Not exactly a river, but a little rivulet next to the lagoon that seems to have no beginning, goes nowhere, and abruptly ends without a trickle. We haven’t had rain for weeks, months even, so there’s no real explanation for the existence of this body of water.
I can relate to the meandering path of aimless inertia; of stagnant apathy. I guess that’s the feeling for today, likely generated by last night’s powerful full moon energy.
Photo by Enchanted Seashells
And of course because I’m obsessed, I searched for a Leon Russell musical connection. “Watching the River Flow” is a song by Bob Dylan; masterfully produced by Leon Russell. it was written and recorded in March 1971.
Why isn’t this a bigger deal? Have you heard about what happened in Los Angeles? Your city could be next. Mine, too.
This isn’t a crew on location shooting a scene of a disaster film, this is real life. We are living in a nightmare.
APNews
Federal officials said it was an immigration enforcement operation, though it was unclear if anyone had been arrested. “It’s the way a city looks before a coup,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said as she condemned the action.
It had been a quiet morning in MacArthur Park, a hub in one of Los Angeles’s most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Children at a summer camp were playing outside, but the park was otherwise largely empty.
Then, dozens of armed federal agents began marching over soccer fields and grass berms, based on footage of the incident. Military-style vehicles blocked the street and a federal helicopter flew overhead.
They wore fatigues, masks and helmets and marched in lines. Some were on horseback. Camera crews followed alongside them.
Los Angeles leaders have grown weary after thousands of National Guard troops and Marines arrived nearly a month ago and immigration raids have become a regular, visible occurrence. But they took particular umbrage at Monday’s extraordinary show of force in MacArthur Park and issued a swift and furious rebuke.
“What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” Mayor Bass said in a news conference on Monday afternoon, adding that she had traveled regularly into conflict zones as a member of Congress.
Dozens of federal agents were observed in the park, many arriving in armored military vehicles. They were joined by 80 California National Guard troops under the command of President Trump, according to the office of Governor Gavin Newsom, who criticized the effort and has tried to stop the federalization of Guard members through a lawsuit.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to specific questions about the purpose of the operation at MacArthur Park or whether anyone had been detained.
“The operation is ongoing,” she wrote in an email. “So that should be a message in of itself.”
Asked to clarify that message, she responded that it was an immigration enforcement operation and that such efforts “are not in one single location.”
To many local leaders, the Monday march through MacArthur Park seemed designed to intimidate immigrants and residents, rather than to carry out targeted enforcement. Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the president of the Los Angeles City Council, derided the display as a stunt made for TikTok.
“If you want to film in L.A., you should apply for a film permit like everybody else,” he said during an afternoon news conference. “Stop trying to scare the bejesus out of everybody who lives in this great city and disrupt our economy.”
Ms. Bass said that once she arrived, she had demanded to speak to the person in charge of the operation at the park. She was handed a phone, through which, she said, Mr. Bovino told her that he would be “getting them out of the park,” apparently referring to federal agents.The agents left the park a short time later, she said. From New York Times by Jill Cowan and Mimi Dwyer
***
These questions need to be answered: when are good people going to rise up and put an end to this dystopian nightmare? When is enough, enough?
They ripped away health care. They denied food assistance to children. They exploded the nation’s debt, shuttered Social Security offices, rural hospitals, and decimated federal employees and the VA, along with kidnapping mothers and fathers and students. When is enough ENOUGH?
This all happened quite a while ago, but I realized I hadn’t shared it, so here’s the scary story of my almost brush with death; a cautionary tale of the time I might have starred in a Dateline episode.
I had to be somewhere very early, too early to inconvenience anyone by asking for a ride, so I called a car service. I’ll be vague about which one, but it’s one of the big guys.
It was dark; I waited outside, the driver was on time. The first thing I noticed (red flag number one) is that the car stopped and he started it up again. I thought maybe he was saving gas, so didn’t really think too much about it. We had a few stop signs on the way to the freeway and the engine stalled at every one of them and had to be started back up. (red flag number two). I was a bit concerned and that’s probably when I should have told him to turn around and found another form of transportation but I didn’t.
The driver spoke no English. I mean, ZERO. I managed to learn that he was from Colombia. I could see the Google map on his phone was in Spanish. I spoke a bit of Spanish so we were able to sort of communicate.
Finally on the freeway, his car was going VERY SLOW, well under the speed limit. The engine hadn’t stalled again, though. (another red flag.)
The driver wore very thick glasses and seemed to have a difficult time seeing the road as he was slightly weaving out of his lane. It’s a good thing that it was so early with not many cars on the road. I don’t think he was drunk; I think he couldn’t SEE the road. (red flag!)
The headlights also seemed to be malfunctioning; he’d turn them off and on and the car would sort of slow down and speed up, which was reallyreally freaking me out.
I was beginning to get a little more panicky every second, and even more so when, for some reason, he took the wrong exit on the freeway. We were in a rural area that was heavily wooded- no houses, no stores; nothing.
