If it’s Fall, There Must Be Mushrooms!

So, I’ve finally succumbed and admitted that fall is here. The rains have begun again and the plants are relieved. Mushrooms are popping up everywhere – even the gravel driveway! Tough little critters those.

IMG_3242

 

 

 

There’s these lovely, delicate ones I found on a log.

 

 

 

IMG_3267

 

 

 

And these which have cropped up behind the old run-in shed. These two photos might be of the same type of mushroom, just different ages, and stages of growth and decomposition.

 

 

IMG_3263

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_3260

 

 

And this one growing on a whiskey barrel.

 

 

 

 

And lastly, this old beast, a shelf fungus, that’s year round, growing on an old fir stump.IMG_3256

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not a mushroom expert. I did take a class on edible mushrooms year ago and can identify chanterelles, morels, cauliflower mushrooms and that’s about it. We’ve had all three here, but they seem to come and go with whatever the current year’s compost brings in. I just look at most mushrooms and let the slugs eat them. Because goodness knows, we’re not feeding the slugs enough!

Life is moving on. I’m watching the trees slowly turn colors (and it is slower this year) and drop leaves, the koi are getting their last few meals till next spring and the cats are moving back inside, annoyed at the rain.

I’m writing on a new novel that I’m excited about and still overwhelmed at all the publishing work I have to do. I’m S-L-O-W-L-Y making a catalog page, you can find it on the top bar under Books & Stories. As I put new things up and redo old covers, things are making their way onto the catalog page which has descriptions, samples to download and links to most of the places my writing can be bought. But just because something’s not listed doesn’t mean it’s not available. It just means I haven’t had time to get the links there. Eventually, I’ll revamp the whole website, but covers need to be redone first.

I just finished an awesome novel – ‘Lost Lake’ by Sarah Addison Allen. It came out earlier this year and I bought it in hardcover (which I rarely do), because I love her books. I put it on my shelf, saving it for a time when I was looking for magic realism, wonderful characters and romance all bundled together. And last week was the time. I read it in two days. She has a gift for taking something extraordinarily simple and turning it into magic. Her first major novel was called ‘Garden Spells’. It’s still one of my all time favorite books. She’s releasing another book with the same character in January. So yay! It was such a pleasure to read a good book again. For the last three months I’ve been starting fiction and putting the book back down because it didn’t grab me. My brain was in such a hypercritical mode that I couldn’t enjoy anything, so I just read nonfiction. Of which I have a huge backlog to read as well.

Anyway, time for me to get to work. I hope you’re having a lovely fall with crunchy leaves. Ours are all soggy now, but hey, there’s mushrooms!

 



What are your thoughts?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.