Hot Hot!

Things to do when it is unbearable outside. Bring some outside into the house. Since I was having fun with the candle holders, I thought I'd expand to sticks and bark. Using glue, moss, and some funky crafty items, I got busy.

and then of course I had to imagine what would take place on this piece of bark.

and I took it a step further. 
Since my 'photo table' had to be moved out, I haven't had a good place to do indoor dioramas are creations. However I muddled through and had to avoid the concentrator and avoid stepping on the 02 lines...
but I made it work.

I ended up putting the items on a box and using a cutting board that was made from an Italian Olive Tree for the backdrop.

I kept messing around and finding more interesting ways of using my decorated sticks and roots.

I went out after the sun went down and decided to watch Fireflies. On the forest edge, they were abundant in the tall grasses.

You may have to click on the photo to see
the driveway...4 minute Livecomp
exposure.

...and on to the week of somewhat cooler temps but a lot of predicted rain....

Feeling Creative

Fall tends to bring about my creative side. I thought I'd make a Diorama type set up for ...um, whatever the reason. So I went out in the yard and grabbed some little sticks and brought them inside.

I had some extra Model Magic that was still pliable so I thought I'd make a mushroom and maybe some mini trees.

I used some medicine caps as the tree bases. I put a ball of the Model Magic in the cap with some Elmer's Glue and set it off to the side to dry.

This morning while waiting on my appointment follow up calls I got out an old pill bottle and filled it with tiny rocks for weight. It will be the base for the tree I am modeling to look like it is leaning way off to the side. 
I will  hot glue the bark to the pill bottle to make it look like a tree base.

Now the items have to dry. It will probably be about 2 days or so before I can add paint to the 'trees' I made. One method to make trees was to use foil and create a base to make a tree. That was fine, but I thought an actual branch would make more sense. And after all, I can just go pick one up in the yard.

Guess who was very happy with it so far? 

Groot! 

I love this character from Guardians of the Galaxy. I saw some of those movies while visiting this summer with my son Eddie. When I spotted this 'ornament' in the store, I grabbed it. It was on a new display and most of them were already gone. I knew his happy face would not be there next time I went in.

I set everything to the side to dry and then took the afternoon walk to check on fences, mules, and the colors of fall.

I was so surprised at a patch of Blewits???

There were so many on this old mule/deer trail between oak trees that I ended up spending a lot of time trying to photograph them.

Here is the one I brought home. It was pretty large.

Hubby said there was NO way he'd even try one. I'm not sure either quite yet. This one was nearly as large as my foot!

Mushroom ID?

I wish I had a really good book on fungi and mushrooms. But I don't.

September is a neat time of the year to explore the woods in this area. We have misty foggy mornings and it produces neat mushroom/fungi, in the woods.

The morning light filters down through the leaves of the Hickory tree in our front yard. Sundance and Sunshine were waiting for me to come out. They were looking for hay but I transferred them to another pasture where there is a small growth of grass.

They will make quick work of this grass and eat the tastiest parts first.

It will be all 'hay' soon.

Sunday I ran across some neat fungi/mushrooms while hiking with my friends.

I have no idea what they are, only that they were very cool.

Gilled mushroom on a log near the creek. A great place for these little buggers to grow.

Not far from there some more stacked on a log. They are different I ... think. But I should go back and see what they look like after 3 days.

Now these were found on Sunday...

They were not on a log but perhaps growing from the roots of a tree nearby?
There were many growing around some singular and some grouped.

I thought their textures were really neat.

So I went back on Tuesday to see how they shaped up.

I found the single one, however it had been stepped on. I found the little group and was really surprised.

They were hard to spot and changed colors and shape.

And what the heck....

Who doesn't like a bit of slime fungi?

That's it for today. I hope to go out this afternoon and search the woods for some more exciting fungi.

PT for Rich, finish a spot of hand mowing, and get some groceries. I wonder if I'll be able to fit in some wood exploration.
I sure hope so.

September is an exciting time for the fungi in the woods. Soon I can hunt for the huge puffballs.

I'd like to get out and find some. I'm going to try some focus stacking for better and clearer photos of small objects.

Quiet time

I'm trying to carve out a bit more time for walking Charlie and Sven together.

It was a nice quiet walk with Charlie and Sven playing on the trails. Charlie would stop and listen to a chipmunk in the woods. Sven would stand by him and browse on berry briers or some other leafy bush and then they'd trot off together.

It appears to the casual observer that these two are pals and have a very close bond.
I know Dixie was very fond of Charlie but Sven seems totally attached to his dog pal. He cries when they are separated, yet if I tie them up in the yard where they can be near each other. They will actually lay down so that they are touching each other to nap in the sunlight.

Sven is like a rather large dog that is even better mannered than most dogs on the trail. He doesn't eat deer poop, he doesn't roll in stinky things, and he comes instantly when I whistle or call him.

He still has some of his light colored 'baby' coat left. I imagine as his winter coat grows in it will fall out. I like the funky colors it gives him right now.

Charlie still wears his little beeper collar on hikes. He rarely gets separated from Sven when we all go together. But it is nice to know I can 'ring' his bell if he gets into the thick underbrush and I can't find him.

We walked to the back of the property and I had some fluorescent spray paint I wanted to spray on the line fence. That is my next project is to fix the back fence. It is an old barbed wire fence, some of the posts can be reset and some of the wire may still be usable. I'm always up for a project.
I used the green paint to mark areas.
Sven decided to try and taste the paint on the posts. Silly goat. He has fluorescent paint on his nose now.

When I sat on a log to let my two companions walk around in the area, they both came and tried to get my attention. So much for sitting and mulling things over!

I walked down the hill back towards the creek. I'd told Rich I'd only be gone for an hour so I couldn't go exploring. Sven and Charlie trotted on deer trails and I could hear their bells. The bells are a stroke of genius. I can hear what they are doing all of the time without watching them.

I noted that there were a lot of maple leaves down with colors on them and some of the ironwood trees had leaves that were turning. Some of the black berry bushes had a tint of red in them.

Fall is coming.
Lucky me!
In one week, I've arranged for my winter hay, arranged for trees to be taken down... and while in town I even ran into another neighbor who said he'd come out with his chainsaw and truck to take firewood and help.

I found some very pretty white mushrooms at the creek bottom.

Well, let's say that getting down on your knees and scooting low is not always the thing to do with a Hiking Goat along.
Mr. Hiking Goat decides that he will practice Goat Yoga with you and that your back makes a perfect place to put his hooves while he nibbles on your hair and ears to .. let you know how much he cares about you.

I gave up taking macro shots and we just continued to walk slowly towards home.

When back on the big trail, Sven and Charlie played chase.



One thing I can say for certain. They wear each other out playing.
And that was the purpose of the walk, to give them some time to play and exercise.

I took a video with my phone but ... well for whatever reason, it won't download.
Suffice to say that it shows Sven and Charlie racing up together and back on the trail with their little collar bells merrily jingling away.

And that was my quiet time. Peaceful and full of smiles.

Not much

I went for a hike yesterday mid morning. It looked like rain and I just wanted to wander around a bit along the creek and see what all the heat and rain had done.

It sure has changed!

And I found where the flea bane had begun to bloom...

I was surprised to see that I'd missed the bloom of morel mushrooms by a few days.

I found a few dozen but they were beyond the picking stage. I wonder if they will be in the same area next year?

I spent the early morning hours replacing some electric gate handles. They should have been replaced last year but I never got around to it. I must admit, I was pretty impressed with my work. Rich used to do all of the fence work, but I have watched over the years and learned quite a bit.

I solved the issue of that horrible hard place to mow behind the shed that is full of holes and stumps. I used our automatic self propelled weed eater/fertilizer pony to do the hard work.
Yes, I'll have to rake out his piles but at least he did the hard work for me. He isn't quite as good as a lawn mower or gas driven weed wacker, but he is less noisy.

Our neighbor at the top of the hill mowed alongside our driveway and cleaned out the end of the culvert that was plugged up. I had planned on trying my hand at using the weed wacker to clean that up.  Our farmer friend will be coming over sometime soon to fix the driveway for us. He rebuilt it in 2007 just before the floods and it has stayed reasonable good. The 2016 floods and rains made it deteriorate. Well, that and all the normal wear and tear a gravel driveway has to take on a hillside.

Here is a shot from the before and after work from 2007.

After supper I thought I'd saddle up Sunshine and take her for a ride. She is a good little go getter mule. Daughter of my very first horse.

I intended to ride to the Ice Cave and back but we got turned around by the booming of an incoming thunderstorm.

We got to the old electric fence in the 'Merry' Meadow -- it was not on. And I took down the lines so we could beat the storm home.  I leave the lines up because those folks with the 4 wheelers don't cross it and tear alongside my fence line and terrify our animals.

