The Process of Abscission

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“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Lao Tzu

Leaf Loss / Bare Bones / Blue Sky

This ash tree started out forty years ago in a five-gallon pot as a housewarming gift. As soon as the leaves begin to drop–in just a day or two– the branches will become bare and I’ll have a LOT of raking to do.

“Simplicity is the final achievement.
Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Coco Chanel

Abscission is the reason why leaves fall. Scientists believe that a reduction in sunlight leads to the reduction of chlorophyll in the leaf due to a reduction in photosynthesis and this may trigger the abscission of leaves. The actual process occurs when the weaker cells near the petiole are pushed off by the stronger cells beneath them.

That’s a lot for my brain to process and right now all I want to do is quietly savor the stark, elegantly naked branches.

It reminds me of my little vase of twigs and another example of ma https://enchantedseashells.com/2020/10/25/ma-the-space-between-things

“Nature is pleased with simplicity.” Frederic Chopin:

As pretty as it is all dressed in green, the artistry of bare bone branches are stunning in their strength of simplicity,

I see the graceful arms of a dancer against a backdrop of the bluest sky of the year.

“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasure.” Isaac Newton

Around the Coastal Neighborhood: Ocean and Lagoon

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The waves weren’t great, more of a shore break, but there’s still a lineup of hopeful surfers. No whales, though, so that was a disappointment.

I peeked through the trees and thought I saw a swan in the artificial pond near the lagoon, but…

…it was a lovely white egret.

I’m not sure why he’s there, as the actual saltwater lagoon is steps away, but maybe he knows something I don’t.

I wish they’d return for another visit to Casa de Enchanted Seashells. That was so cool!

World Animal Day – Remembering Jane Goodall

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Save Animals, Save the Planet

This year marks the 100th anniversary of this global celebration of animals.

For a century, people have come together to show kindness, compassion, and care for the creatures we share our planet with. The mission of World Animal Day is to raise the status of animals in order to improve welfare standards around the globe.

World Animal Day started in 1925 when German writer and activist Heinrich Zimmermann organized the first event in Berlin on March 24. The date was officially moved to October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, in 1931, becoming an international celebration of animal welfare. 

This seems like a perfect day to honor the life and legacy of Jane Goodall, who died this week of natural causes. We can aspire to follow in her footsteps and speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall was an English primatologist and anthropologist. Regarded as a pioneer in primate ethology, she was best known for more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.

“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Jane Goodall

Animals are our teachers. They show us how to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature, how to trust our instincts, and how to be fully present in each moment.

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” Jane Goodall

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Pull At My Heartstring

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A little timeline cleanse right now seems appropriate. At the end of the day, there is only love.

Art by Amanda Cass

Word of The Day: Takiwātanga (Along With a Whole Lot of Other Stuff)

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Yom Kippur starts at sundown and now we are embroiled in a government closure because the repubs are all insane and will do anything to NOT release the Epstein files, apparently at any cost.

Did you see the debacle of the gathering of generals in Virginia who had to sit there and listen to the felon and his drunken lapdog? Good for them for not applauding and for looking stoic and aghast. Maybe there’s SOME hope for us. Maybe.

Lately, we’ve heard a lot of talk from the orange POS and his worm-brained head of Health and Human Services (what a joke) about acetaminophen causing autism. The brand Tylenol came out with a classy response.


When I was in the teaching program, one of my student teaching experiences was in a classroom where the students had some form of autism. This was an area that I planned to focus on as an educator. I never pursued it, but I learned that all children learn in different ways and it’s up to teachers and parents to respect the differences and help them achieve academically as well as being compassionate to these special little beings.

The Māori word for autism is Takiwātanga, which translates to “in their own time and space”. Created by Māori linguist and rangatira (chief) Keri Opai, this term was developed to describe the unique experience of individuals on the autism spectrum. It reflects the idea that autistic people have their own unique timing, pacing, and way of experiencing the world. 

This sounds like the perfect time for another version of “A Song for You” by the Master of Space and Time, Leon Russell, of course. So mercurial, he added something special to every performance, in his own time and space.

