Tag Archives: Southern California

June Birds: Bursting With Color

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I’m beyond ecstatic to report this awesome news that for the first time ever a California Scrub Jay momma is building her nest here at Casa de Enchanted Seashells.

I’ve been feeding a Scrub Jay family for a long time and they’ve become so trusting that they eat out of my hand, but I’ve never before had one take up residence. The birdhouse is in a fruit-bearing mulberry tree and it’s going crazy this year. Sometimes I harvest all the fruit and make jam and cobblers; haven’t decided if I’ll do it again this season.

I can’t wait to hear and see the babies! Scrub Jays are known for their high intelligence, particularly their abilities in memory, problem-solving, and social cognition. They excel at hiding and remembering food caches, learn new tasks by applying general rules, and even appear to understand the perspective of other jays when deciding where to hide their food.

If that wasn’t awesome enough, check out this (uncommon) Common Yellowthroat OR American Goldfinch–I can’t identify it for sure. I was able to snap a few pictures as they snacked on spent lavender blooms.

What an auspicious start to summer!

Happy June!

Wistful Wisteria

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The welcoming fragrance of this wisteria is an intoxicating blend of lavender, honeysuckle, and lilac. You can smell it half a block away. I’ve never before seen such exquisite wisteria. Once upon a time I planted it in my garden but it didn’t thrive, I’m sad to say.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Wisteria symbolism is associated with romance, devotion, and good luck. In Japan, it represents longevity and success. It can also symbolize humility and endurance, 

Tides Fall and Rise

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The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveler to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

POGs Revival!

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Lately it seems that I see POGs popping up everywhere on social media.

Do you remember them?

For a brief, crazy intense moment in the ’90s, POGs and slammers were everywhere. If you grew up during that era, you might remember collecting the colorful cardboard discs, the thrill of slamming your favorite POG stack, and swapping the ones you didn’t want with friends on the playground.

During that frenzied time, I was involved in a business that not only produced POGs (milkcaps) as business promotional giveaways but created a line of them called The Safe Neighborhood Club, complete with an inserted educational booklet. Some of these designs were included in books about POGs.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

For a time, POGS were even outlawed in a few school districts, that’s how popular they were.

The story of POGs began in Hawaii, where children used caps from Haleakala Dairy’s POG juice (passionfruit-orange-guava) to play a simple flipping game.

Alan Rypinski bought the POG trademark in 1993 and transformed it into a global brand. With the World POG Federation at the helm, POGs exploded into toy aisles and schoolyards, becoming an integral part of ’90s culture. POGman, the game’s cartoon mascot, became as recognizable as the discs themselves. He made millions during the craze but was out of the game when the bubble burst.

By 1997, the POG market had imploded. Oversaturation, school bans, and changing fads pushed the once-beloved game into obscurity. The discs that once sparked heated debates and trades among kids now sat forgotten.

Now, nearly three decades later, whispers of a POG revival are surfacing. Can a nostalgia-driven resurgence bring this playground staple back into the mainstream?

Why Revive POGs Now?

I can’t explain it, but POGs definitely ARE making a comeback, not just as a nostalgic collectible but also with a digital component and a focus on both physical and digital gaming. 

The World Pog Federation launched new physical sets and online games to engage a new generation of players. They are also exploring partnerships and collaborations to expand the POG brand. 

I’ll have to dig around in the garage ‘cos I know I still have a massive collection stored in binders and I can’t wait to show them to the Angels. Maybe they could start it up again at their school; wouldn’t that be awesome?

Further reading:
–Here’s a link to a cool article written just last month about the POG revival:
https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2025/04/dig-up-that-slammer-this-week-were-talking-pogs.html
–Another post from Hawaii: https://www.lanaitoday.com/news/another-chance-to-scoop

My Spicy Girl: Peppermint Party Climbing Rose

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This is an update to a previous post about transplanting this awesome Peppermint Party Climbing Rose. It’s been a couple years and she’s really blossoming and super spicy!

I don’t give her too much attention except for a hard prune every January, and cross my fingers that she’ll grow back healthy and happy.

I took this photo when it was sunny. I woke up to rain which was totally, unexpectedly, but absolutely welcome, especially since we haven’t had any sky water is quite a while. Any little bit helps.

This was one of my most successful transplanting of a mature plant. I moved this Peppermint Party Climbing Rose from one arbor to another and it’s been thriving ever since.

Late afternoon sun on these stripey petals caught my eye:

And a closer view…

Happy Sunday!

All photos by Enchanted Seashells

Oceanside Rock Garden

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 This sounds like so much fun! I guess it’s where you can find me when Mom and Dad are here and I’m with the Angel Kids while they’re out surfing.

Oceanside Harbor staff created a Rock Garden for free family fun. It’s located in the far northeast area of the Harbor near the “A” Dock.

All are welcome to leave a painted rock, take one home to create rock art, or work on one at the nearby picnic table to leave with the others. Spread positivity! Kids can stack rocks, too–make a cairn for others to admire.

