The Day After.....

T’was the night of Thanksgiving,

But I just couldn’t sleep.

I tried counting backwards,

I tried counting sheep.

The leftovers beckoned,

The dark meat and white.

But I fought the temptation,

With all of my might.

Tossing and turning,

with anticipation.

The thought of a snack

became infatuation.

So I raced to the kitchen,

Flung open the door,

And gazed at the fridge,

Full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey,

And buttered potatoes,

Pickles and carrots,

Beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling,

So plump and so round.

‘til all of a sudden,

I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling,

Floating into the sky,

With a mouthful of pudding,

And a handful of pie.

But I managed to yell

As I soared past the trees

Happy eating to all,

Pass the cranberries, please!!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump.

May your potatoes and gravy

Have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious,

May your pies take the prize

And May your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off of your thighs!

by Lauren

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Thanksgiving

The year has turned its circle,

The seasons come and go.

The harvest all is gathered in

And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,

The fields, their yellow grain,

So open wide the doorway ---

Thanksgiving comes again!

~Old Rhyme.

Arid Amidst Rain

Though the weather outside is stormy,

The air inside is cracklin',

The moisture's been all sucked out,

Let it mist, let is mist, let it mist!

On a pellet stove a pot of water,

Won't heat up to make condensation,

And my hair flies straight away,

Let it mist, let it mist, let it mist!

The solution is an humidifier,

It spews both day and night,

My skin's no longer flaking off,

Let it mist, let it mist. let it mist!

~Beanball

Watch Cat

Bagheera has a new favorite bench to perch on and keep watch down the driveway for any unwanted intruders. Should she spy something unusual, her job description then demands she skitter over to the non-watch dog sound asleep on the porch, rudely awaken him by whatever means it takes, and take off down the driveway, causing Scout to chase after her, thus insuring the frightening off of the unfortunate visitor!

And the Winner(s).....

I had 5 individuals comment on one of their favorite childhood memories, and they were fun to read. So thanks! My dear espouso was one of the commenters, and wouldn't you know, his was the name I drew! I knew he would not use the gift I made up, so here is what I decided: I will find another appropriate prize for him, and for the rest of you, I made up a set of these cards as a gesture of thanks! Those gals are mimamama, Beth and Nancy. Amberlynne, due to the cost of sending packages to you, I think I will count the pumpkin seeds I put in the tube with the ferns as your prize :-) Did you ever receive it?

More Amazing Fungi

The woods in our yard continue to surprise us with amazing fungi. How could we not have seen any of these before?!?!

As you can see, this one measured in at 8" across! Pushing up through the surface of the forest floor, the cluster of three were full of dirt and pine needles captured in the flared infundibuliform caps as they emerged.The stipe was fairly short, but incredibly thick and fleshy. I believe this one is identified as a Russula brevipes.

Transparent and grayish, these toadstools were slimy and sticky, and produced a medium brown spore print. I haven't identified it yet.

I have never noticed these false morels around here before! Maybe I just wasn't looking, though. Darrell seems to be the one who brings them to my attention! The browned-topped one is an elfin saddle (in the family of false morels). The stipes are deeply furrowed, with longitudinal ridges and pits, and chambered within. They are all identified as helvella lacunosa. According to my mushroom book, the white topped ones are the same thing, but infected with hypomyces cervinigenus. I am not sure if the white eventually turns to black, or if the black topped fellows are something else.

I found this Chlorophyllum olivieri out by the chicken coop. The cap is large, umbonate and broken into concentric scales. There is a distinct ring on a smooth stipe. The spore print shows abundant white spores. They like to grow by compost, so what better place to call home than right outside the chicken coop?

I hope you find some little tidbit of interest in this uneducated babble about fungi. I am brand new to mycology, so I may have incorrectly identified some of them, too. Just don't eat any, and you shall be safe :-)

Camouflage

I am presently completely fascinated with mushrooms and spiders that I am finding in the yard! We have such a variety in the woods...... amazing! This was a small, white spider with some red on its body that I came across while cutting down the summer growth in a wine barrel. As soon as Little Whitie realized she was in danger, she curled up into a little ball, and looked exactly like the white perolite (or whatever it is) that was surrounding her in the dirt.

All creatures great and small,

The Lord God made them all!