Homemade Soft Pretzels: Vegan, Of Course…

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It’s been such a reallyreally long time since I baked pretzels that I almost forgot how to shape them, but it all came back pretty quickly as soon as I started rolling.

Pretzels are so easy to make, it’s something everyone should try, especially now that it’s officially fall. I like them simply salted and plain or served with a vibrantly spicy mustard dipping sauce.

Easy Soft Pretzel Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast (1 packet)
  • 1 Tablespoon brown or white sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 cups warm water, not too hot
  • 2 Tablespoons oil or melted vegan butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 and 3/4–4 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
  • coarse salt, for topping

Baking Soda Bath
(Some recipes use lye but I think that’s not healthy, so I never have tried it and wouldn’t recommend.)
In a large pot, add 1/2 cup baking soda to 9 cups water, stir, and bring to a boil.

Instructions

  1. Whisk the yeast and sugar into warm water.
  2. Cover and allow to sit for a few minutes.
  3. Whisk in the oil and/or vegan butter and salt.
  4. Add 3 cups of flour.
  5. Mix with a wooden spoon (or dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer) until combined.
  6. Add 3/4 cup more flour until the dough is slightly tacky and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If it is still sticky, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
  7. Knead the dough. Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 3 to 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Don’t add more flour than you need because you don’t want a dry dough.
  8. Shape the kneaded dough into a ball. Cover lightly with a towel and allow to rest for 10 to 30 minutes or longer.
  9. This is a good time to start the water + baking soda boiling.
  10. Preheat oven to 400° degrees.
  11. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If using parchment paper, coat with nonstick spray.
  12. With a sharp knife, cut dough into twelve equal balls.
  13. Roll the dough into a 20–22-inch rope.
  14. To shape a classic pretzel, roll dough into a long rope, form it into a U-shape with the ends pointing away, then cross the ends over each other twice and bring them down to the bottom of the U, pressing to seal.
  15. There are lots of great YouTube videos that explain in detail how to shape pretzels if you need help.
  16. When the baking soda water has come to a rolling boil, drop 1–2 pretzels in for 20–30 seconds. Any longer than that and your pretzels will have a GROSS metallic taste.
  17. Using a slotted spatula, lift the pretzel out of the water and allow as much of the excess water to drip off. Place pretzel onto prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with coarse sea salt. Repeat with remaining pretzels.
  18. If you want, you can cover and refrigerate the boiled/unbaked pretzels for up to 24 hours before baking.
  19. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until dark golden brown.

I used my stand mixer to knead, placed in another bowl, let rise for about 30 minutes, and cut into 12 equal balls.

Roll to about 22 inches. This is the fun part.

eatlittlebird.com

Not perfectly shaped, but it doesn’t really matter as long as they taste good.

Drop into the boiling baking soda water for only 20-30 seconds. The water isn’t dark gray, not sure why the photo shows that color.

Bake 15 minutes or so depending on your stove.

They won’t win any awards for beauty but they were DELICIOUS.

Tip: Don’t forget to put the salt on before you bake or it won’t stick.

The End of Roses

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She felt vaguely upset and unsettled.
She was suddenly tired
of outworn dreams.
And in the garden
the petals of the
last red rose
were scattered by
a sudden little wind.
Summer was over
— it was Autumn.

“She felt vaguely upset and unsettled. She was suddenly tired of outworn dreams.
And in the garden the petals of the last red rose were scattered by a sudden little wind. Summer was over — it was Autumn.” L.M. Montgomery

Rainbow Valley is the seventh book in the chronology of the Anne of Green Gables series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Photos by Enchanted Seashells.

Carlsbad Crime Report: Gunfight at In-N-Out

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All of this happened about a mile from my house. Until fairly recently, violent crime was mostly unheard of in my little beachy town. Now, It’s like the wild wild west around here.

Last Friday, September 19, at approximately 9:53 p.m., Carlsbad police officers responded to reports of gunfire in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2300 block of Rising Glen Way.

Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive adult female with gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, paramedics pronounced the female deceased at the scene.

The female’s vehicle was taken during the incident.

