These times...

 

On Monday we had our updated Covid-19 boosters. And other than a slight ache at the injection sight we've had no ill side effects. That was actually a pretty nice surprise.

Tuesday was my 'hike or ride with Olive' day. Olive had texted me Monday evening to let me know she had found the Mother Lode of cool fungi in a forest that her husband's family owns. We decided to go at 10 AM because the heat on Tuesday afternoon was to be fierce.

She had found the Mother Lode!

Shrimp of the Woods was everywhere! She picked, and I photographed. We poured out gobs of sweat and hiked ...and brush busted through the woods getting full of stick tights and all sorts of nasty little burrs. We laughed and exclaimed how fun it was to find someone else as adventurous as we two were.

Apparently her husband is not into diving through the underbrush just to find dried up old mushrooms and exclaim OHHH! AHHH! Or to grab fungi from the dirt and marvel at their beauty. [However, he will eat what she cooks!]

I learned that Olive was indeed the adventurous type. After college, she took a year and went to New Zealand to hike a 2,000 mile trail. She said it was an epic adventure and she learned by trial and error about back packing. She learned about blisters, heat rash, and dealing with forces of nature.

I told her I was jealous, but admired her.

The arrow points to some oyster mushrooms she had 'seeded' with a slurry from other oyster mushrooms she'd picked. It worked!

We hiked and explored for about 2 hours before we hopped back into her beat up Subaru and headed home. We traveled both times with the windows down as her A/C hadn't worked since she'd beat up her car when she did a short stint as a Rural Postal Carrier. 

I'd taken a lot of photos and we'd covered a lot of ground. 

We both thought it would be fun to come back after the snow fell and snowshoe through the woods.

She dropped me off.

Two hours later she texted me with an urgent message. Her parents had Covid they'd been at their house on Saturday. She had been exposed but presented with no symptoms.

Well now. 

I'm wearing a mask in the house and doing all I can to keep separate from hubby.

This morning I received an update. Olive had to take her son to the ER last night and he tested negative, but has a full blown ear infection, teething, and a cold.

Her husband is negative too. So now we just wait and see while still practicing all the cautions I can...

Ever drink coffee with a straw? 

Interesting.

Friends

The best friends 
you can 
have 
are Honest
Friends.

The internet can be a funny place. A few years ago I was able to reconnect with a childhood pal via the dreaded FB. We hadn't really been in touch since Middle School and a bit of High School, but suddenly there we were, meeting up and enjoying each other's company.

I met another person through a horse group many years ago. I met up with her when I traveled to Virginia. We have remained distant friends and have kept in touch.

There are more stories like that in my life. One recent friendship though comes to the forefront.
I met this spring with another photographer/blogger. Neither one of us were an axe murder posing as something else, thank goodness. And we had a common ground.

The love of the forest and everything in it.

We decided to hook up for a fall hike. We waited until the temperatures had cooled a bit and the bugs were not so bad.

Let me say that getting around where I live is probably one of the most difficult things to do. GPS is not accurate, it doesn't show where I live. The GPS will show my vehicle going off into Never Never Land. Road signs can be non-existent. I know our road sign took nearly 20 yrs to be put up. They forgot to add: Dead End.

Phone reception in our hills and valleys are even worse. Depending  which valley I am in, my phone tells me that there is NO availability for voice. In fact if it is in my bedroom, in our creek bottom, in the back valley, or in places at KVR it goes DING and let's me know there is nothing...Nothing Out there! 

In the end, we did find each other and begin our Fall trek together. 

As we climbed the first part of the steep trail, The Grand Old Oak welcomed us with morning light filtering through its branches.

I mean. I want to hug this tree. It seems to hug me every single time I walk by it.

I don't know how to explain it... I like the forest and I think it likes me back.

Aurora and I found our way with Charlie leading us. We arrived at the top of the bluff. 

Charlie trotted out to the edge and surveyed the forest below. Just like the Lion King would have done.

We sat down on one of the ledges and proceeded to just talk. After all meeting face to face is so much more than just writing to each other or talking on the phone.

And this happened:

Aurora found a bunch of milkweed seeds and held them up to blow them into the slight breeze. They floated over the edge and continued on their journey. Charlie was hilarious he turned towards the camera I'd set up. 
I suppose he could hear the almost inaudible clicks.

I have to admit, I love the deep forest trails so much.

We walked and chatted. I chatted in circular fashion. I started something and got sidetracked and then picked up sort of where I left off later on.

No sane mind can follow me so I will leave it at that.

The colors were beautiful and when the trail threw me for a loop I was happily surprised.

This photo edited to bring out the glorious colors of the meadow/prairie grasses we walked through while looking back at the forest we came out of.

The planted grass around us was beyond pretty. Aurora showed me that. Normally I wouldn't have given the grasses much of a glance.

But that is the fun of having another photographer along. One that can see what I'd normally overlook.

I liked the asters....I did like the grass but just took grassy looking shots. Nothing spectacular. I just soaked it all in.

We ran into other folks walking the trail which is unusual in the middle of the week. However, I suppose the incredible weather and colors brought out all sorts of folks.

Below. 

Sumac on the trail that I wanted to 'shoot' backlit using spot metering.

I like it.

We probably spent as much time chilling out with Charlie where we had parked our vehicles.

Aurora told me about a photographer who did a project called Wonderland. We talked about it at length.

I'd had an idea of something along these lines but not fantasy quite like this artist had done.

A story?

A tribute?

Something of a project?

Oh the mind whirls!

Friends are awesome. They continuously give me fantastic ideas.

In 2008, a Flickr friend Nikki told me to do a 'book' about the Forest. It was her wish. I took one year to do it. Nikki passed away and I did that book in her honor.

The Enchanted Forest.

I followed that up with another called The Sleeping Forest.

I like projects and have been mulling over a project of Bear and I.

Or something else.

Time will tell.

As well as encouragement from friends.

Never waste a good friend.

They are an extremely precious resource.

The End Game

I took Morris in for his follow up appointment and a SubQ hydration treatment. Dr. Grimm declared him stable as of this time.

We discussed Morris's medical future. He has Kidney Disease/Failure along with a very bad tooth. He isn't stable enough to have surgery on the mouth nor will he likely ever be. Plus, that surgery is very expensive and not recommended for dogs his age and in his condition.

As long as Morris is stable we won't be poking and prodding him a lot. As long as he maintains weight with his new Kidney Diet food and continues to drink water and not begin to vomit and have diarrhea, we are doing well.
There is a BUT in this.
But Kidney Disease is Kidney Failure and it will take his life. We don't know when or how quickly. It can be weeks or months, but Morris will succumb to the disease.

There won't be any heroics when Morris succumbs to the next crisis. That may sound cruel but I don't want to promote suffering.

So yesterday after the visit with the Doctor we went for a drive. We then walked a new trail in Jersey Valley County Park and just enjoyed the autumn afternoon.

I'd like to say that I had a philosophical discussion with Morris as we sat on a rock overlooking the lake. But we didn't. He smelled, sniffed, and was basically a dog enjoying the walk. As long as we can, we will continue with these walks, they won't be hard or demanding as we used to do, but just nice simple walks at his pace.

Morris napped comfortably in the car on the half hour drive home. He was alert and perky when he hopped out of the Subaru to oversee his farm. After he checked things out, he asked to go in and get fed.

Life is simple for him. When he feels good, he wants to be on the go. When he is hungry he lets you know. When he'd like to get up at 4am to survey his "Kingdom" he also lets you know.
Nap time is preferable if he has a lap to do it on. Otherwise his couch will suffice.

May the rest of his days be pain free.