Tag Archives: Southern California

Is It Ever Too Late To Make Amends?

Posted on by
Reply

Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry, to make amends, to repair the damage? That’s actually today’s theme but you have to keep reading to figure out where this is all going.

When I see these guys skateboarding together, it hits hard. It fills my heart with joy but it’s also bittersweet to realize that so much time has passed. Tick. Tock.

OG skater dad is his hero right now. The kids had no idea their teacher dad could skate.

Being well-rounded and balanced is important, right?

When the original Angel Boy wanted a skateboard, I weighed the pros and cons (cos it could be dangerous) and decided that it was a way to balance his intense interest in books and school, not that academic success wasn’t critical for his future, but skateboarding helped him feel “cool” and more relatable with schoolmates. It was about the only time his head wasn’t buried in a book.

As far back as elementary school, his nickname had been “the professor”, which was actually, happily, prophetic, but he enjoyed skating so much that we worked hard to get a skatepark built in our city and also created an Explorer Post to be eligible for donations which eventually funded the members on a state-wide skatepark trip, which was EPIC.

There was a skate shop near school where the kids would hang out and that’s where they met some of the famous skaters from SoCal: Danny Way, Hawk (of course), Sal Masekela, and Muska. Angel Boy even named his kitty after Muska.

It was a really nice time to be a kid, before our stupid little town ruined it all by rampant overdevelopment.

Here he is, nicely executing a flip. I can’t count the probably thousands of times this move had been practiced and failed and practiced again until he was proficient. What my mom brain sees in this photo is that he’s not wearing ANY protective gear. It’s a miracle he only ended up with one concussion and a couple of broken bones. No one wore helmets or knee/arm/wrist guards back then. What were we thinking?

The original Angel Boy

During high school, at the height of his interest in skating, we built a half-pipe in the backyard and our house was the cool place to be. I was kept busy supplying the kids with cookies and smoothies. #goodtimes #smothermother

Then there were many inevitable graduations and milestones; a doctorate and post-doc; an empty nest. The skate ramp was silent and began to deteriorate as it was never used nor maintained.

An executive decision was made to have it dismantled because it was in such poor, sad, unsafe shape.

At one point, when AB came home and saw it was gone, he was NOT at all happy. He felt that he hadn’t been included nor consulted in the conversation and not only was it a surprise, but I think it represented the end of a happy chapter in his life.

Actually, over the years I had explained to him a few times that he needed to help maintain it if he still wanted to use it, and like most things I said, he either didn’t listen (or ignored me), but in hindsight I agree that I could have been more sensitive. I guess I didn’t know how much it meant to him. It was an important rite of passage.

But I did something even worse…

I got rid of his skateboard! I didn’t do it with malice, honestly!

One day I was cleaning out the garage and thought it was never again going to be an activity he was interested in so I set it out near the street. I literally had no idea that he would ever want it for any reason; to ride or for the memories of all the fun he had skating OR to share with any future children…

But I was wrong…I was such a bad mom!

During a visit home, he asked for his skateboard because he wanted to show the kids some of his cool moves and when I told him I had put it out in the driveway and someone took it, he was SO ANGRY!

I fully understand that he felt betrayed and I felt horrible about it, especially since I’m known for never throwing anything away. Why that? I have no idea, but I did, I admit it.

I’ve been trying to make amends for the last twenty years. Yup, that was all about twenty years ago.

And now I’m offered the opportunity to make it right.

His clone, AB 2.0, is now obsessed with skateboarding!! He went to a skate camp this summer and got his very first real skateboard. Like all the sports he’s tried, he has some real talent, just like his dad. Watch out, Tony Hawk!

Is there anything more adorable than seeing a little guy all decked out in a helmet and safety gear, positioning himself to drop in? I think not.

Bad pic from a video AB 2.0

In this case, it’s not too late to make amends because I was finally able to replace AB’s sk8board and that feels good.

I did it. I made amends. I bought the skateboard; I made the necessary reparations and repaired the bad mom damage.

Even better, I was able to watch those guys skate together which is such a mom/grandma moment. Heart is bursting with love!

(And hopefully, Dad WILL wear his helmet at all times, or I’ll hear about it when the kids call me to tattle on him.)

Sometimes it’s not too late. All is takes is the honest willingness to want to make things right, even two decades later.

