day means for our animals.
Every year when Legoland sets off fireworks around here, dozens of terrified dogs run away. You can hear people calling out for their missing pets and the next day, there’s a plethora of sad posts online and missing pet posters taped to telephone poles.
Some of these dogs never come back home; they get hit by cars or become easy targets for coyotes. If they’re lucky and get picked up by animal control, I hope everyone chips their pets so they can be reunited.
Fireworks traumatize pets AND wildlife. My own Border Collie, Victor, was so scared that he’d crawl under the desk and his whole body would tremble until they were over.
Fireworks may also trigger PTSD in veterans, did you know that? It’s important to have a plan to help veterans if they are around fireworks so that they feel more relaxed and aren’t feeling threatened.
In my opinion, all fireworks should be banned and replaced by laser light shows.
Fireworks suck.
As if on cue, summer finally arrived during the solstice with intense heat and abundant sunshine. Around Casa de Enchanted Seashells, a couple new friends visit every day.
Here’s my Red Shouldered hawk, who looks directly at me as he scouts the garden for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He’s so, so gorgeous.
He’s always on the same branch in my ash tree.
This BIG skunk is probably the same one who sprayed my neighbor’s dog not once, but twice. The photo is a bit grainy because it was almost dark and I was way closer than I should have been. If I had startled him, I’d still be bathing in tomato juice right now!
Happy Monday!
I helped this monarch butterfly escape from being trapped in the fence and she flew away unharmed.
And just when the darkness
became too much to bear
and the struggle too hard,
the light broke through
and the caterpillar emerged
a butterfly
delicate but unbroken,
wild and gentle,
finally free to spread its lovely wings
and fly away on the wind. --L.R. Knost
In one of my favorite photos, my resident family of Scott’s Orioles rarely stay in one place long enough to take a pic that’s not blurry, but I got lucky this time. This guy impatiently waits for the grapes to ripen.
Because my human family understands the special love I feel for my crow family (I refer to them as my cousins), I was gifted Crow Planet: Essential Wisdom from the Urban Wilderness by Lyanda Lynn Haupt.
These are some of my garden “cousins” who greet me in the morning.
“Grandma, I know you love crows so much, but do you think they’re a little scary?”
Angel Boy asked that question because the crows in their neighborhood seem to know when they’re eating outside in the garden, and perch in the trees and on the garage to patiently wait for fallen morsels.
“I’m not afraid of them because I don’t believe they would ever cause me harm. The crows who visit me at home leave shiny little gifts. These guys simply want to share your dinner.”
I didn’t think it was the right time to tell him that if he tried – he could get them to eat out of his hand — but one day I might.
Crows are considered to be among the most intelligent animals in the world with brains that are similar in size to humans and make up almost two percent of their body mass. They’re known for their ability to solve complex problems, and some say they have the intelligence of a two to seven-year-old child.
Haupt is a Seattle-based author, naturalist, and speaker. “My work explores the beautiful, complicated connections between humans and the wild, natural world.” She has created and directed educational programs for Seattle Audubon, worked in raptor rehabilitation in Vermont, and as a seabird researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the remote tropical Pacific. (Curated from https://www.lyandalynnhaupt.com/)
If you love crows like I do, you will LOVE Crow Planet.
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Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 