Saturday Wonderday!

A good day starts with a good walk if I can manage it. Sometimes the other half gets up too early and needs his coffee made and can get grumpy if it isn't taken care of. [I am smiling as I write this, because I know that I can get up at 4:30 now and enjoy quiet time for a while!]

I am trying to keep track of the trees alongside the gravel road to our house. The one below is a Grey Dogwood ~ I believe.

This year I am trying to keep track of birds...trees... and of course fungi. It is a means of keeping myself occupied and my mind stimulated.

My favorite Box Elder

Red Oak I believe!

Another one? Oak.

I think...not sure... Hazel nuts? I will have to wait for the tree to leaf out a bit more or some sort of elm??
Speckled Alder??? 
Gosh I don't know!

I found more amazing trees on the morning walk then headed to town and picked up Rhubarb Pie and Cherry Pie from the Farmer's Market and some fresh leaf lettuce. I've decided to just grow sweet corn in the garden this year.
When I can purchase fresh produce each week all summer for our needs and for freezing, it doesn't make sense to spend endless hours in a vegetable garden.

For example, the cost of the beautiful lettuce I got? $2.50, I can't grow it for that! 

MMMM. It gives me more time to play with flowers which I LOVE!

I went out just before lunch and found Morels with Charlie!

Charlie didn't feel so good, so I took him home. As I cut through a deer trail looking at the ground, I saw this...

Fawns do not have a scent when first born. They lay so still as to be invisible! I moved away with Charlie and we headed home.

BUT! Not before we heard a commotion in the trees about 40 feet away. An owl was having it out with some red wing black birds and crows.

I thought to myself...Dang where is Aurora with that lens of hers? I know she would have loved watching this owl watch us. [Taken with my pocket camera and cropped so you can see the owl.]

We had Morels with our steak and watched several squalls come through and ended the day with a rainbow. [A bit over the top with the edit, but the clouds were so amazing and I wanted to catch their strangeness as it cut through the rainbow.]

Forest Pasture and Wandering

My wild red heads. That is Sunshine in the front, she is 23 years old and some days acts like her young sister behind her. They are always ready for some fun. Which in Mule Terms means Bucking and Farting.

It was time to move them to the Forest/Meadow pasture. Without our regular rainfall, our pastures have really not recovered well. But the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, right?

I have a rotation that generally works fairly well. Mules love the grass. The photo below is where I concentrated an area for them to graze as they usually pass by this section and it gets tall and uneaten.

Turning them out to the forest means they have a meadow but will have to forage in the woods for more grass and nibble on briers which they will do. Often they are lazy and don't bother with the woods.

So far so good. They have all been put back together. Old Fred looks a bit rough but he is happy he is grazing with his girls. I have a lot of grooming to do to everyone who are shedding like crazy. The horse is just about shed out already. Mules generally start to shine around the first of June. Must be the donkey in them!

Sundance inspects an inner fence. She is looking into the Buckthorn Woods. Grass grows in there and I have some Burdock to clean up before they can enjoy that area. 

After 24 hours the little mule herd seemed to be at peace. They are back to being one unit. 

I decided to take a nice long wander about in PeeWee's. Rich wanted me to hunt morels and it was a good enough excuse to pack snacks and water in my little backpack and take off. It was Mother's Day and that meant I got to choose what I wanted to do ... sort of. 

I walked the south hillside of the first valley and found an old cow trail to follow. Weirdly enough I noted that someone had walked along the same route and marked some trees. Curious, I followed the trail to the fenceline and then headed up the steep hill we once called Mule Killer Hill. There was a steep and long hill that would take the piss and vinegar out of our young mules. 

I followed a narrow deer trail near the top.

I started thinking about the fact I hadn't seen or heard of the 4 wheelers in weeks. Then I thought about how much easier it would be getting around while riding Sunshine. 

I finally decided I'd had enough 'hunting' around. The only fungi I found was near the creek and those were pheasant backs. 

I toured the side of the hill and crossed the fence onto our land. Something caught my eye and I stood still.

An owl!

I only had my little red camera hanging from my side. 

The owl wasn't interested in me. But I watched it. I took pictures. It never turned its head to look at me until I made a kissing noise. Then it gave me the once over and continued to chirp.

I left the owl to its business and headed home.

Back in the woods I heard:

Who...who who...who cooks for you!