Note To Parents Who Pick Up Their Children From School

Posted on by
4

STOP ACTING LIKE ENTITLED A-HOLES!

This afternoon I took out the trash as school was being dismissed (I live near an elementary school), and at the same time, the postman drove up to deliver the mail.

Mostly blocking my driveway was a gigantic SUV which meant the postman literally had to stop in the middle of the street which is where I met him so he wouldn’t have to leave his vehicle.

The SUV’s back gate was open, as well as all the doors, apparently because the parents decided it was a good time to clean out their gas-guzzling monstrosity.

I said to them, “Why don’t you pull up? You’re blocking my driveway and you have plenty of room in front of you.”

The mom (I guess it was the mom) said, “We’re just here to pick up our kids from school”, as if that information was at all relevant or important to me. (Which it was NOT.)

I said, “How is that my concern? You still can’t block anyone’s driveway. Move your car.” (I’m assertive like that.😀)

And so they did. You could tell they thought about arguing with me and/or defying my directive, but the postman was a witness, so they grudgingly pulled up a few feet.

But it begs the bigger question about entitlement, consideration, and basic courtesy. No wonder the kids in my town feel they can recklessly — and without regard for anyone else–ride their stupid ebikes in the middle of the street defying all traffic and safety rules when they have annoying parents like this who feel so narcissistically privileged that they’re entitled to encroach on one’s property and then don the victim cape when they’re told to move. How RUDE!

There’s lots of conversations lately about entitled people. Entitled people believe they are inherently deserving of special treatment without considering others.

For example, why should I, a complete stranger, care one iota about whether they’re picking up their kids from school as if that should somehow ameliorate or excuse the action of blocking MY driveway? Not my kids, not my problem, especially when they could have simply checked before they stopped and pulled up a few more feet. They had plenty of room.

In fact, a vehicle cannot legally park directly in front of or across someone’s driveway in California, as it is a violation of California Vehicle Code 22500. One can contact local parking enforcement or the police department to have the vehicle ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense. 

I have no patience for these types of selfish people who think the world revolves around them in their egocentric illusion balloon. An egocentric illusion refers to the psychological bias where individuals perceive the world, their internal states, and their actions from a self-centered perspective.

I was more than happy to burst that balloon for them. Perhaps they’ll be more considerate in the future, wherever they park, hopefully not here. Maybe I’ll get a sign like this if it happens again.

Photo from Google. Not my house, but same situation.

Stop acting like entitled a-holes and model decent behavior to your children! Is that too much to ask?

Embrace The Shadowy Shoreline in Black + White

Posted on by
Reply

This haunting photo of the ocean is a total mystery. I don’t remember where or when I snapped it, but it’s intense.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

I can certainly relate. I’m working on the shadowy crevices between total darkness and the love and positivity that shines a light into the murky gloom.

Embrace and make peace with our shadow side with a lot of love and self compassion.

The Circle of Life and Death

Posted on by
Reply

In the corner of the garden close to the back gate, I found a wing that belonged to a Monarch butterfly. Poor tattered little one, colors dull and listless; I carefully picked her up to bring inside the house to spend eternity resting in a pretty box of similar treasures.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

When I went back outside to finish a yard clean-up project, I had a visitor — this magnificent Monarch who stayed still long enough to spread her wings for a picture, vibrant and alive:

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

It’s a blueblue sky circle of life day here in SoCal.

Life Imitates Art

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been an insane couple of days here on Earth, hasn’t it? A lunar occultation, double meteor showers, giant earthquakes, tsunamis — in addition to retrograde Mercury and the Lion’s Gate portal — and we are definitely in the midst of a massive amount of cosmic energy. I’m not sure what it all means, but I’m on high alert, that’s for sure.

There were no earthquakes or tsunami damage around here, but check out this crazy photo! I was in the garden near a brick patio cleaning fallen leaves from the eucalyptus tree. It’s a really annoying job because my stupid city planted the wrong sort of street trees decades ago and not only do eucs make a giant mess, they’re also a fire hazard. I have to constantly pick up the leaves and the incredibly painful-to-bare-feet seed pods (known as gum nuts). No matter how many times neighbors and I lobby the city to get the tree removed, we are always turned down; another stupidstupid city decision.

In and around the bricks and rocks, I had positioned a few random tiles to add some color when a friendly real lizard stopped by for a visit. I’m glad my camera was close by to memorialize the meeting between art and reality.

