No, I didn’t burn down the house, not this time…

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If you saw a fire engine in front of Casa de Enchanted Seashells, it wouldn’t be too surprising because I’ve accidentally almost burned it down a couple of times. Stupid candles…

This time, however, the hook and ladder was here because I spotted smoke off in the distance at the lagoon. There was no way to give dispatch a precise address, so they sent the engine here so the firefighters could see what I had observed and then they’d know where to go.

It turned out that one of the firefighters not only was present at last year’s huge fire a few blocks away, but he knew my son from high school, so we had a lovely chat about that sort of thing.

He taught me how to determine what kind of fire it was by the color of the smoke, which was super interesting. In this case though, they weren’t exactly sure themselves what we were looking at, so they drove away to check it out.

I asked if I could ride along with them, but it wasn’t possible, I’m sorry to say.

I had errands to run and when I returned, the smoke was gone, so I assume whatever it was got resolved. We often have fires from the homeless that live at the lagoon along with hot and dry conditions, ripe for a major incident, so I’m glad I did my civic duty and called.

Here’s a link to the major fire January 2021:
https://enchantedseashells.com/2021/01/20/fire-in-carlsbad/

PS The photo is from yet another fire on the lagoon from a few years ago in pretty much the exact same location as the smoke from yesterday. What I saw was half the size of what’s in the pic, thank goodness.

Snail’s Pace Escape

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I discovered a snail that escaped from one of my yard waste containers so I rolled it closer to a spreading geranium and watched his ascent to freedom.

His excruciatingly slow movements had a very mindful awareness, as if he was channeling Thich Nhat Hanh.

“When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There’s nothing else to it.”

Snail tracks

Rest in Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh

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Today is a sad day; another truly good human has transitioned…

The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announced “our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95.”

In honor of his life of kindness, how about we do this:

Practices to help cultivate self-love and loving-kindness from Sister Dang Nghiem (ordained as Dharma teacher by Thich Nhat Hanh).

From her book ‘Flowers in the Dark’ (Parallax 2021)

Update on Saturday to add this from the Dalai Lama:

“In his peaceful opposition to the Vietnam war, his support for Martin Luther King and most of all his dedication to sharing with others not only how mindfulness and compassion contribute to inner peace, but also how individuals cultivating peace of mind contributes to genuine world peace, Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh lived a truly meaningful life. I have no doubt the best way we can pay tribute to him is to continue his work to promote peace in the world.” https://bit.ly/35dUncV

Fly, Dragon, Fly

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Isn’t this the most vibrant orange? I’m in love with this little guy.

Flame Skimmer, Libellula saturata. 

Dragonfly species that are orange include a variety of skimmers, such as the flame skimmer, firecracker skimmer, golden-winged skimmer, or Needham’s Skimmer.

Orange dragonflies can symbolize joy, creativity, wellness, and sensuality. This relates to the second/sacral chakra, which is orange.

There is magic all around, if you stop and look.

As Robert Bly said, “To be wild is not to be crazy or psychotic. True wildness is a love of nature, a delight in silence, a voice free to say spontaneous things, and an exuberant curiosity in the face of the unknown.”

Are You Worried, Too?

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It seems to me that we’re all still worried about this and that and everything else; I was grateful to see Mary Oliver pop up at the right time to share her wisdom–as always.

Don’t worry though, I still won’t sing–nobody wants to hear THAT, so I’ll leave it to the birds.

I Worried

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.

PSA: Free Covid Tests

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Just in case you haven’t heard about it, President Biden has made four covid tests available FREE to every household along with free delivery.

I signed up and it literally took less than a minute! I immediately received a confirmation email.

Thank you for caring about us, President Biden!

Here’s the link:

https://www.covidtests.gov/

Pocket Treasures

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Since tomorrow is the full Wolf Moon in Cancer, I reckon it’ll feel intense and emotional. If yesterday’s volcanic explosion in Tonga and tsunami alerts up and down our west coast is any indication, there are powerful energies above and below.

Three precious treasures found their way into my pocket this morning and came home with me.

I took them out one by one to admire their beauty: a feather, a rock, and a penny that looks old but is from 2021.

They have no real connection; I found each of them in different locations along the path. I often see rocks and feathers but it’s more unusual to find coins, especially since it seems that we don’t use them like we used to. Most of the time we pay with a card, right? We might carry a few dollars with us; coins not as likely, so it was something shiny that caught my eye.

Anyway, now they’re safe and that makes me happy.

Seriously Amazing *Vegan* Herb Crackers

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Since we’re in a seemingly neverending spiral of virus mutations, the unvaccinated, and overworked healthcare professionals, I’m still trying to limit my exposure to PEOPLE. Not that it’s too difficult for me as I’m solitary by nature, but it’s still kind of annoying.

I had done my Traders shopping and when I came home, I realized that I had totally forgotten to get the kind of crackers I love to accompany Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese. Read about my love for THAT here: https://enchantedseashells.com/2021/04/06/yum-miyokos-vegan-cream-cheese/

Instead of doing what was normal practice in the old days, I didn’t run out and make that one purchase. Resourceful me decided to bake my own crackers. I haven’t done that in years and it’s so easy, I wonder why it took me this long to remember that! An added plus is no wasted plastic or containers, so I’m helping the environment too…

Tips: I substituted 1/2 cup buckwheat flour for all purpose flour. Next time I won’t do that because buckwheat is such a strong flavor. While it’s lovely in pancakes and soba noodles, it’s a bit too much here.

On the other hand, I gotta say that the smell of the herbs in the oven was so fragrant! It perfumed the entire house. I used all the herbs I have in the garden, but you can add whatever you like, including poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds. **Roll extremely thin for crispiest crackers. I didn’t cut them in perfect shapes or use a pizza cutter because I was too lazy and wanted them done in a hurry, but I kind of like the rustic look.

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Vegan Herb Crackers

Migraine Melody : Begin The Beguine

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I couldn’t even watch TV yesterday when I suffered with that migraine (glad to say it disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived) but all I could do was lie in darkness and listen to music.

One of my all time favorite tunes is “Begin the Beguine”.

The beguine is a ballroom dance similar to the foxtrot, based on a dance from Martinique and St. Lucia. It was popular in the 1930s.

Ella, Frank, Sammy, and Artie Shaw; I love all of these versions, and this dance sequence is to DIE FOR.

Isn’t that Fats Waller?

And Artie Shaw, I could listen to this all day…

Migraine Musings

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It’s an amazing eighty degrees here today and I woke up with a migraine. I don’t get them very often, thank goodness, but this one put the brakes on any plans to bask in the warmth of the winter sun.

I don’t know what caused this debilitating headache; I didn’t do or eat anything that could have triggered it.

I hate when I don’t feel great; I’m a much better nurse to others than the one who needs a little helping hand so I’m feeling sorry for myself.

This popped up, which fairly represents my pity party. Sylvia Plath is quite perceptive.