Hiking Forgotten Paths

  Sometimes, my hikes with the old dog get to be a bit repetitive since he is not able to do a lot of strenuous climbing over downed logs or worming his way through underbrush.  I have to stick to the clear trails which makes for seeing the same things over and over again.  However since he is feeling poorly from the bronchitis, I left him inside today.  Son and I headed out to the back woods to get firewood.  I have not been on this part of the property in months so it was an adventure...almost.  There were so many new things to see!

  One of the things that impressed me was the variety of turkey tail mushrooms that were on most of the felled trees.  The colors were so varied!  One log had a cluster of the mushrooms that scaled the cut end of the log.  It was actually beautiful!  I was hesitant to let Son cut the fallen trees merely because it would mean a loss of habitat for these mushrooms.  I had to do some heavy weighing here...warmth. mushrooms...warmth, mushrooms.  Warmth won so he cut and I hauled.

  Being able to expand my hiking trail was like finding a long lost friend.  Although, I recall every step of the path from previous hikes, the area was filled with new and exciting things.  The change of seasons does remarkable things to woods.  Being away for just a few months, made the changes jump out at me.  I was like a kid in a candy shop!  It was all I could do to stop exploring and start hauling firewood.  Hopefully, I can slip out again tomorrow and explore a bit more before the bad weather sets in on the weekend.

 

Delightful Finds on a Dreary Day

 The rains continue. While the clouds are not dumping copious amounts of water any more, a slow drizzle kept things mucky.  I did slip out to the greenhouse for a bit and also checked the garden regardless of getting a bit wet.  I am always amazed at how nice things look after a good washing.  Every leaf seems to be refreshed!  I was a bit disappointed to see that not one of the squash seeds have sprouted.  Those things have been in the ground for an entire week!  The butter bean seeds have rotted in their nice warm bed of soil so I supposed all of my hard work has been in vain. 

  Still, there was a bit of beauty to be found while out on my hike.  Tiny Woods Violets were nodding their pretty heads under the heavy raindrops.  Their purple hats were not doing a spiffy job of keeping the rain from soaking them.  In fact, the violets were happy to have this springlike rain.  The tiny plants are popping up everywhere!

  I, also, found a lovely mushroom that was enjoying the rain.  I cannot be certain (I do not know my mushrooms!) but this might be one called a "Turkey Tail Mushroom".  At least it has the appearance of one!  The large fanned mushroom was displaying its lovely stripes of reds and oranges.  To be honest, dozens of these things were to be found in the yard.  Their bright colors gave a certain cheeriness to the place.

  While trying to identify the mushroom, I came across several articles that maintained that the Turkey Tail Mushroom has several good qualities.  One that outweighs the rest is that this mushroom seems to be a fine immune booster.  In Asia, the mushroom has been used for generations to support overall good health.  I read further and found that it is being studied as a possible help in beating certain cancers.  I sure hope that comes to fruition.  It would be wonderful to find that something so common could be a wonder treatment for all those suffering.

  The rain chased me back inside so my hike ended.  Like every other time of meandering about the garden, I stand in awe of something I found.  Mother Nature is wonderful about supplying me with great finds!