The very worst case scenarios were running through my head at warp speed. We were on a frontage road with no lights and no people. I thought there was a good possibility that I was going to be the victim of a horrible crime, I really did.
If the worst happened, no one would find me out in the middle of nowhere on a dark, deserted highway. I was petrified, thinking of all the horror stories I had heard about getting in cars with strangers.
Loudly, I commanded, “HEY! This is the wrong exit. GET BACK ON THE FREEWAY NOW!”
I had my hand on the door and 911 ready to be called on my phone. I was ready to bolt and run. I was terrified.
For a brief moment that seemed to last for days, he hesitated, and then, thankfully, turned around. We got back on the freeway, and at which point he was completely lost. I had to direct him the rest of the way to my ultimate destination but not before his car stalled AGAIN at the final stoplight.
I leapt out of his car while it was still slightly moving and RAN into the building. It took forever for my heart rate to subside and the adrenaline to stop pouring through my body. I was as shaky as the time I got an EpiPen for a bee sting. I had to force myself to breathe and slowly regained my calm.
There were so many red flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩🚩 that I ignored. Never again!
Friends have asked me if I reported the driver. I thought about it, but I didn’t. Although it was scary, nothing bad actually happened. I was so grateful to be alive and unharmed that I wanted to forget all about it. However, I don’t think his vehicle was going to last much longer, so maybe he’ll figure out that driving people around isn’t the right career choice.
The lesson is to listen to your gut in all life circumstances. If something doesn’t feel right, it most likely is a warning that should be heeded.
I am 1000% grateful that the universe and all the angels once again protected me from harm.
Kintsugi is a Japanese method for repairing broken ceramics with a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum.
The philosophy behind the technique is to recognize the history of the object and to visibly incorporate the repair into the new piece instead of disguising it.
The process usually results in something more beautiful than the original.
Kintsugi is rooted in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which appreciates the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. It encourages embracing flaws and seeing them as part of a unique history rather than something to be concealed.
When I had my recent fainting (syncope) episode, my fall smashed one of my favorite planters. It was white, simple, pure, and had a twin, which makes my OCD happy. When I cleaned up the mess, I saved the broken pieces. I wasn’t sure what I could do with them but I wasn’t ready to toss it out, especially as it created an imbalance with its sibling.
Yesterday, finally, I decided to see if I could repair it. I used E6000 to glue all the pieces back together. I thought I could use it outside in the garden even if it was too destroyed to be brought back in the house. It didn’t look great, but then I remembered that I had a gold permanent marker.
Instead of hiding the damage, I used the kintsugi concept and revealed the beauty in its brokenness.
I love the way it looks and the rattlesnake plant is once again displayed in a perfectly, now imperfect setting.
I know you can buy kintsugi repair kits, but my little gold marker did a great job.
While traditionally used for ceramics, the philosophy of kintsugi has been applied to various aspects of life, including personal healing. It offers a perspective on how to find beauty in the brokenness and learn from life’s experiences.
Since I break things all of the time, I’m fairly certain I’ll be able to attempt more kintsugi in the future. I’m slightly tempted to break something on purpose. I won’t, but maybe I will!
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!
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…
The concept of yutori speaks to me, especially right now in this scary political climate of gestapo-like kidnappings, Alligator Auschwitz, and a real sense of anticipatory dread.
“Yutori” (ゆとり) is a Japanese concept that broadly translates to spaciousness, room, or breathing room.
It’s about creating intentional space in one’s life, both physically and mentally, to allow for relaxation, reflection, and a sense of ease.
This can involve anything from leaving for appointments early to allow for a buffer, to simply taking moments throughout the day to pause and breathe
Yutori aligns with mindfulness practices and encourages a more balanced and less stressful approach to life. For me, that means going outside, watching a magnificent beachy sunset, cleaning the house, thoughtfully organizing a drawer — or my massive seashell collection.
There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond to the mysterious forces that create the tide. — Rachel Carson
This particular beach is a favorite for locals to surf and tidepool, so we are always a bit vague as to the specific location to protect it from being overrun by ill-mannered tourists who trash our beaches.
International Leon Russell Day is celebrated on June 25th, coinciding with National Leon Day.
It’s a day to honor the visionary, legendary musician Leon Russell with events like special performances and tribute album release parties.
I had another one of my accidental mishaps and was totally incapacitated for a brief period of time. No surgery necessary, but I was in recovery mode yet again…that’s the only reason I can think of to explain how I missed a day to honor the Master of Space and Time.
I was there on June 26,1971…
Early Leon performing Hi-Heel Sneakers from the Shindig TV show. He was only 22 years old. S1E7, October 28, 1964. Leon starts at 2:25.
And a decade later, Strangers in a Strange Land:
And many, many years later, he’s still the Master of Space and Time. All you need is Leon and his piano…his version is so nuanced and poignant, it brings tears.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 