The Ultimate Avocado

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

Feast your eyes on this beauty!

It’s a Reed avocado, a gigantic variety grown by a very generous friend. I’ve tried to grow avos but don’t seem to have the green thumb it takes to be successful.

It’s more than twice the size of a regular Fuerte avocado; about six inches long and weighs approximately two pounds.

I LOVE avocado in its purest form; split open and scooped out of the shell; beautifully green, rich, smooth, and creamy. Guacamole is my second favorite way to eat avos–what I don’t really care for is the trendy avocado toast, it tastes weird to me.

Did you know that the seed is edible too?

Practically everyone knows how good avocados are for health, but the nutrient contents of the seed itself might just surprise you. The seed contains about 70 percent of the total nutrients in the whole avocado. For its antioxidants and soluble fiber count alone, the avocado seed single-handedly beats any other fruit and vegetable available on the market. To include the seed in your diet also means to benefit from more potassium, copper and vitamins B, C, E and K than if you simply relied on the pulp.

The Avocado Pharmacy

From an even greater health standpoint, the seed is antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory. Simply because of its profoundly high antioxidant count, it helps to reduce free radical damage inside and out. This has the benefit of reducing cholesterol levels, boosting immunity and protecting the skin from wrinkles or even sun damage.

Preparing The Seed From Scratch

To enjoy the wonderful benefits of the avocado seed, simply crush or grate the seed and blend it into a smoothie. It can also be juiced or turned into tea by steeping it in hot water. If you’re not going to use it right away, it can be dried and stored for later. The avocado seed has a bitterness quite unlike the pulp, but it is nonetheless enjoyable once you get accustomed to it.

Imagine how many people simply trash the seeds after they eat the “good” part of the avocado. This often neglected part of this super food is just one more bonus that adds to the legendary status of the avocado. Learn more at: https://www.avoseedo.com/

Have you ever tried to eat an avocado seed?

#WorldBeeDay

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

How should we celebrate World Bee Day? Drink mead? Save a bee colony? Stop killing bees?

My recent post about a bee who rested for a moment on my deck underscores my understanding of the importance of this intelligent creature.

Here’s a website with all sorts of bee-related info: https://www.worldbeeday.org/en/

Why May 20, you might ask? And why Slovenia?

Slovenia proposed that 20 May be proclaimed World Bee Day.

From the website: “In May, the northern hemisphere sees bees and nature develop profusely, while the southern hemisphere enters autumn, when hive products are harvested and the season of honey and honey-based products begins.”

“In addition, 20 May is the birth date of Anton Janša (1734–1773), a Slovenian beekeeper, the pioneer of modern beekeeping and one of the greatest authorities on the subject of bees.”

Even the United Nations recognizes today’s date as #WorldBeeDay. …To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face, and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.

So…I’m not sure who is the first entity to claim the title of World Bee Day–was it the United Nations or Slovenia?

But who cares, as long as awareness is raised and we all become more educated about these little yellow and black striped flying honey makers.

Happy Solar Return!

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

Here’s a unique and cool way to wish someone “Happy Birthday!”

“Happy Solar Return!”

It was the occasion of MY solar return and one of my gifts was an A M A Z I N G windchime.

I thought all chimes were pretty much the same with only slight variations in tonality and musicality, but I was SO wrong.

Apparently there’s a whole world of chime tones and chimemakers. What a beautiful passion to share with us!

I don’t know much about music, but when I heard these chimes for the first time, it was as grand-sounding as a symphony.

Of course, I had to research the company. Woodstock Chimes are the original musically-tuned wind chimes, tuned to appealing melodies and scales from around the world.

The company was started in 1979 by self-proclaimed “old hippie” and Grammy Award winner Garry Kvistad.

My chime gift is called the Tree of Life, adorned with crystal accents along with “soothing sounds that offer tranquility and space for reflection”.

“With its promise of eternal life, the Tree of Life myth exists across cultures and dates back to ancient times. It is a representation of mankind, symbolizing how we are rooted on the earth even while we are reaching for the stars…two birds are nestled in the tree’s branches with crystal accents in a bright, bold green; the color of growth, renewal and spring.”

Listen for yourself: https://www.chimes.com/products/tree-of-life-chime

This was a splendid way to celebrate my solar return! I sure wish I was at that lake, but this is a much better photo than the ones I took. Mine is hanging on my deck and the crystals catch the sun and scatter all the colors of the rainbow.

Photo Journey

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

I have never been able to successfully grow a dogwood; too bad because they are magnificent, but someone else has done really well with them.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s so green and evocative of spring. I think it’s Miner’s Lettuce, but I’m not 100% sure.

