Tag Archives: Southern California

July Moon Rising

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Last night as I was closing the windows, I looked out and up, and witnessed the rising of the moon.

I hadn’t used my real camera in a while, but I knew my phone would never be able to capture the details, so I snapped a few pics with my Canon and this was the best of the bunch…She’s a beauty!

July 2026 full moon
Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Yes, it was really that reddish-orange-gold color, probably from whatever wildfires are raging in the area, and those are the power lines near the lagoon.

Thank you, Mother Moon! Happily, I found a Leon Russell song to accompany a full moon…When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold:

I couldn’t locate a live performance, but it’s still Leon being Leon, Master of Space and TIme.

A Big Fig

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Lack of rain and fruit rats are the reason I have had a very sad harvest this year. First of all, they (or squirrels) ate all the baby apples before I could cover the tree in netting, then they ate tomatoes and peas and plums.

I have a little fig tree that produced a few figs and I did use the little mesh bags to encase the fruit to try and save them, but rats ate through the mesh!

THIS was the lone survivor…and it’s a BIG one.

I need to savor every bite because that’s IT until next season. I just don’t understand. Everyone around here suffers from the same rodent issues in their gardens, but I seem to bear the brunt of the destruction, maybe because I adamantly refuse to use poison to get rid of them, mainly because of the secondary damage to other creatures.

At least we’re forecasted to have an El Nino winter which means lots of rain, so I’ll probably plant more veggies (especially lettuce that won’t cause explosive diarrhea) and try, try again, but it’s becoming so frustrating, I’m almost ready to give up.

Celebrate The Sky

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I didn’t find a whole lot to celebrate on the 4th of July — Independence Day seems to have lost its meaning for a lot of us in the-not-very United States, but I did snap a photo of the sky in all of her glory, and that seems more significant.

In the garden as the sun waned, it was still quiet, the idiots hadn’t yet begun to set off their illegal fireworks, and Mother Nature put on a spectacular show.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I think I finally see the light at the end of the long, dark shingles tunnel; I slept all night and woke up with less pain, so that’s my good news. I am definitely getting the vaccine as soon as it’s safe, after completely healing.

Daddy Day Lineup, International Surfing Day, and Summer Solstice

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Surf lineup, that is!

Twenty-four hours early, but Happy Bio/Step/Deadbeat Daddy Day, whichever one applies.

Today, June 20, is International Surfing Day. This global event brings together an estimated thirty-five million surfers and ocean enthusiasts worldwide. It celebrates surf culture while driving awareness for ocean conservation, and highlights the need to protect coastlines, reduce marine pollution, and keep beaches safe and accessible.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Along with International Surfing Day and Father’s Day, it’s pretty cool that June 21 is also the longest day. The Summer Solstice occurs at the moment the earth’s tilt toward from the sun is at a maximum. On this day, the sun appears at its highest elevation.

Spiritually, the summer solstice is a powerful energetic turning point that symbolizes illumination, abundance, and the triumph of light over darkness.

As the longest day of the year, it represents the peak of the sun’s life-giving energy, encouraging us to awaken our inner power, celebrate our growth, and nurture our spirits.

Happy Summer Solstice , International Surfing Day, (and Father’s Day)!

Bliss

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If only you knew what bliss I find in being nothing.

Words attributed to Rumi
Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Flowery Colors of May

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More pics sent from the Pacific Northwest, which I especially appreciate since I’m allergic to most flowers in real life. These don’t cause sneezing and watery eyes; no antihistamine needed!

Thimbleberry flowers…this big flower will eventually produce a small, sweet, heavenly berry.

The thimbleberry gets its name from the shape of its fruit. When picked carefully, the cluster of tiny drupelets is removed from its central core, leaving a hollow, bowl-like shape that fits perfectly on the tip of a finger, much like a sewing thimble.

Lilac…one of my absolute favorites.

Azalea…something that would never grow in droughty SoCal.

Wisteria…I tried to grow one here and watched it as it sadly shriveled up and died, but I’m happy to see how it thrives in the proper climate.

All photos by Angel Boy.

What Is Enlightenment

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“Enlightenment is when a wave realizes it is the ocean.”

Photo by Enchanted Seasells

It’s always a good idea to start out a new week with a positive message from Thich Nhat Hanh, even if I’m not 100% sure I know what it means.

I’ll have to cogitate on it because the nuance is a bit elusive right now, like I think I get it, but it’s just out of reach, which is annoying.

The Impossible Flower

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With news of ships blown up during an illegal faux war to manipulate financial markets, a deranged fraud of a prez, skyrocketing prices, future uncertainty, there’s sanity in the simplicity of a flower that persists against all odds.

When I first noticed it, I tried to gently pry up this volunteer zinnia from between the crack in my driveway to plant in a better location, but I would have destroyed it, so there was nothing else to do but leave it where it grew. The roots are strong, much more so than I thought.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I’ve watered it, watching and waiting, and it just bloomed, one single, brave flower.

My plan is to wait until the flower dies and forms seeds so I’ll continue to plant resilience, grit, tenacity, and determination.

I think there’s a lesson here, somewhere…

The Heart of The Matter

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At the end of the day, there is nothing but love.

Such an amazing wave pic from Carlsbad. I can’t take credit for the photo, but I have the photographer’s permission to use it.

Here’s how he did it: he was swimming, not sitting on a board; simply in the right place at the right time to reveal a little love.

If you look really hard, you can see another, smaller, heart.

Do you see it?

Photo by M. Yarbrough

Word(s) of the Day: Sun Glitter

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As someone who loves shiny, glittery things, I always wondered if there was a specific term to describe the sun’s sparkles on the ocean, and I discovered that there is, and it’s adorable!

The proper technical and descriptive term for sun sparkles on water is sun glitter or sun glint.

This phenomenon occurs when sunlight reflects off wind-rippled water waves, creating a shifting, bright path of individual glints known as a “glitter pattern”.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I love to be at the beach on a hot summery day, taking pictures of sun glitter.