Category Archives: My Enchanted Life

Someone’s Spying On Me

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Have you ever felt as if you were being spied upon? Some kind of spidey sense that you’re being watched? Have you ever been out in public and turned around quickly because you felt the weight of someone’s gaze?

Yesterday I was working in the garden ‘cos there’s always a lot to do. This particular project involved a lot of weeding as well as fertilizing fruit trees and the veggie garden.

At one point I was sitting on the ground on the rocky dry river bed weeding around the rose bushes that I had successfully propagated (yay for me!).

It was quite a zen moment, totally and blissfully silent except for birdsong, but I felt as if I wasn’t alone, as if I was being watched.

Some force compelled me to turn around and look up. There he was right above me in the ash tree; this gorgeous hawk. It seemed as if his hawk eyes were boring a hole in my soul. He didn’t move an inch when I ran inside the house to get my camera. He simply followed my every move.

Look at his talons!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I said hello as I always do, took some photos, and continued to weed under his watchful gaze.

This went on for more than an hour. I thought he’d fly away if I moved to another spot in the garden, but he didn’t — he just turned his body on the branch to continue to monitor my every move.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

He wasn’t bothered by my presence and I was in awe of him. I struck up a one way conversation, thanking him for his diligence in keeping the yard rodent-free, asked about his family, and told him how much I appreciated his visit. I hoped he would get used to the sound of my voice and we could have another chat if he returns.

The action of a hawk watching you is a symbol of divine guidance. It often signifies a messenger from the spirit realm, a call to pay attention, or an indication that you are being guided and protected. Hawks are also associated with clear vision, focus, and the need to tap into divine wisdom. 

The hawk is a messenger bird. Usually when we see a hawk it means to pay attention because a message is coming to you. Hawks represent clear sightedness, being observant, our far memory, and guardianship. They also bring courage, wisdom, illumination, creativity and truth. Hawks give us the ability to see the larger picture in life. 

He hasn’t returned today, but it was a special moment to treasure.

Come back, friend!

Oceanside Rock Garden

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 This sounds like so much fun! I guess it’s where you can find me when Mom and Dad are here and I’m with the Angel Kids while they’re out surfing.

Oceanside Harbor staff created a Rock Garden for free family fun. It’s located in the far northeast area of the Harbor near the “A” Dock.

All are welcome to leave a painted rock, take one home to create rock art, or work on one at the nearby picnic table to leave with the others. Spread positivity! Kids can stack rocks, too–make a cairn for others to admire.

(I’m not sure who took this photo because someone shared it with me, but credit to whoever it was.)

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.

April’s Full Pink Moon

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I love all phases of the moon but I especially search the sky for a full moon no matter if I’m in the desert or the mountains or at the beach or even at home–mama moon always makes her presence known and felt.

Tonight’s moon after the clouds is so bright. It’s a great time for manifestation, particularly related to themes of renewal, emotional growth, and fresh starts.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells
Phlox 'Star of Heaven', Moss Phlox – Dancing Oaks Nursery and Gardens

I know it’s not really pink but that’s only a slight disappointment. It’s actually referred to as a Pink Moon because Moss Phlox are in full bloom during this season.

I found this awesome YouTube video with all of the healing sounds and frequencies and thought I’d share it so everyone has plenty of time to dedicate to this experience.

It starts at 14hz and moves to 12.5hz at 4.20 minutes; 6.35 minutes it moves to 7.83hz
(Schumann Resonance) for 12 minutes, then drops to 0.5hz until the end. There is an underlying base frequency of 432hz which is enhanced within the music as well. The music has an underlying frequency of 285Hz.

I hope you enjoy this. I like to use headphones but it’s not 100% necessary. Don’t forget to charge your crystals!

Happy Birthday, Leon Russell — Always and Forever Master of Space and Time

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Claude Russell Bridges (Leon Russell) would be eighty-three years old today and sadly, while he’s no longer here, it’s a good time to remember him through his musical genius. He was a gifted pianist, songwriter, arranger, bandleader, and producer–a visionary.

His beauty shines through, no matter his age.

This is a brief compilation of some of his water themed recordings:

Back To The Island (Leon Russell’s creation, NOT Jimmy Buffet)

Down on Deep River

On The Waterfront

On A Distant Shore

Caribbean

I’ll Sail My Ship Alone (as Hank Wilson)

Sunset Walks

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Beautiful days do not come to you. You must walk towards them.— Rumi

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Not For The Faint of Heart

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Have you ever fainted? I don’t mean like those fainting goats (also referred to as stiffy goats) who don’t really faint — they suffer from a genetic condition called myotonia congenita, which causes their muscles to stiffen and often fall over when startled or excited — but they don’t lose consciousness, which is the hallmark of true syncope.

And by the way, it’s kind of abusive to startle those poor goats and laugh when they fall over…it’s really not funny, even though Honey Badger was…

Back to MY story. I can’t even recall the last time I fainted, but it happened a couple days ago.

Here’s the scenario…

I was on the sofa watching an older British medical drama called Peak Practice and fell asleep for a few minutes. When I awakened, I jumped up and ran downstairs to draw the curtains and make sure the house was locked up and secure for the night.

As I pulled the drapes closed, I started to feel hot, kind of nauseous and lightheaded, all very clear signals that one should heed, but as I usually do, I ignored every single sign and continued until I became so dizzy that I felt I should go to the sofa on the other side of the room and sit down.

But I didn’t get there in time.

I must have lost consciousness momentarily because the next thing I recall is being down on the floor near the fireplace. A lamp had been knocked over as well as a table with one of my favorite plants, Rattlesnake (Goeppertia insignis). The pot was smashed and there was dirt all over the rug.

I lay there for a few seconds as it was actually quite peaceful in a weird way, and began to triage myself for any major injuries.

Luckily for me, there was no damage except for some gnarly bruising where I hit the fireplace.

This would have been a different story if it had been my head on the bricks, that’s for sure.

I was upset with myself for not paying attention to the warning signs and even more so for the mess on the carpet.

Fainting spells/syncope — are a sudden and brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary decrease in blood flow to the brain. 

When I felt sufficiently recovered to sit and stand without a recurrence of any dizziness, I ran upstairs to check my pupils which were normal; round, reactive, and equal. My heart rate was strong and steady, not tachy or weak.

Here’s the best part…

Crazy person that I am, the next thing I did was drag the vacuum downstairs to clean up the dirt because I knew that the longer it stayed on the light gray carpet, the more likely it would stain, which would really stress me out. I picked up the fallen lamp and the broken pot, and sucked up the dirt. I ran back upstairs for a rag, bowl of water, and carpet cleaner, and started scrubbing.

When I figured I had done enough (damage AND cleaning), I went to bed.

The next morning I felt fine and I can only assume I experienced an isolated syncope episode and it’s nothing to worry about. Maybe I was dehydrated, maybe my potassium levels were off, maybe I stood up too quickly, maybe I had fallen asleep in a weird position, maybe someone was playing around with a voodoo doll and some dark arts– I have no idea.

Today my body is pretty sore and the bruises are blooming. I’m drinking a lot of water because dehydration was the most likely culprit. Also, I realize that it might be prudent for me to slow down just a bit and cease running up and down stairs, because that never seems to end well for me, like last year’s split leg catastrophe…https://enchantedseashells.com/2024/01/21/tales-of-the-er/

You’d think I’d have learned my lesson, right?

From emergencyphysicians.org, here’s what to do:

If you feel faint, either lie down or sit down immediately. If you sit down, bend forward with your head between your knees to help get the blood flowing to your brain. Wait until you feel better before trying to stand up. If someone else faints, position the person on his or her back and elevate the legs above the heart, if possible. Check for signs of breathing. Loosen belts or restrictive clothing. If the person doesn’t regain consciousness within a minute, call 911.

Kid-Friendly Crafts | DIY Bouncy Ball

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Especially now that days are longer and it our brief rainy season is almost over, this looks like a really fun and educational craft to do with the Angels– in the garden, definitely NOT indoors.

The photo isn’t mine, but this is what I hope ours will look like. I’ll definitely use glitter glue.

A while back I got some borax for another craft that we never tried (snowflakes with pipe cleaners), but this project definitely looks like something everyone would enjoy.

Ingredients
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon borax powder
1 to 2 tablespoons clear Elmer’s glue (glitter glue works too!)

INSTRUCTIONS…

Step 1: Make the borax solution
Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into a bowl.
Stir in 1 tablespoon of borax powder until it is completely dissolved.

Step 2: Add the Glue
Slowly pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons of glue, depending on how big you want your bouncy ball.
If using glitter glue or colored glue, this is where the fun begins!

Step 3: Form the Ball
As soon as the glue touches the borax solution, it will start to solidify.
Use your hands to squeeze and shape the mixture into a ball.
If the ball feels too sticky, dip it back into the borax solution for a few seconds, then continue shaping it.

Step 4: Let It Set
Once the ball is smooth and holds its shape, set it aside to dry for a few hours.
As it dries, it will become even bouncier and more solid.
Experiment with different types of glue – Clear glue gives a translucent ball, while glitter glue adds sparkle.
Don’t overwork the mixture – Knead it just enough to form a ball, but too much handling can make it less bouncy.
Store properly – Keep your bouncy ball in a sealed plastic bag to prevent it from drying out.

The educational science experiment part of this project…
The glue contains polyvinyl acetate (PVA), a liquid polymer. When mixed with borax, the PVA chains link together, forming a rubbery texture. This cross-linked structure is what makes the ball firm yet flexible, giving it the ability to bounce.

Vernal Equinox – Happy First Day of Spring!

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“Spring has returned. The earth is like a child that knows poems.” – Rainer Maria Rilke 

I woke up at dawn to watch the arrival of the sun and the sky was spectacular! The birds are singing and my resident hawks are nest building. All around me, I see evidence of rebirth.

You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.” – Pablo Neruda 

This year’s Spring Equinox on March 20 corresponds with Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde, eclipse season, and Neptune’s entry into Aries for the first time in nearly 165 years.

“Oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and the earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and the setting of the sun, and cut off from the magic connection of the solstice and the equinox!” — D. H. Lawrence

The vernal equinox marks the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in equal day and night hours. 

This event symbolizes rejuvenation, new beginnings, and spiritual awakening — the perfect opportunity to embrace change and harmony between light and dark.

“There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature; the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” — Rachel Carson

Many pagans today celebrate the spring equinox as ‘Ostara’, which is a Latin variation of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of dawn, spring, fertility, and rebirth — Oestra (or Eostre) with roots in Germanic cultures.

New ideas are calling out to us. The animal world is buzzing with new life. This month is about trying new things out: What excites you right now? What are you interested in? What are you drawn toward?

Just like we plant seeds in the ground to watch them grow and eventually harvest fruit, flowers, or vegetables, which seeds will we plant in our minds and hearts? What will we manifest? What will WE grow?

Image curated from Pinterest. Credit to the artist.