My cat, Rainbow, isn’t much for posing. It is hard to get a good picture of her. But this nice sun ray on the bed convinced her to stay and pose. ❧
Image #160 – Lazin’ on a sunny afternoon
Image #154 – Stalked Hairy Fairy Cup
The Stalked Hairy Fairy Cup, according to Audubon’s Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, is “Often in large groups, on dead twigs, stems, beech burs, and birch catkins.” That explains the large number of these specimens that were populating the various pieces from our recent tree removal on Fawn Hill. There were plenty of dead or dying stems and twigs for this fungus to enjoy.
At approximately 1/8 of an inch (3mm) in length is is very easy to overlook this unique mushroom. The actual cup is only 1/32 of an inch (1mm) wide. When you get down close to it you see that is is covered with long, white hairs. Just another wonder from the mushroom world. ❧
Image #153 – Between a rock and a hard place
With the temperature falling into the teens last week, critters all over these Carolina Hills are re-doubling their efforts to prepare for winter. Staying warm is a definite priority for mammals so you can’t blame a little field mouse for squeezing himself into the warmth of an aging double-wide with lots of little gaps and holes.
I first noticed mouse droppings about three weeks ago. They seemed confined to the kitchen sink area so, taking advice from my neighbor, I plugged all the holes I could find with steel wool. The problem is that field mice are tiny and can squeeze through openings that are unbelievably small, so small that humans do not even see them sometimes. Ridding my home of mice could be a challenge and a trauma. The mechanical and chemical means of eliminating such creatures are not for the faint of heart. Remember, dear readers, this is a woman who has owned and loved gerbils.
Two nights ago I heard rustling in the cabinet where I store things like crackers and egg noodles. Tango Dog and Rainbow Cat, sat transfixed in front of the cabinet, looking up as if watching a big screen TV on the wall. I opened the door and there he was, nestled happily in the new, and previously unopened, bag of egg noddles. The clear plastic packaging made for perfect viewing. We made eye contact and then he was off like a shot.
I reapplied steel wool, moved the dry goods to plastic tubs, cleaned up and hoped for the best.
The next night, at about 3 a.m., I awoke to a ruckus in the living room. It was the cat and I knew immediately what was going on. Switching on the light I found the cat by the hall cupboard, peering intently behind it. The mouse was cornered. Tango quickly joined in the fun. Realizing there was nothing I could do, I wished the mouse well and went back to bed. I suspect Rainbow was there most of the night, waiting for the rodent to make a misstep. Tango, being no fool, came back to bed with me.
This morning the mouse was still cornered. As I came out of the bedroom I looked behind the cupboard and there he was. His little head emerged from an opening in the back of the cupboard. It quickly pulled back when he saw me. Tango saw all this too and he was back in the hunt.
Thankfully it was a wonderfully mild and sunny morning. I propped open the front door and hoped the mouse was smart enough to make a dash for freedom. It took a while for the coast to clear. The cat lost interest and went for her pre-nap nap. Tango stayed on the case but eventually his interest flagged as well. The mouse, I think, made his escape. There was a brief skirmish by the door and Tango went running to the deck and down into the hedge. I’ve seen no further signs of the mouse today. Guess we’ll learn more tonight. Of course there is never just one mouse … ❧
Image #152 – Opportunity!
On Friday we had some tree removal work done at Fawn Hill. There were two really bad problems–an 80 foot Poplar that was rotted at the base and hollow for about six feet up, and some limbs on a Black Oak that had died and were hanging precipitously over the house. One piece of the Oak had already broken lose and, like a spear, pierced the roof.
The crew was here early and it was a good thing because by midday the rains had come in and the crew headed out, leaving massive quantities of lumber staged in my backyard and driveway, 
awaiting the chipper that may arrive on Monday, weather permitting.
Saturday dawned mild and sunny. When I looked at the pile of tree debris in my backyard I thought of one thing–opportunity! It’s not often that the opportunity to study macro-environments at 80 feet up falls into your lap. Normally you need to strap on a lot of climbing equipment and be strong enough to claw your way up a tree with your heels. I have neither the equipment, strength or, for that matter, the interest to even try. Another opportunity to accomplish this goal is to visit a few places, like Myakka River State Park, where there is a tree canopy walk and you can leisurely study the flora aloft. In my case, on Saturday, I simply needed to walk out my front door.
I spent some time studying the downed pieces. There were many things of interest. Lots of lichen…or moss…not sure which. But the limbs from the Black Oak gave me something I could identify, another addition to the growing list of mushrooms I have become acquainted with here in North Carolina. In this case it is the Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum). They are the orange fungi you see on the branches at the bottom of this first picture.
But here is a much better and closer picture.