(I’m not sure who took this photo because someone shared it with me, but credit to whoever it was.)

My Stupid Little Town

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Our water district sent out notices about a horrendous and onerous rate increase planned over the next two years.

For example, if you now pay around $71 a month, the rate will shoot up to approximately $119 a month by 2027. That is absolutely unconscionable and a definite hardship for a lot of us.

The law requires a certain period of time for protests and objections but only for due diligence, NOT because they’ll take our opinions into consideration.

Some people wrote letters and a few of us also showed up to speak at the hearing to affirm or deny the rate increase. I realize that this was a futile exercise more based in legality rather than actually caring about the community because our council doesn’t really care at all about the people who live here; they are fully invested in overdevelopment and support all the rate increases from water to trash.

I’m really sorry more people didn’t come to the stupid council meeting yesterday to voice concerns about the egregious water rate increases but I understand — nothing we say or do ever seems to change the outcome of anything that’s done to stop the ruin of this once adorable coastal city.

The reality is that those people on council do not represent the community they are SUPPOSED to represent.

One guy who spoke said he was a civil engineer and actually supported the increase; maybe he was looking for a job? Kiss ass or a plant, I’m not sure.

The city consistently approves more and more low income housing projects but doesn’t think about those same low income residents on pensions, disability, Social Security, and other types of fixed incomes who are (or will become) deeply impacted by our chaotic economy and cuts to services will actually be able to pay for necessities.

Who can afford an increase of $30+ a month? Council is out of touch with real people. They live in a bubble and not only don’t understand-they simply don’t care.

The water district’s millennial spokeshead was angling for a pat on her back as she uptalked this NOT very humble brag…”We eliminated two full time positions to save money.” like that in and of itself should justify their economically burdensome rate increase?

How much is she paid? Team Leaders at this water district are paid an average of $175,000 per year. Others are paid between $47 and $60 per hour. Group Managers earn $270,000 per year. I think we all can figure out where costs could be slashed to pay for our water increase.

I knew it was a waste of time but I showed up anyway and here’s what I said:

“You all need to learn to read the room. How are you continuously so incredibly disconnected from REGULAR people? It makes no economic nor reasonable sense in this seriously screwed up political landscape to raise rates of any sort, especially now.

Look at it another way—you constantly approve building all these low income housing projects, right?

And there are lots of seniors and retired people in Carlsbad, and other low income families on Section 8– so how do you expect this demographic who rely on some sort of fixed income to pay for these egregious increases when their FIXED income doesn’t match the increased cost? 

Haven’t you thought this through, this macro picture? Do you all live in a bubble?

If the stock market continues to implode, if Social Security and disability is reduced or completely cut, if pensions and public assistance are wiped out, WHO IS going to be able to afford the increased water rates? 

It makes no sense. THIS IS NOT THE TIME. I strongly and LOUDLY object and protest the tone deaf water rate increase.

This rate increase is beyond ridiculous, especially in these uncertain economic times.

It’s an egregious misuse of power to increase financial hardship for those of us who don’t know if we’ll even have a job or are on tenuous fixed incomes. You need to radically correct this type of financial exploitation. It’s an economic burden we do not need to carry.

The truth is that you do not need any rate increase; what you need to do is LOWER your water rates.”

And then I looked at the entire council’s facial valences that communicated zero emotion, negative OR positive as they stared at me with flat affects, and ended my three minutes with, “Crickets again, I see. What a disappointment you all are.”

Featured photo by Enchanted Seashells

Happy Earth Day! 🌎

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I attended the very first Earth Day celebration in 1970 at Balboa Park in San Diego with a crowd of about 70,000 people. The weather was beautiful, about 68 degrees, and I must have skipped school that Wednesday.

I can’t remember who I went with or how I got there but I do recall walking from booth to booth looking for free stuff and having an unpleasant encounter with a San Diego cop, probably about being truant.

There is a vague recollection that I swore at him and he got all puffed up and intimidating, threatened to call my dad until I told him to go ahead, my dad was a lawyer…and then he walked away. Miss you, Daddy, and thank you!

Gaia, known as the mother goddess, was the personification of Earth. She’s described as a caring and nurturing mother figure to all of her children, plants, and other living creatures on this planet.

We’re all children of Gaia, Earth Mother, no matter where we live.

Here’s a photo of boats from my little slice of earth at Agua Hedionda Lagoon, along with a lone paddleboarder.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I walked along a trail high above the water and this view seemed like it could be anywhere in the world, but it’s right here in SoCal.

If we take care of Mother Earth, she’ll take care of us.

With this new administration of chaos and darkness, they seem determined to destroy as much of our environmental protections as they’re doing to democracy and the constitution, so it’s not such a happy day, after all.

San Diego #HANDSOFF Protest: More Good Trouble

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Where were you on April 5? Did you participate in the #Handsoff event in your area?

We took the Coaster down to San Diego which was a much better idea than driving and trying to find a place to park. The train was so packed, we had to sit on the floor. Our ride down the coast was filled with positive energy, singing, and chants about DEMOCRACY in action.