Does art imitate life or is life imitating art?

Yes, you are beautiful!

You can see some of the offending euc leaves that fell right after I had cleaned up this area. It’s SO annoying!

Photo by Enchanted Seashells
#WordlessWednesday

Don’t Miss These Spectacular Cosmic Events!

Posted on by
Reply

The first planetary event is a lunar occultation. I had never heard that before, have you?

It sounds quite witchy and magical, don’t you agree? I hope our SoCal skies are clear tonight so I’ll be able to see what it’s all about and absorb some of that mystical celestial enchantment.

Tonight, July 28, two worlds align as the Moon will pass incredibly close to Mars to create a lunar occultation — a fascinating event where the Moon temporarily hides the Red Planet from view.

Lunar occultations involving bright planets like Mars are incredibly rare.

The Moon will move in front of Mars, causing the planet to disappear behind it for a brief period. This is known as a lunar occultation, and it’s a stunning, rare cosmic alignment you’ll want to catch.

Depending on your location, you could experience:

🌓 Mars completely disappearing behind the Moon (full occultation)

🌓 A close conjunction, with both celestial bodies appearing side-by-side in the sky.

🌓 No telescope required — but binoculars or a zoom lens will give you a clearer view.

🌓 Look toward the eastern sky shortly after sunset for the best view.

There’s more…

Don’t miss this two-in-one meteor shower.

The second sky show will occur tomorrow, July 29–30. We’re in for a breathtaking celestial show as two meteor showers—the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids—reach their peak at the same time.

This rare double meteor shower event will light up the night sky with glowing streaks of light, creating a truly magical experience.

The Southern Delta Aquariids, active from July 18 to August 12, will be at their brightest around these dates and can produce up to 8 meteors per hour under dark skies. Meanwhile, the Alpha Capricornids, though milder at around 3–5 meteors per hour, are known for occasionally producing bright fireballs that surprise even experienced stargazers.

With the moon only 27–36% full, the darker skies will make this event even more visible. It’s the perfect time to step outside, find a quiet spot, and enjoy nature’s own light show.

Info curated from Astrowonders, Google, and Pinterest

Don’t forget to LOOK UP!!!

“Hummingbird, don’t fly away…”

Posted on by
2

It’s not often that a hummingbird will be able to stop moving long enough to take a picture that’s not blurry, but yesterday I got lucky. This little one darted from one monkey flower to another and my phone did a pretty good job of capturing her colorful exuberance. The nectar must have been sweet and delicious.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

“She’s little and I love her too much for words to say.” –Leon Russell

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

The lyrics to Hummingbird, another Leon Russell masterpiece, were swirling around in my head while I was snapping these pics. (This is Set 2 / Live At The Fillmore East/3/27/70 · Leon Russell Mad Dogs & Englishmen)

Watching The River Flow

Posted on by
Reply

Not exactly a river, but a little rivulet next to the lagoon that seems to have no beginning, goes nowhere, and abruptly ends without a trickle. We haven’t had rain for weeks, months even, so there’s no real explanation for the existence of this body of water.

I can relate to the meandering path of aimless inertia; of stagnant apathy. I guess that’s the feeling for today, likely generated by last night’s powerful full moon energy.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

And of course because I’m obsessed, I searched for a Leon Russell musical connection. “Watching the River Flow” is a song by Bob Dylan; masterfully produced by Leon Russell. it was written and recorded in March 1971.

As always, I love Leon’s version the best…

I Found Love 💖

Posted on by
Reply

I found love in the form of a perfectly heart-shaped beach rock. I looked down and there it was, right next to my towel.

Angel Girl calls them “love hearts” and isn’t that a wonderfully joyful and jubilant way to describe any heart?

This one is particularly heavy and solid, smooth to the touch — could it be basalt?

Of course this love heart came home with me to be added to my growing collection. Never forget that love is all around.

Photo by Enchanted Seashells

Whether it’s merely an indication of beaches and oceans and erosion, or a message from the universe, it always makes me happy.

💖

Incoming Tide

Posted on by
Reply
Photo by Enchanted Seashells

There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond to the mysterious forces that create the tide. — Rachel Carson

This particular beach is a favorite for locals to surf and tidepool, so we are always a bit vague as to the specific location to protect it from being overrun by ill-mannered tourists who trash our beaches.