I had studied the dead limbs of the Black Oak with some interest before the arborists arrived but I can’t recall seeing the fungi. No doubt it was on the sunny side of the branch which was some 60 or more feet in the air. Having photographed and identified it I then learned, via the Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, that the habitat for this fungi is “On dead deciduous twigs and stumps, especially oak.” Seems the arborist made a good cut. ❧
Image #150 – The Pool Has Closed for the Season
That’s my backyard bird bath this morning. It was chilly here, actually downright cold. When I awoke it was 15º F. The birds are flocking to my feeders in great numbers and who can blame them? I can barely comprehend how they manage to survive in such weather but clearly good nutrition is a part of it. Just yesterday I was talking with my neighbor about bird bath heaters. She was talking about the need to get her’s in place and I was marveling that such an item existed. It never occurred to this Florida girl but I’ve already been to Amazon.com to check it out and this morning certainly confirms the need for such a device. There are some technical issues to resolve, however. So, for the next few days at least, my feathered-friends will have to try skating. Thankfully the weather is forecast to moderate and by the weekend we will be back in the 60s. ❧
Death of a Friend
My friend, Gail Walton, died today, She was 69 years-old. That’s her in the picture, on the left in the blue shirt. She is with her life-partner of more than twenty-five years, my college friend Bonnie Powell. The picture was taken in 2000, not long after they got McDuff, the Jack Russell Terrier in the middle.
Gail was a wonderful woman with a big heart. She loved dogs and rescued her fair share of abandoned or abused critters.She ran a pet supply business for a while. She was also a respiratory therapist, a gourmet cook, an M.P. when she was in the Army, and a whole assortment of other occupations or pre-occupations. She was witty and beautiful.
Fawn Hill feels a little lonely tonight. A year ago I never imagined I would be living here, neither did Gail and Bonnie. After I moved here in June we talked about how incredible it was that we had become neighbors. Gail said, “Alice, I believe some energy has brought you here.” Just a few weeks later she was diagnosed with an advanced case of recurring lung cancer. Eight years ago she had a lung removed and the doctors felt they had gotten all of it. But they didn’t. By the time Gail was diagnosed, just over four weeks ago, the cancer was everywhere. There was nothing that could be done. Hospice was brought in.
Hospice was my occupation for the last six years of my working career. The irony that I would arrive here just before Gail’s awful diagnosis was not lost on any of us. I did the best I could in advising and helping. I have to say, however, that administering hospice care to a friend is so much harder than administering such care to others. When I was working for hospice people would often ask me, “How can you do that kind of work?” I would explain that there was a certain level of detachment, which is not to say disinterest or aloofness, but rather an acceptance that death is inevitable and that dying patients deserve compassion and competent care.
When the patient is your friend or a family member (and I have had experience in both instances) it seems that all you have learned in ministering to the dying patient just goes away and you feel helpless. You lose the objectivity that is normally present. Your thought process seems fuzzy and muddled. Actions and reactions that once seemed so sure and competent become tentative. The shroud of grief becomes becomes a straight-jacket that seems to paralyze you.
We did the best we could in caring for Gail. She was surrounded by loving friends and, for the most part, we were able to control the pain. Still, it has been a difficult time that has once again brought home the fundamental truth: Life is short. Carpe diem! ❧
Image #147 – You talkin’ to me?
Tufted Titmouse doing his best Robert De Niro impression … ❧
Image #146 – White-breasted Nuthatch
The variety of birds at my feeder has narrowed to about 6-10 varieties. The White-breasted Nuthatch is one of them and he is a surprisingly cooperative subject. The Titmouse and Chickadee are frenetic and move too quickly to grab the right focus. But this little fellow looked right at the camera and smiled. Don’t you agree? ❧
Image #145 – Carolina Chickadee
A sweet Carolina Chickadee at my feeder. Carolina Chickadees are a bit smaller than the more common Black-capped Chickadee. They are part of the same family as the titmouse, which might explain why they “hang” together. The two seem in constant company with one another. They constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds, which you can learn more about by clicking on the links. They do not migrate south which means my feeders will continue to enjoy their presence throughout the winter. And that will be just fine with me. ❧
Image #144 – Changes
Frequent followers will have figured out by now that this summer, for me, has been a photographic love affair with mushrooms. That’s my buddy, Tango, sitting between two spectacular blooms of mushrooms in the patch of land that Boni & Gail call “the meadow,” at the top of Fawn Hill. This picture was just three weeks ago. On the right is an, as yet, unidentified stand. They may be Velvet Foot but I’m not sure. On the left is our spectacular friend, Jack O’Lantern. Tango’s presence gives a good sense of scale. These are not small ‘shrooms.
Here they are, a bit closer up.
Three weeks may not seem like much time but, believe me, it is a long time ago. There have been many changes. The most dramatic and heart-wrenching were detailed in my previous post, Image #143. My friend Gail is slipping, bit-by-bit, into that abyss from which there is no return…at least none that we can know. She has talked of the bright light at the foot of her bed. A Reiki master, who came and gave Gail great comfort on Sunday, spoke of the “bright blue light” that is next to Gail. Change is coming…
On a larger scale, the air is cooler now, frosts are frequent and the leaves have fallen with a thud that announces “CHANGE!” Sigh …. it is inescapable. Throughout the summer months we trick ourselves somehow, we believe the days, long and lingering, will go on forever. But change is here and in these northern climes it is ever so much more present. Perhaps that is why the elderly love Florida so much. Change is harder to see and there is a sense that change is being held at bay. As humans we generally hate change and yet, ironically, it is the only thing of which we can be absolutely sure.
And speaking of change, frequent followers will note some changes on this website. I have finally figured out how to create galleries for my pictures. You can find them in the right-hand column. So far I have posted two — one with birds and the other with, what else, mushrooms. I hope you enjoy this chance to view just the pictures but, of course, I also hope you will stop to read the words. After all, words matter. ❧
Alice's WanderLand 