Act of Kindness

Your acts of kindness are iridescent wings of divine love, which linger and continue to uplift others long after your sharing.” Rumi

Here’s my act of kindness…with literal iridescent wings…

As I was on my hands and knees cleaning out winter’s leaves from my little pond/waterfall in the garden, prepping for no more rain so I could fill it again, I heard a strange fluttering sound.

I looked up, and right above my head, I saw a Mourning Cloak butterfly held captive in a spider’s web, desperately trying to break free.

I immediately sprung to my feet (well, not SO immediately because I’m still careful not to further injure my torn meniscus that I’m stubbornly refusing to surgically repair) and freed the butterfly from certain death.

S/he fell to the ground because a very tiny bit of sticky web was holding freedom hostage and s/he couldn’t open her wings and fly away.

I sat next to her and very gently pulled off the remains of the spider web, hoping I hadn’t damaged anything, and the butterfly took off like a rocket. I couldn’t believe how fast s/he was. I never saw it again.

Poor little thing was a bit battle weary and bedraggled, but seemed to be OK after the ordeal with the spider web.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Have you ever touched the wings of a moth or butterfly and gotten some “powder” on your fingers? If you look through a microscope, that powder is actually tiny scales.These scales give butterflies and moths their scientific name Lepidoptera (from the Greek Lepido = scale, and ptera = wing). Each scale can be a different color and when placed next to each other, the mosaic makes up the color patterns we see. Curated from essig.berkeley.edu/exhibits/butterflywings/

Interesting, huh?

While it’s best not to touch a butterfly’s wings because it might inhibit their ability to fly, there was really nothing else I could do to save him/her. https://essig.berkeley.edu/exhibits/butterflywings/

Here’s the spiritual meaning of a butterfly with its wings stuck together by a spider web: It holds a powerful, dualistic spiritual message, often representing a, tension between the need for transformation and the reality of entrapment or stagnation. It suggests that a, period of metamorphosis or personal growth is being hindered by fear, limiting beliefs, or external obstacles. That’s pretty intense, don’t you agree?

No matter what it means, it’s a good feeling to help a wld creature.

A Grain of Sand

To see the world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wildflower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour
-William Blake

Sometimes all you need is to lie in the sand and breathe.

Fabulous Freesias

I really wish you could close your eyes and inhale the fragrance of these freesias. Our weather’s been hot here in SoCal and all the flowers bloomed at the same time.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Isn’t that vase adorable? I found it at a thrift shop and it’s one of my favorite things.

Have You Ever Seen a Hummingbird Moth?

This is another post in my continual quest to NOT allow current events to cause mental and emotional distress. I don’t actively ignore the news; instead, I’m trying to manage my visceral reactivity, if that makes sense.

I didn’t get good pics of March’s full blood moon, but look who I discovered on the deck this morning! He didn’t look too perky so I put him near a flower and hope he rallies…

The White-lined Sphinx Moth, Hyles lineata, is a common “hawk moth” (Family Sphingidae) and gigantic at almost four inches! I’ve seen them around here on very rare occasions but have mistaken them for hummingbirds because they’re so big.

Hummingbird moths are excellent, beneficial pollinators, especially for night-blooming flowers, helping gardens and ecosystems thrive, though their caterpillar stage might munch on host plants like tomatoes, a minor trade-off for their adult benefits. They are harmless to humans, mimic hummingbirds, and are crucial for plant reproduction, making them a positive addition to any pollinator-friendly yard.   

Hummingbird moth symbolism often centers on luck, transformation, peace, prosperity, and longevity, appearing as a messenger for change or a sign to look closer at life’s illusions, blending butterfly themes (change) with hummingbird traits (joy, flexibility) as they are mimics of hummingbirds and symbolize a spiritual connection to nature’s deeper messages and joyful living.

Life Imitates Art

Or is it the other way around?

I’ve been trying to capture this photo for a few days and my patience and persistence finally paid off. I think she’s searching for a suitable nesting site, or maybe she really thinks this hummingbird wind chime is a cousin, I dunno…

I had to snap the pic through the screen door so I wouldn’t scare her off, but I’m completely happy with the result. It’s these little joyful moments that make life worth living, don’t you agree?

I discovered a poem written by D.H. Lawrence about hummingbirds:

Humming-bird
I can imagine, in some otherworld
Primeval-dumb, far back
In that most awful stillness, that only gasped and hummed,
Humming-birds raced down the avenues.

Before anything had a soul,
While life was a heave of Matter, half inanimate,
This little bit chipped off in brilliance
And went whizzing through the slow, vast, succulent stems.

I believe there were no flowers, then
In the world where the humming-bird flashed ahead of creation.
I believe he pierced the slow vegetable veins with his long beak.

Probably he was big
As mosses, and little lizards, they say, were once big.
Probably he was a jabbing, terrifying monster.

We look at him through the wrong end of the long telescope of Time,
Luckily for us.

Desert Hike Photos

At times, the southwest desert seems like an otherworldly place…stark, beautiful, sort of scary.

Dry Lake
Slot Canyon
A bit of rock scrambling
View from the top

Ode To Our Ocean

This photo was taken at the beach on a spectacularly warm December afternoon. The sky was blue and the Pacific Ocean was full of sparkles; a magnificent day.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Ode To Our Ocean

The sea sings out to its many saviors:
Teenagers with fists thrust into the air at climate strikes,
Scientists converging around their data,
A child who stoops to scoop up a piece of trash.

The sea sings out for its singular subjects:
Arching whales that wave from their waves,
Turtles that teeter down their shining shores,
Coral reefs shining brightly as cities.

