Category Archives: My Enchanted Life

Paprika, My Manatee

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Out of the blue, the Original Angel Boy gave me an extremely thoughtful gift; a bracelet from Fahlo that donates to and and tracks wildlife. I love a gift that gives back!

These beautiful beads track my very own manatee, Paprika. Manatees are so adorable, aren’t they?

Right now you can see that Paprika is somewhere in Florida.

(Of course I want another one that tracks a Red Wolf.)

There are so many cool animals to collect and track: elephants, whales, sea turtles, sloths, giraffes, and more. Check out their website: Fahlo.com

“We partner with nonprofits to foster curiosity for wildlife and excitement for their conservation. Our mission began in 2018, and we have since donated over $3 million to protect our planet’s most at-risk animals and their habitats.”

About The Manatee:

–The scientific name for manatees is Sirenia, derived from the Greek Sirens, the dangerous sea nymphs who lured sailors with song, drawing them and their vessels into the rocky shores.

–Manatees live in shallow, calm rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and coastal areas. The Florida manatee frequents most areas of Florida. During the summer months a few travel as far north as Virginia and the Carolinas.

–Manatees are mammals like walruses and seals, which they most closely resemble in shape, but they are not related. In fact, the manatees closest living relative is the elephant!

–Manatees have a mouthful of teeth but they don’t bite. They use their teeth to munch on seagrass and other plant life. They are big eaters, the ocean’s largest herbivore, they can measure almost 14 feet long and weigh as much as 3,000 pounds. 

–Manatees are gentle creatures and have no natural predators. In fact, even alligators give them the right-of-way. Humans are the biggest threat to manatees, via boating collisions and propeller injuries, as well as threats to their habitat and water quality.

(This is a personal review oI something I think is an adorable gift; I did not receive compensation or free product.)

To Look With Wonder

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That’s me, always searching the sky for stars and last night’s supermoon, the largest one of the year.

Yup, I’m one of those “Look up at the moon; it’s incredible!” kind of people. Did you see it, too?

October’s full moon didn’t keep me awake like so many others do; maybe the additional magnesium glycinate I’ve been taking in the evening is actually working, and I hope so, because those moon dreams I experience are INSANE.

Each second, I am one second closer to leaving this planet
And so, I will
look at everything always
with wonder,
as though I am
seeing it for either
the first or the last time.
And I will choose to live in such a way,
that if this were my last second, I could die in peace
for I am proud of who I am
and let my final second show
how I have grown
and who I have become. — Tahlia Hunter

Artist Credit : Lore Pemberton

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.

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

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: