Category Archives: Serious Stuff

Sirius-ly Star Light ⭐ Star Bright…

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If I could, I’d wish everyone a happy 4th of July, but in our current USA climate of ICE kidnappings, lack of due process, total annihilation of our Bill of Rights and Constitution, it’s more of a sad, funereal, and tragic day than a celebration.

Instead, I’m looking to the skies for inspiration, hopefully some “as above, so below” joy, the kind you get from wishing upon a star…

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
⭐

It’s time for Sirius to shine as the brightest most twinkliest star in the night sky. Also known as the Dog Star, it’s a binary star system consisting of Sirius A and Sirius B. Sirius is located 8.6 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major. 

Each year from July 3 to July 7, the Earth experiences a powerful energetic alignment known as the Sirius Portal. This five-day window marks a period of increased cosmic energy, spiritual awakening, and inner transformation.

During this time, the Sun aligns with the star Sirius, the brightest star visible from Earth, often referred to as our Spiritual Sun. Sirius has been revered by ancient cultures for thousands of years for its connection to divine intelligence, spiritual activation, and higher consciousness.

In astrology and energy work, this alignment is known to open a cosmic gateway or energy portal, allowing a flow of high-frequency light codes to reach Earth. These light codes are energetic patterns that support soul remembrance, intuition activation, emotional release, and vibrational upgrades on both a personal and collective level.

While this energy is available to everyone, those who are more energy sensitive or actively working on growth may feel it more strongly.

During the Sirius Portal, many people feel a mix of emotional, mental, and physical shifts. These are signs that your energy body is adjusting and upgrading in response to the alignment.

The energy coming through this gateway often reveals what needs healing, highlights what is ready to shift, and strengthens your connection to your higher self. It can be a time of deep insight, emotional clarity, and powerful intention-setting.

The Sirius Portal represents a connection between the Earth and higher realms of consciousness. While our physical Sun sustains life in the material world, Sirius is seen as a source of spiritual light, providing insight, healing, and guidance from the soul level.

This alignment is considered sacred as it opens a brief period where access to wisdom, clarity, and transformation becomes easier, faster, and more direct.

It is believed that spiritual downloads, energetic healing, and intuitive insights are more accessible during this time. People who actively work with this energy may experience a breakthrough, make an important decision, or feel deeply inspired to move forward with something they had been holding back.

To make the most of the Sirius Gateway, it helps to take time out to pause and reflect. This is a perfect time for journaling, meditation, or stillness. By asking focused questions, you open a dialogue with your higher self and invite answers that may come through thoughts, dreams, feelings, or synchronicities.

Here are some powerful questions to ask during this portal:

⭐ What parts of my life feel out of alignment with who I am becoming?
⭐ What am I ready to release so that I can grow emotionally or spiritually?
⭐ What would it feel like to fully trust my inner guidance right now?

Asking these questions from a place of curiosity, without pressure, allows answers to flow naturally. Sometimes they come right away. Other times, the answers appear gradually through signs, intuitive nudges, or conversations that confirm what you already feel inside.

While the Sirius Portal is deeply energetic, the way you respond to it physically and mentally will shape what you get from the experience. Choosing to be intentional during these five days helps direct the energy toward your goals.

You might take time out each day between July 3 and July 7 to do one or more of the following:

⭐ Write down one intention that you want to manifest before the end of the year.
⭐ Meditate on your highest self and visualize living your next-level life.
⭐ Clear out old clutter, thoughts, or habits that no longer match your direction.
⭐ Pay close attention to your dreams or signs and write them down immediately.

What we do, say, think, and feel during these days carries extra weight. Approach the portal with clear intentions, openness, and trust. Curated from Alex Myles

I guess all we can do is manifest and set intentions for a positive future with decent humans making better choices for us and our planet. Fingers crossed!

⭐ Best of all, I discovered a Leon Russell (as Hank Wilson) song about stars!

Vintage San Diego: Bays, Bars, and Books

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I don’t talk much about the part of Southern California where I live; other than my beach, lagoon, and the stupid local government. I’m about thirty or forty miles or so from the city, and while I don’t often get down there, I do love old pictures that chronicle the history of San Diego far more accurately than words.

Here’s a photo of San Diego Bay taken in 1892 from the vantage point of State Street and Broadway. It all looks calm and free of tourists, exactly how we locals like our life here in SoCal.

San Diego Bay / Photo from Reddit

I always thought the oldest bar in San Diego was the Waterfront, but it’s not, because the Waterfront opened in 1933 when prohibition was repealed, 

The oldest bar in San Diego is the Tivoli Bar, opened as a saloon in 1885. It’s located on a lot originally owned by Alonzo Horton who helped develop most of downtown San Diego.

Tivoli Bar/Curated from SFGate

Built in 1864, the building was first called the Walker House and functioned as a boarding house, feed store, and blacksmith shop. The Walker House was converted into a saloon and kitchen in 1885. The original bar (still there) was built in Boston and brought to San Diego by ship around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, a journey which took three to four months.

The original cash register from the turn of the 20th century and the old safe are still displayed in the bar.

The Tivoli Bar has hosted many famous characters including Wyatt Earp and his wife Josephine, whose photos are prominently displayed over the entrance to the bar, along with Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren.

The bar flourished during a time when San Diego was a boomtown and the Gaslamp was the city’s red light district, an area then known as the Stingaree. A warning sign from the time reads: “This area is known to be populated by anarchists, confidence men, cut throats, shady ladies, hop heads, perverts and thieves.”

Here’s an 1882 crime report from a local newspaper: “About 8 o’clock on Friday evening, a fracas occurred in the Tivoli Saloon between Gus Young and one Ballantine, in which the former was struck over the head with a chair in such a forcible manner that the latter is of no further service, and will have to be sent to a furniture store for repairs.”

I bet there were some wild times inside the Tivoli–if only the walls could talk! It’s a certified dive bar and I can’t believe I’ve never been there. I think it’d be fun to take the train downtown and check it out.

Have you heard of reporter and author Max Miller?

Max Miller was a reporter for the San Diego Sun and author of twenty eight books. In 1932, he wrote I Cover the Waterfront, an interesting account of San Diego’s port community that inspired Hollywood movies and became the title of a jazz standard sung by Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughan, but sadly, NOT Leon Russell.

The book’s characters include true-life sea captains, Portuguese fishermen, flying squid, sparkling Garibaldi fish, movie stars, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and a beautiful young woman who got away.

Miller also drew from his experiences living in Everett, Washington and when he attended the University of Washington. He also wrote Harbor of the Sun: The Story of the Port of San Diego, which is a fairly difficult book to locate. He died in La Jolla.

Here’s Sarah Vaughan with her 1946 version of I Cover The Waterfront (I couldn’t find a Leon Russell connection this time at all…LOL).


FYI: This is not a post written with the intention to extol any vacation virtues of San Diego. We REALLY have far too many visitors here but I’m sure there are other lovely places to choose for a holiday…

Sunday Vibes

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Today’s mood: out of the loop by choice…

I don’t want to hear about that orange POS or worry about WW3 or the economy or ICE or any of the other no good, terrible, very bad things that are going on. I want to bask in my ignorance.

Just for today I want to be the innocent who waters her garden and talks to crows and delights in butterflies and believes in the inherent goodness of humanity.

Curated from Cottage Whimsy / Artist: Naoko Stoop

This Beach Boys song seems to convey the vibe of the day, only good vibes! Here’s Good Vibrations studio footage. I know that Leon Russell played on a version of GV, but I don’t see him here:

Celebrate The Summer Solstice With a Mantra, Healing Chakras, and a Poem

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Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and it holds significant spiritual symbolism. It represents the triumph of light over darkness, new beginnings, and the peak of nature’s abundance. Here are three of my favorite things…

🌻 Summer Solstice Mantra:

Om Hrim Shivaya Namaha
This is a powerful invocation of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy). The bija sound “Hrim” amplifies the transformative power of Om Namah Shivaya, making it especially resonant at this sun-drenched turning point in the year.

🌻 Solar Plexus Chakra:

Another way to celebrate the summer solstice is to embrace our inner light by connecting with our solar plexus chakra. Awaken to and be aware of our inner radiance and true power.

The solar plexus chakra–Manipura–is where we derive our sense of self and personal autonomy. It’s our distinct source of personal power that allows us to live life freely and authentically. Associated with a bright yellow color, we can empower our solar plexus chakra by meditating and with yoga poses like the plank and variations of warrior, or any pose that focuses on our core strength.

🌻 Poem:

Summer Stars

Bend low again, night of summer stars.
So near you are, sky of summer stars,
So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars,
Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl,
So near you are, summer stars,
So near, strumming, strumming,
So lazy and hum-strumming.
–Carl Sandburg

It Was a Good Day for a Protest and a Surf: THIS Is What Democracy Looks Like!

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🇺🇸 UPDATE: Conservative estimates place the coast to coast attendance of the #NoKings event more than 13 MILLION defenders of democracy! It’s considered to have been the most successful protest ever organized!

Before the rally, a peaceful ocean view with some decent waves…

And then everyone began to arrive for the protest. It didn’t take long until there were four to five people deep (and more at Offshore), and then we spread out all the way from Tamarack to north of Carlsbad Village Drive. I estimate between 7-10,000 defenders of democracy showed up to be seen and heard. I’ve never experienced such an incredible turnout along with powerful, positive energy. We didn’t witness any trouble from outside agitators, I’m happy to report, HOWEVER…

This is unconfirmed but I heard that a white supremacist group out of Carlsbad was allegedly planning to show up to the No Kings Day protest in armor and armed, with the intent to harm protestors and “non-white” people. According to what I was told, NCIS and the FBI have been monitoring the group’s leader and may already have him in custody—or will soon. But the situation is still uncertain, including whether the group is targeting a specific location. If I hear anything else, I’ll update this post.

One of the most energizing parts of the day was the neverending line of cars driving back and forth on Carlsbad Boulevard honking in support while decorated with their own signage.

San Diego also understood the assignment. SDPD estimates 60,000+ attended today’s No Kings Protest.

Credit to photographer.at CBS news

Did you see the videos from around the world? This is only the beginning and it’s a beautiful thing. Check out New York and Chicago. Here’s LA:

Did you hear about this? An elderly man from Gainesville was one of dozens of veterans arrested outside the U.S. Capitol Building as they protested against Trump’s stupid military (birthday) parade scheduled for Saturday. U.S. Capitol Police confirm Vietnam veteran John Spitzberg, 87, of Gainesville, was arrested for crossing a police line during a demonstration on Friday. HE WAS IN A WALKER FFS.

Officers say around seventy-five veterans were protesting peacefully outside the U.S. Supreme Court building. Later, a group of about 60 left and officers began establishing a perimeter.

Arresting an eldery veteran for protesting Trump’s BS parade shows how much this insane administration respects and appreciates veterans.

This is why we show up, chanting, “What does democracy look like? THIS is what democracy looks like!!” 🇺🇸

NO KINGS! Attend June 14 National Day of Action

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I’m so proud of the San Diego community that stood strong to protect and defend the ICE kidnapping that happened on May 30 at a local restaurant, Buona Forchetta.

A video of the ICE raid showed heavily armed and masked agents (modern day Gestapo) dressed in full tactical gear surrounding the restaurant. A large crowd of community members pushed back at the ICE agents, surrounding their vehicles and yelling. The ICE agents deployed flash bang smoke grenades which broke up the crowd.

A local politician questioned why ICE agents were carrying machine guns and “aggressively shoving people against the walls,” handcuffing all the employees. He said the warrant for the raid, which was signed by a federal judge, instructed ICE agents to arrest everyone and detain all the employees.

“I don’t know how a federal judge signs off on that,” he said. “What about the rights of those citizens?” He said the warrant didn’t indicate reference to any of the workers having committed violent crimes.

Another politician said that the TWENTY armed agents who burst into the restaurant traumatized the staff and the owner.

Can you believe this is actually happening? And THIS, too…

The orange POS has planned a military parade in Washington, D.C. for his birthday on June 14. This display of might is intended to intimidate opponents and solidify his image as a strongman on our dime—we won’t stand by while that happens.

Instead of allowing this military farce to overwhelm the day, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption.

It’s significant that the new Pope also chose this day to appear in Chicago as hopefully millions of people gather and celebrate the election of its native son — and first North American pontiff — Pope Leo XIV.

Have you seen the news that the orange POS sent the National Guard to Los Angeles EVEN THOUGH our Governor did NOT request their presence?

Did you hear that the orange POS has made it ILLEGAL to wear masks in public UNLESS you’re a member of his ICE gestapo?

Do you understand what is going on? This is not a drill; democracy is in trouble. According to the nonprofit, Third Act, our role is to bring the power and wisdom of elders to this movement, to ensure our voices are heard loud and clear to protect our democracy and our rights.

I think I’ll join my friends and neighbors locally on June 14. Rise up! RESIST!

What’s Memorial Day All About?

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Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day and I remember we’d always buy red paper poppies to wear. This day honors the sacrifice and loss of those who served and died in the military, while Veterans Day honors all who have served in the U.S. military.

World of Love Hearts

While everyone is honoring the fallen heroes on this Memorial Day, how about the Vietnam veterans who have FALLEN through the cracks?

Did you know there are thousands (maybe more) of Vietnam veterans who were injured during active duty — it’s called a “service-connected injury” — but have no idea they’re even eligible for disability benefits?

Did you know that for those same veterans who have learned they’re eligible, that the entire process to obtain their rightful benefits is such a messed up, convoluted, horribly humiliating process that many of them give up or die before they’re compensated? These are veterans who are in their late seventies or eighties and shouldn’t have to spend their final years fighting for what they deserve.

If you check out some of the veteran disability websites or Reddit, you’ll learn that the overwhelming number of disability applicants are denied and try again and again to establish their legitimate claims — some have waited more than SEVEN YEARS to be approved by a nebulous “board“.

This “board” that makes these decisions are cloaked in mystery. No one at the VA (Veteran’s Administration) will disclose who they are. There is zero transparency.

Some say “Have you contacted your congressperson?” and that’s another rabbit hole of dead-ends. Even though someone I know is represented by one that claims to DO EVERYTHING to help Vietnam veterans, when you ask for specific help, they claim not to be able to do a thing and offer a list of worthless phone numbers for assistance. That’s just another way for government to not do their job–even though that’s the platform they campaigned on.

It’s incredibly disheartening.

As we honor fallen veterans, don’t forget the ones who are still here, suffering; often homeless, and definitely underserved. They’ve fallen through the cracks.

Who’s going to help them?

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.

Repeating History | Where We Are

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This is exactly where we are. It’s happening all over again, but this time, HERE, in the United States. Who will have the necessary courage to stop this nightmare?

January 13, 1943
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Diary of Anne Frank – Anne Frank

From media sources:

+ Did you all see the video of the ICE agent breaking a car window near the border? He wasn’t an ICE agent. He’s the founder of Veterans on Patrol, a FAR-RIGHT MILITIA patrolling the border for migrants. They’re basically deputizing militias to act as federal agents. This is dangerously out of control.

+ A U.S. born citizen was arrested in Florida for entering the state as an “unauthorized alien.” His mother and a community advocate showed his birth certificate during a hearing in Leon County. The judge said she had no authority to release him. Update: He has now been released.

+ This happened in Boston. Trump’s ICE Gestapo took away a little girl in a Winnie the Pooh shirt who was on her way to school.

+ A 19 year-old living in New York — Family has an asylum case pending with no criminal record or tattoos, ICE grabbed him and two other boys right at the entrance to his building. One said: ‘No, he’s not the one,’ like they were looking for someone else. But the other said: ‘Take him anyway,’” he recalled. He is in CECOT (El Salvador)

Even more disgusting and tone deaf to the destruction of democracy and while all of this is going on around us, was the spectacle of half a dozen entitled women taking a very expensive ten minute joyride to cosplay being an astronaut.

The Blue Origin “flight” took the women more than sixty-two miles above Earth, crossing the internationally recognized boundary of space and giving them a few moments of weightlessness. It’s an insult to every real astronaut who spent years training for space exploration. I. CAN’T. EVEN.

Earthquakes and Wind Chimes, OH MY!

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I had another post planned for today but then this happened!

I was in a store looking at a wall of wind chimes (I love them so much). They were on sale which always gives me an added thrill.

Suddenly, ALL THE WIND CHIMES STARTED SWAYING BACK AND FORTH!

I had a split second realization that we were going to have an earthquake, and at that precise moment, there was a very loud bang, like the ceiling and the lights were going to crash down around us — definite sky is falling vibes.

The entire store was rocking and rolling. People started to rush out the front doors as we’ve been taught. I thought about it for a couple seconds and decided not to follow the crowd because I had a few things in my cart for the Angels and didn’t want to have a wasted shopping trip. In the face of potential danger, my shopping obsession prevailed lol.

Phone alarms were going off like crazy with initial reports of a 6.2 earthquake which is pretty big. Later on it was downgraded to a 5.2, but it felt more powerful than that. It was reported as having a Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) of VI, which is classified as “strong”. There were several aftershocks all afternoon; not as scary.

A woman near me was shaking, visibly upset. I asked her if she needed a hug, she said yes, so I gave her one, hoping it would calm her down a bit. I agree it was definitely upsetting.

Should I stay or go? I decided the planets and the universe had given me an unmistakable SIGN that I needed to buy that chime I had been looking at, so I did.

The last BIG earthquake here was the 2010 Baja California quake that occurred on April 4 (Easter Sunday) with a magnitude of 7.2 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (very strong). Including today and our 4.2 earthquake in 2023, these all took place in April. I think that might be a significant fact, but I’m not sure exactly what it means…

I’ll never forget that Sunday in 2010. My darling kitty, Bandit, was keeping me company while I painted the downstairs living room. I had created a color that replicated the inside of a conch shell, sort of light pink/tan; exactly what I wanted. I was on a ladder when Bandit jumped on the sofa next to where I was and stared up at me. I looked at her and said, “What’s up, my love?” At that moment, the entire house felt and sounded like a train ran through it. The ladder was shaking and I had a hard time coming down. It was quite disorienting. Bandit gave me the dirtiest look like I had personally upset her tranquil morning. I ran upstairs and out onto the deck in time to watch my neighbor’s pool water slosh back and forth and pour over the sides. That earthquake went on for quite a while. All the neighbors ended up going out in the street to make sure we were all OK, and except for a few askew picture frames, none of my (way too many) seashells and other little things I collect fell off the shelves. I finished painting the room but Bandit spent the day hiding under the bed. She had enough excitement for one day.

This quake felt similarly powerful to me, but didn’t last quite as long. At least I can count on my new earthquake warning system, right?

I bet my old geology professor will appear on all the TV stations as he usually does to talk about tectonic plates and shifts and faults and all that stuff. I’m still angry at him for giving me a “D” in Geology. Considering how much I love rocks, that shouldn’t have happened, but to be honest, it was a great year for skiing and Mammoth was calling to me, so I guess I missed a few too many classes…