This growing movement is a call to protect democracy, civil rights, and social justice. Organizers say the protests aim to send a clear message: “Enough is enough.” These protests are grassroots-led, with no single group in charge. However, coalitions of youth activists, civil rights organizations, and climate groups have joined forces.

Hands off Social Security.
Hands off Medicaid.
Hands off veteran care.
Hands off our kids’ education.
Hands off our rights.

robert_ciani_photography

I don’t believe mainstream media is honestly representing accurate numbers but I think we might have had nearly 50,000 participants in San Diego.

I have never before seen so many people or felt as much energy, even more than the Women’s March in 2017.

The “Hands Off!” protests today were nothing short of monumental, marking a powerful and unified stand against what organizers have called the most audacious power grab in modern history. With over 1,400 events spanning all 50 states and hundreds of thousands of participants, this movement brought together a diverse coalition of workers, activists, and everyday citizens to demand an end to billionaire influence, cuts to essential programs like Social Security and Medicaid, and attacks on marginalized communities. From bustling rallies in Washington, D.C., to smaller gatherings in conservative towns, the message was clear: Americans are fed up with policies that prioritize the wealthy at the expense of democracy and basic rights. The energy on the ground was electric, with chants of “Hands off our jobs, our healthcare, our democracy!” echoing across city halls, federal buildings, and even international cities like London and Berlin. Today’s turnout was not just a protest—it was a resounding declaration that grassroots power is alive and ready to fight for justice and equity (From The Other 98%.)

robert_ciani_photography

For some of us, fashion is important. What do you wear to a protest rally?

In addition to good walking shoes, I wore all black, but I couldn’t resist my Leon Russell hat.

On the train ride back home after the march, which was peaceful and without incident, energy was high at the success of the event, but we were tired and a bit subdued.

Someone noticed my Leon Russell hat and told me how much she LOVED him, and the next thing I knew, my phone was at top volume playing everyone’s favorite Leon Russell songs, singing along and chatting about the awesomeness of the one and only Master of Space and Time.

An amazing end to this beautiful day. We all participated in GOOD TROUBLE.

From AltParks: Yesterday was incredible. The official count is in — 5.2 million people joined the #HandsOff protest nationwide. So many are asking: what’s next? Mark your calendars: 4/19 is the next nationwide day of protest. Let’s go even bigger — our goal is to get 3.5% of America in the streets. Some media outlets are reporting only “tens of thousands” participated, but that’s no accident. Downplaying the turnout is a tactic to suppress momentum. But you were there. You saw the crowds. Even small red-district towns showed up in force. Don’t let them rewrite the story. It was a historic day — and we’re just getting started. We are proud of all of you — for many, this was your first protest, and you showed up with strength and purpose. Thank you to all the local authorities who helped keep everyone safe, and to the many military members and off-duty officers who attended and monitored the situation. Keep your signs, make new ones, and start preparing now. Let’s make history again on 4/19.

Gifts From The Sky

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I found this incredibly beautiful hawk tail feather in my garden. Recently, I’ve heard a mated pair; maybe Cooper’s hawks, calling to each other from my backyard trees, so I assume it’s from one of them and that makes me very happy! It looks a bit bedraggled because we had some rain last night and it was lying on the ground.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

A little research informed me something I didn’t know — that it’s illegal to pick up ANY feather, so I guess I’ll just leave it there. But in my own garden? Look, but do not touch? Did you know that?

I thought that this treasure was a sign from my spirit guides. A hawk tail feather is often seen as a symbol of power, courage, strength, and the ability to see things from a higher perspective. 

I knew it was illegal to possess an eagle feather but I had no idea that the same law applied to hawks and other raptors.

Here’s what I learned:

Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA): This act prohibits the possession, sale, purchase, or transfer of feathers of migratory birds, including hawks, without proper permits. 

Broad Coverage: The MBTA protects over 800 bird species, making it a wide-reaching law. 

No Exemptions: There are no exemptions for feathers that are naturally shed, or from birds killed by cars or other means, unless you have a permit. 

Permits: Permits are required for activities like taxidermy, scientific research, or educational purposes. 

Penalties: Violations of the MBTA can result in fines and imprisonment. 

Exception for Native American Tribes: Federally recognized tribes may possess, carry, use, wear, give, loan, or exchange migratory bird feathers and parts without compensation among other Indians. 

Still, finding a hawk’s feather is a profound event, rich with spiritual and cultural importance. Regarded as a divine symbol, it embodies strength, foresight, and can convey messages and blessings of divine guidance, reassuring physical health and decisiveness.

The white tip, often called the “tip of life,” represents spiritual focus and clarity. The intricate patterns, like those found in snowflakes, symbolize our unique life paths.

When a feather appears on your property, near your garden or home, it symbolizes comfort and protection. This occurrence is not just an incidental find but a key spiritual message. They’re believed to carry wisdom and the ability to see what is hidden.

But DO NOT pick it up, no matter what!