Using License Plate Reader technology, the vehicle was later located by the Newport Beach Police Department in Orange County. After a short pursuit with Newport Beach Police officers, the driver, identified as a person of interest, was involved in an officer-involved shooting.

The pursuit continued to the Interstate 5 Southbound, where the suspect exited at El Toro Road. After traveling through a business complex, the suspect’s vehicle exited at Regional Center and drove northbound on El Toro Road.

The suspect stopped his vehicle in the lanes of traffic, just south of Avenida De La Carlota, exited his vehicle and immediately began firing at the approaching police vehicles. Multiple officers returned gunfire.

The suspect continued east towards the In-N-Out at 24001 Avenida de La Carlota, continuing to fire at officers. Multiple police vehicles were struck with bullets. After being struck by gunfire, he fell to the ground in the restaurant’s parking lot and continued to fire at officers.

Once the shooting ended, officers approached the suspect and began to render medical attention. He was transported to Mission Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Later, Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as Andre Anthony Matijasevic, 31, of Rancho Santa Margarita.

The victim of this terrible random act of violence was April Moore. She was a loving mother of two and a huge San Francisco 49ers fan. That fateful Friday night, April had just gotten home from a movie. She didn’t know this person who killed her; she was ambushed in her parking lot.

This is another senseless crime that leaves behind a grieving family. We’ll probably never know why Andre Anthony Matijasevic was in this apartment complex. Did he live there? Was he visiting someone? Did he have a car? If so, why did he steal April’s car? What were his motives? There are so many unanswered questions.

A GoFundMe account was established to help with her memorial and to help her children. https://gofund.me/3de7c821b

This Information was gathered from public reports by Carlsbad, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach police departments.

Time As a Construct

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Lately, I’ve been thinking about T-I-M-E. Time flies. I hate to be late; I like to be ON TIME. Does time really exist at all or have we been brainwashed to think iit does?

Too much thinking about time as ephemeral makes me anxious. Too much thinking about anything does the same thing. My non-logical mind has determined that TIME itself isn’t the issue; THINKING about it IS and it makes my brain melt, just like Dali’s clocks.

Salvador Dalí

 “Time doesn’t exist, clocks exist. Time is just an agreed upon construct.”
— David Foster Wallace

“It takes just one unattended moment for an hour to pass.”
― Sherod Santos, Square Inch Hours: Poems

Santos was born in South Carolina, graduated from San Diego State University, and studied at the University of California, Irvine. I never met him when I attended SDSU, but I knew ABOUT him; all of us who studied creative writing and poetry knew about “Rod” Santos and W.S. Merwin and Glover Davis, who was actually my professor.

David Foster Wallace was an acclaimed American writer known for his fiction, nonfiction, and critical essays that explored the complexities of consciousness, irony, and the human condition. Wallace wrote the novel Infinite Jest.

“The Persistence of Memory” is an iconic 1931 surrealist oil painting by Salvador Dalí, famous for its “melting” clocks draped over a desolate, dream-like landscape inspired by his Catalonian home. The painting uses a paranoiac-critical method to explore the subconscious, with the distorted clocks symbolizing the fluidity and subjectivity of time, influenced by Freudian psychology and potentially Einstein’s theory of relativity. From Google.

Could Leon Russell’s version of As Time Goes By be the best ever? I think so…mature Leon was awesome, too.

Autumnal Equinox and Rosh Hashanah 

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Falling (get it?) on the same day is the autumnal equinox and the Jewish New Year.

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the birthday of the universe, year 5786, and is the beginning of the High Holy Days.

Fall weather in SoCal usually brings our hottest Santa Ana winds and high temperatures, but yesterday was a drizzly, showery day and we were all so grateful for it because we hadn’t had any rain in months.

Today, the first day of autumn, is still a bit gloomy, but it’s heating up again. The leaves are turning yellow so we know change is on the way.

Mythically, the autumnal equinox relates to the story of Persephone and marks the moment the goddess descends into the underworld to rejoin her husband, Hades.

It’s a good day to write down what we want to release alongside what we want to attract. It’s all about balance.

Happy New Year and Happy Autumn!
L’shanah tovah! Remember to eat apples dipped in honey and hope for an end to war and long lasting peace.