The sea sings out its suffering,
Knowing too much of waste, screeching sounds
And pernicious poison, its depths bruised by
Atrocities in the Atlantic,
Misery in the Mediterranean,
Its tides the preservers of time past.

The story of the ocean and the story of humanity
Are one and the same, a Great River that
Knows no borders and notes no lines,
Only ripples.
While we might call it the Seven Seas,
Today we sing out your true name:
The one ocean.
For no matter how we try to separate your waters,
You are the colossus that connects us.

Water makes up 70% of Earth,
70% of the human heart,
And 70% of the human being,
All of us, bodies of water,
For we, too are oceans,
Or at least beings bobbing in the same boat.
To stand up for for our ocean
Is to stand up for our own ship
The sea is a restless, strong collective of many pieces.
So are we.
The ocean can recover.
And so will we.
Let us not divide the tides,
But discover all they have to teach us–
Green meadows of sea grass that survive pathogens,
Blue-bloodied marine snails that can fight off viruses.
There are more lessons to learn,
Still more work to be done.
So we lift our faces to the sun.
May the seas help us see healing and hope,
May we sing out the ocean’s survival and revival.
Being the people of this blue planet is our most
Profound privilege and power,
For if we be the ocean’s saviors,
Then it is surely ours.

Written by Amanda Gorman for World Oceans Day. Harvard graduate Gorman is an American poet, activist, and model. Her work focuses on issues of oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate.

Colors of The Cosmos

The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Between rainstorms, the sky around here has been especially lovely.

The rain stopped for a bit and I went for a walk before it got too dark. If I could paint, this is what it would look like.

This morning after an unexpectedly heavy shower, I was able to spot a rainbow before it completely disappeared.

I’d rather see the world as a rainbow than endless shade of gray.” Amani Abbas









November’s Special Supermoon

I’m freaked out by Daylight Savings Time. I spend way too long trying to figure what is lost or gained. Nothing makes sense to me. I know I wrote about it before, but TIME itself unsettles me. Sometimes I think that I think too much haha.

On top of THAT timely adjustment, we are experiencing the Supermoon in Taurus as the closest, brightest, and strongest Full Moon of the year, filling the sky with magnetic light that amplifies everything we think, feel, and desire. As a Taurus, I really feel the energetic pull and my dreams are vivid and CRAZY.

Taurus, ruled by Venus, governs stability, wealth, love, and comfort built through patience and effort. When a Supermoon activates this sign, energy transforms quickly, and manifestation becomes clear, direct, and immediate.

Every emotion, thought, and intention carries amplified strength under this influence, shaping what unfolds in our reality with precision. Energy responds directly to our attention, so focus on what deserves to grow.

This Supermoon opens a portal for divine manifestation and real change. What you call in begins forming fast, aligning our life with our higher path. Challenges fade as karmic cycles close, creating stability where uncertainty once lived.

What we envision begins taking physical form. Everything we have been feeling attracts evidence through synchronicity, communication, and opportunity. The Universe matches our vibration with accuracy, reflecting our inner world through events that arrive with perfect timing.

The message of this Moon is simple: our energy instructs the Universe. What we focus on expands, what we fear delays, and what we believe becomes real.

Taurus teaches manifestation through action. This sign builds what it dreams, one clear decision at a time, never rushing the process yet always creating steady progress. The Supermoon magnifies this lesson, asking us to remove distractions and commit fully to what matters.

We may feel inspired to declutter, finish something left undone, or step away from energy that drains our focus. Each decision we make now strengthens our foundation and carries long-term influence, so move with intention and clarity.

Manifestation gains power when what you say, believe, and do all align completely. Taurus energy rewards consistency, loyalty, and persistence that never wavers.

This is a time for focus and declaration. Write down what is desired as if it already happened. Speak with confidence, visualize success, and take immediate action that proves belief. The Universe moves faster when we act from certainty rather than waiting for signs.

Taurus connects spiritual alignment with practical action, teaching that belief holds power when expressed through consistency. Every step becomes magnetic, drawing new blessings into form.

By the time the next Supermoon rises, what is set in motion now will begin taking visible shape. Goals will show clear signs of progress and what we release will feel lighter to carry.

Keep energy grounded in gratitude as this light reaches its highest strength. The Moon magnifies thought and emotion, turning both into results that arrive fast. Gratitude multiplies blessings, opening paths that effort alone could never reach.

Move with purpose, make firm decisions, and trust the power of our actions. Keep our energy clean, our focus strong, and our belief steady, because the Universe is responds to every signal we send out. (Curated rom Alex Myles)

Black-headed Grosbeak

It’s a bird I’ve never before seen and I’m sooo happy he chose to visit the gardens at Casa de Enchanted Seashells!

The Black-headed Grosbeak is a migratory bird, with nesting grounds from southwestern British Columbia through the western half of the United States and into central Mexico.

I think this is a male; black head, black wings and tail with prominent white patches. Its breast is dark to tawny orange in color, more like the color of cinnamon.

Not a great zoom with my phone

The black-headed grosbeak eats pine and other seeds, berries, insects, spiders, and fruit. I didn’t hear him sing, however, his voice is a rich warble similar to that of an American robin, but more fluent, faster, softer, sweeter, and mellow with rising and falling passages that make the song much longer than the robin’s. The note is a sharp ik or eek. Both the male and female sing, but have different songs.

Its symbolism includes a message to live in harmony with yourself. to forgive yourself, trust your instincts, meditate more, and be kinder to yourself. When this bird flies into your life, it also prompts you to practice contentment. Alternatively, a Grosbeak meaning suggest being supportive of those around you who are struggling.

What an amazing garden visitor!