Today, the mules are due for their worming and then I'm going to transfer them to one of the rotation pastures. The Dexters that stayed on the farm are going to rotate to the pasture I would like them to clean next.

I think I should just label my pastures with numbers, it will be less confusing for Rich.

Then I start planting the veggie garden.
Hmm. I said Not Much.
But I guess I did do a few things.

I hope today is more on the boring side...

Morel hunting by ... Morris

Well Morel hunting! I'll be switched. I am the expert.

Not really. I just like going to the woods any time.

There is so much to smell and pee on. Whoops. Was I supposed to say that?
I mean come on. Everyone knows a male dog sniffs and then pees on things. That is how we leave a comment.
You all have email. Or you can do the "Like" thing.

She said something about hunting for those funky looking mushrooms. Sigh.
It means lots of slow walking. I try and make Her think I am not okay with that when in truth I am.
It gives me more time to investigate things at my own pace.

She gave out a little ohhhh and an ahhhh when She ducked into the underbrush.

She found a small group of grey morels.

Then she sighed and sat back on her heels. I started eating some grass and gagged a bit. She looked at me, then her eyes widened.

"More Morels, Morris!" I looked down. Indeed, I was standing next to them.

She happily picked them and stuck them in the bag she was carrying. I tried to recall if I'd peed on the area.
Hmmm. Probably not, the mushrooms weren't wet.

However She did pat me on the head and tell me what a good boy I was for finding them.
I was just eating some grass. But hey, I'll take the credit. Perhaps she would find a dog cookie for me later.

You should watch her when She is looking for these odd things. I mean I see no value in them at all. However She gets all excited.

I'd rather find rabbit pellets or deer droppings. Less tasty in the spring than they are frozen. Now...that is a treat!

She walked on, crouching and peering and looking all serious like.

I laughed at Her.
She thought it was a yawn.
Does this look like a Yawn?

Then...
then...
all giddy She walks up to this tree and says, "A new mushroom tree!"

Oh Lady, you seriously need some help.

Then She plucks another Morel from the forest floor.

Well I will be gobsmacked. She found another one and since I was standing near, I got the credit again.

Hey Lady, cookies! I stare at her trying to drill the mind melding thought of dog cookies into her head.

She just gets up and we head towards home. She mumbles something about getting just enough for a taste.

We climb down and across the creek and use the rope to walk up the steep bank. Well...SHE uses the rope. I scamper ahead with visions of treats awaiting me at home for being such a great little dog.

The End.

And yes.
I got a treat.

And yes, She says we'll go again in a couple of days.

Until then.
Happy Hunting.

Unexpected Things

I know that I may have let some of my fellow bloggers down by not writing about my fun and crazy adventures with mules.
This year I haven't ridden any mule since March.  Most of my free time is spent taking a little breather while hiking with my cameras.

I hadn't even been on PeeWee's most of the summer.  I went for a stroll last weekend and decided to try another 'corn tunnel' shot.  
I was happy to find just the right spot and take this shot.  
PeeWee's is now so horribly overgrown that it is very difficult to hike through. 
I've had to go elsewhere to get hiking in.

Thank goodness for our wonderful county parks and nearby state parks!

So yesterday I was doing chores when I came across several little surprises....

I found these little mushrooms popping up overnight after a 1 1/2" rainfall.  They lifted the acorn right off the ground.
I noticed these while feeding the hounds and went back to my house to grab my camera with the micro/macro lens.

I was fortunate enough to catch a couple of shots of the King Solomon's Seal after the rain, the berries are black under this graceful arched plant.

The bright morning light was diffused through the oak canopy and I couldn't resist squatting under the plant to catch a shot of the wet seeds.

I sort of wonder why I haven't noticed them before this spring.  Perhaps I was always too busy getting ready to go do something else and not really looking around at things behind the shed.
After all that portion of the property is pretty unexciting.
Well, until the other day!

This time of the year is fairly busy for unexpected guests in the form of ground bees and other interesting insects.  I found this guy pretty content to sit on the side of our trailer and let me try to get a decent shot of him.

However to get a look at the ground bees I used my long lens.  Normally I just avoid these aggressive bees, but they are occupying a hole in the dirt right under the south side door.

I guess one of the things I really dislike about September is these horrid little fellows.

If you leave them alone I guess they will eventually go away.  They are using a mole or vole burrough to build their nest deep underground.  These little nasties are yellow jackets and will sting you with a vengeance if you disturb their nest.

I was able to sit very quietly and adjust my camera to grab a few very quick shots of these going in and out of the hole.