Magical Purple-Blue Ceanothus

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

I have NEVER seen a color like the blue of this ceanothus. It’s a deep intense pure purpleblue, an amazing gigantic specimen.

Ceanothus has many ethnobotanical uses. Native Americans would mix the flowers with water to create a soapy detergent. It really works! Roots and leaves have reputed medicinal properties, and the long, flexible stems of some species are used in basket-making. The common name for Ceanothus americanus, a species from the eastern United States, is New Jersey Tea, which refers to its use during the Revolutionary War as a substitute for traditional British tea.

The camera definitely doesn’t capture the saturation of color. It’s full of the sound of buzzing BEES.

#WordlessWednesday

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

While I wish all moms (and grandmas) a very happy day, I realize this is a bittersweet time for some–toxic and dysfunctional maternal relationships don’t conjure up flowers and breakfast in bed, and I understand.

It makes me sad to think that there are so many children (and adults) who are in pain especially on Mother’s Day because they didn’t get the mom they wanted and needed –that’s our most primal bond–we literally were joined to each other by our umbilical cord–we are forever connected. No matter what.

I learned so much about how to be a mom from my mom–she was truly amazing.

Happy Mother’s Day to the original Charlotte. I still miss her every day.

Will You Bee My Friend?

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

I used to be terrified of bees mainly because I’m allergic — which is certainly a plausible rationale for fear, but I have so many bees here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells–they love rosemary and lavender and other herbs, that I’ve decided to quell my anxiety and bee friendly.

Bees are incredibly valuable to sustaining life on Earth; they deserve our love and protection, along with a healthy respect for their ability to cause pain. Angel Boy 2.0 and I spend quite a bit of time researching bees.

This little guy took a rest on the deck from his hard work saving Planet Earth and was perfectly amenable to pose for a series of photos and then he buzzed away. More flowers, more pollen, more honey!

Art/Creativity/Imagination

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

I cropped out five-year-old Angel Boy 2.0 because his parents don’t really like his photo on social media but I was so impressed with his creativity that I thought it would be perfect for a #WordlessWednesday submission,

I’m enchanted by the way his brain organized these colorful squares, but it was completely his own design and placement although his dad helped him with the glue gun.

Dandy Lion

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

I used to think that was how it was actually spelled and that the humble and sturdy dandelion certainly was a very “Dandy” Lion.

Thoughts of my Angel Boy sneak up on me around Mother’s Day. I especially cherished the bouquets of dandelions and other wildflowers (or weeds) he’d gather for me. Could there be anything more lovely than knowing my angel wanted to gift his mom with what his mind and heart considered to be treasures? I don’t think so.

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves, so I wasn’t totally wrong!

The hardy little dandelion is the only flower that represents the three celestial bodies: sun, moon, and stars. The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon, and the seeds resemble stars.The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening. Every part of the dandelion has value: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine, and dye for coloring. Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant. Seeds can be carried as far as five miles from their origin.

I’m nodding my head. It’s fitting that the dandelion represents celestial bodies as my Angel Boy is still and always has been my sun and moon and stars.

Close your eyes, blow the seeds from the puffball, and make a wish. BELIEVE.
_________________________________________________________________

Simply stated by Walt Whitman/Leaves of Grass:

The First Dandelion

Simple and fresh and fair from winter’s close
emerging,
As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics,
had ever been,
Forth from its sunny nook of shelter’d grass—
innocent, golden, calm as the dawn,
The spring’s first dandelion shows its trustful
face.

Who Am I?

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Enchanted Seashells

Although I could probably ruminate for a few hours to ponder that existential question; light a candle and meditate with a mantra, I’m not. Instead, I’m wondering is what and who is THIS?

Does anyone know? I’m not sure it’s albino but I have never seen an alligator lizard this color. I can’t find any information at all. He comes out every day from a spot near the veggie garden and hangs out for a bit.

Most of my other alligator lizards look more like this:

Totally different, right? Even the scales look different. Maybe I discovered a new species or maybe it’s an odd, aberrant mutation. I sent this photo to the local herpetological society to see if they can identify my new friend.

If you have an idea, let me know!

UPDATE: Mystery solved! San Diego Herp Society got back to me right away with this great website and information that pretty much explains the odd coloration. Apparently it’s a variation of a Great Basin Fence Lizard. If you scroll down the page, they talk about Rusty-Orange Variations.

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/s.o.longipes.html?fbclid=IwAR35ItZm3k6mLudiGD0b8ZOZ9b_16js0U-fGIvNFu2vinK4cggMxBchtfQ8

Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud

Beguiling pearls of wit, wisdom, and whimsy-with attitude