Just a bit of observation...

  This afternoon, a short hike was in order.  Son and I worked all day in the yard ripping out yet more fencing and arbors.  In fact, the place looks quite different now.  Once we completed our tasks for the day, I headed down to the pier.  Along the way, a pungent odor stopped me in my tracks.  Always alert for sounds and smells, I needed to find what was the source.  Critters and plants all have distinctive odors and it is best to know what lies in the path ahead.  It is my habit to never fully depend on sight since my eyesight has been waning somewhat in recent years.  This was more of a stench than the flowery aroma of most plants.  Watch the step!  Once the source was found, it caused a fit of giggles.  Under a tall pine tree, two mushrooms grew side by side.  One was a a red-capped beauty and the other was a type of stinkhorn.  That stinkhorn, of course, was the culprit that was making the lower yard a stinky place.  It is surprising just how large of an area can be affected by such a small thing.  

  This is a Column Stinkhorn meaning it burst out of its egg-like sac with columns or fingers.  Some folks call them Devil's Toadstools while others refer to them as Devil's Fingers.  Both names seem accurate especially due to the color and smell.  The Column Stinkhorns are usually red, pink or orange and the smell is akin to a mountain of smelly socks combined with rotting flesh.  I was fortunate that only one of the mushrooms had "hatched".  

  There is one thing that confuses me with these mushrooms.  Granted, the stinkhorn "eggs" (before they burst out with their orange "fingers") resemble some sort of critter egg, it surprises me just how many folks confuse the two.  Countless times, I have been asked "Are these snake eggs or duck eggs?"  Neither!  Critter eggs are not attached to the ground by root like structures called mycelium.  It takes a good bit of talk to convince some folks that their "find" is going to hatch into stinky mushrooms and not a bundle of fluffy ducklings or a clutch of highly venomous snakes.  Oh, people.  Observe!  Notice things!  Investigate!  Be aware!  Whatever...whatever.

Shocking find! (Pun intended!)

The mulch man came again bringing me two more truckloads of the ground up wood chips. About twice a month, he drives his huge dump-truck to the back of the house and piles the chips in high mountains. So far he has brought us probably ten or fifteen loads. After he leaves, it is up to Son and me to head back with our pitchforks to spread the stuff around to a depth of about one foot. It is a tiring job to say the least! This is necessary as the chips are green and generate a lot of heat being in a huge mound. This heat could eventually cause the chips to catch on fire and then we would be in a huge predicament!

The first thing this morning, Son and I headed to the mulch pile. It was already hot and would be getting much hotter as the day progressed. Where the piles are situated there is no breeze from the Bay making it seem even hotter and more humid. This, added to the heat generated by the mulch, was almost unbearable but we worked..and worked..and worked. These loads had the added benefit of many pieces of firewood mixed in with the chips. Son would lift these huge logs out and toss them to the side. Later he will split them to be used in the woodburning stoves this winter. After tossing what seemed to be an extreme amount of chips...chink! Chink?? That was a strange sound for wood chips to make. He dropped to his knees and started digging with his hands and soon held up his prize. Beneath all of the mulch, he had found a part of the insulators from power lines. There was an iron bar with two huge bolts on each end. Attached to these bolts was two old glass insulators. Wow! What a find! And in the mulch pile! We oohed and ahhed for a few minutes. After discussing the possibility of finding that intact, we went back to work. Occasionally, we would turn, look at the insulators and shake our heads as if to say, "Why in the world was that in here?" Then...chink! Again? Sure enough, he pulled out another set of insulators! He looked at me and grinned.."I wonder if I will find the pole in here next!"

I suppose the electric company changed out the old insulators for some new type and these were inadvertently left behind. The mulch comes from the crew that is clearing brush from under the power lines so I imagine the insulators were just tossed in to get rid of them. After finding these, a bit of research proved that they are collectible. There are actually folks that have entire collections of the many different styles and colors. Although I have not come across any that are still mounted on the cross bars, there were several of the glasses that were identical to the ones Son found. Just our luck..these are on the low end of the value scale, though! I have no idea how old these insulators are but I think they are treasures! I am not sure just what I will ever do with them, but somehow, somewhere, they will become an added piece to my "museum" of strange and wonderful oddities!

The Houseboat or Boathouse!

The newest residents on the hill near the Bayou have a given a new meaning to the term "houseboat" or the term "boathouse"! Whichever! Their house is a boat..an old discarded boat. For the past year, this boat has been a source of aggravation to me..an eyesore and a snake hazard. Suddenly, it has taken on a new life or rather a new life is living in this old heap. I am not exactly sure just who our new neighbors are, but I have a sneaky suspicion that it might be a family of armadillos. Any number of burrowing animals could have dug the doorways (there is a front and back door) and taken up residence under the old boat. One thing that makes me believe it is a family of armadillos is that I have yet to find any "fur" snagged on the rough edges of the boat. Another clue steering me to this decision comes from the many small holes that are being dug in the mulch pathways around the yard. Armadillos dig for bugs and worms as a mainstay for their diets. They have very sharp claws that would make all of the small holes. I will say that I think the animals that are living there are quite smart! As with any new home, it is all about location and this is the perfect area for a family of armadillos. The old boat gives ideal shelter from the weather, the two doors provide excellent escape routes for emergencies and the massive oaks furnish cooling shade. Plus! There are plenty of bugs and worms for their dinner. Most folks would readily rid their yards of the armadillos, but as long as they stay down under this boat and do not cause too much trouble, they can stay. As armadillos are nocturnal, I will try to sit out some night just to confirm my suspicions. Or, perhaps, I can convince my son to pry up the boat a bit on one end so I can peer under it! Hmmmm??? Maybe!

Speaking of mulch pathways, I have a veritable mountain of mulch! In the early spring, I bought a load of mulch and spread it everywhere. I put it under the roses, around the lilies and between the blackberries. It looked so nice that I wished for many, many loads of mulch! Oh, the landscaping possibilities of much mulch! (My son did not wish for many, many loads of mulch!) Well, there is an old saying that warns to be careful what you wish for because it just might come true. It did! Mountains of mulch! Many, many mountains of mulch! There are work crews clearing the sides of the road near here. They trim, shred and carry off tons of mulch everyday. Needing a place to dump this massive mess of mulch, they approached me. Sure! Dump away! I like mulch! My son just looked at me..I knew what he was thinking. Surely there could not be that much mulch. Could there be..would there be?? No way! Haul it in..I am ready! Hmmm..ok, so now I have mountains of mulch in my backyard waiting to be spread about. We made mulch pathways, mulch edgings, mulch berms and mulch terraces, but we still have mountains of mulch. And...the Mulch Man Cometh.. again and again and again.