a gentle reminder

There was a tiny chance of snow in the forecast last night.

And that's what we got: a tiny snow.

If the air hadn't still been very cold, sunrise would have melted it.

I hastened outside to give the hens a Special Breakfast,

see what Hazel and Bud thought about their First Snow,

and take a few snaps.

 

Because I didn't bother with gloves - or a coat, for that matter -

I soon realized that it was indeed very cold.

Had to thaw the ice in gate latches and break ice in the water buckets.

I took only a very few snaps before heading inside

to hold my fingers under cold water for a minute, then warm water.

Ahhh. That's better.

Then I had a bowl of curry for breakfast.

I'm not saying I feel like this mushroom:

No.

I feel like the mushroom behind that mushroom.

But the sky is becoming a pale blue and it's not raining,

so today is going to be a fine day for doing things.

For doing All The Things.

I hope!

Because this tiny snow is the gentle - if chilly - harbinger of Winter.

And there are just a few things that still need to be done.

~~~~~

weekend seen

This chipmunk shinnied up the pole holding the bird feeder.

S/he paused a couple of times on the way up, to look around.

At every pause in the climbing, s/he slowly slid downward,

like a little cartoon character.

But once the buffet was reached,

there was plenty of time to eat and look around.

Ms. Piper also enjoys looking around. And sniffing.

Whatever she was sniffing here, it was fascinating!

She stood perfectly still for a couple of minutes.

We went to the woods today for the very first time this summer.

You may not be surprised to hear that it was very hot and humid.

An hour of walking was plenty.

First we walked down into our favorite little streambed looking in vain for cooler air,

then back along a flat trail that Piper really likes.

The bugs were so bad we both wore the Seriously Awful Spray.

Piper seemed unbothered by the deer flies, thank goodness. 

But if I stopped moving even long enough to take a picture,

deer flies took bites out of my fingers and my face.

Many of the photographs I took today were too blurry to share.

Say, readers, here's a question for you!

Are there any fungi aficionados reading this?

If so, I would love to know if that silvery color on the surrounding vegetation

is an incredibly thin and perfectly even layer of released spores.

There were a few similar examples nearby, at various states of maturity/decay.

Can't think what else it could be, but I'm surprised I've never seen this before.

The color stood out so much, my first thought was

that someone had used marking paint.

And here's another colorful thing, but less mysterious:

a "bead" of a "bluebead lily" in the process of turning blue.

They turn quite a dark blue - this bright, light blue was a surprise.

Well, Piper is sound asleep and the sun is beginning to drop behind the trees,

which means evening chores are waiting.

 Time to get busy.

~~~~~

miscellaneous mushrooms

~~~

(Just because they always catch my eye. So intriguing!)

~~~~~