i think this is the last one?
Okay, okay, I know, I know. It’s been a lot of leaves. But they are beautiful, and ephemeral, and to be perfectly transparent, I am hosting a birthday party for 10 tonight. And since my Steve does not know the meaning of the expression “keep it simple”, I am buried in preparations. So, I love you all, and I will be back with you tomorrow.
staghorn sumac leaf in fall (Rhus typhina)
he loves me
He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me.
pressed Jerusalem artichoke sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus)
a few more before we go
I shared this image over on Instagram and forgot to share it here. So before we move on for good, I have just a couple more leaf photos to share with you from this extraordinary autumn we just had. I’s that mix of secondary and tertiary colors that made it so unique (and the duration). I have never experienced an autumn like it before. I am grateful I was here for it. And not just here, but fully open to receiving it. Thank you STILL.
staghorn sumac in unique autumn colors (Rhus typhina)
super-shrooms
Our oyster mushroom totems are still fruiting––they are supposedly cold weather tolerant. Here are some fun facts about oyster mushrooms:
* Commercial cultivation of this mushroom first began in Germany as a subsistence measure during World War I
* Oyster mushrooms are saprophytic rather than parasitic
* All major lineages of the oyster mushroom are carnivorous. Their mycelia can kill and digest nematodes.
* The pearl oyster mushroom is also used to create mycelium bricks, mycelium furniture, and leather-like products.
* The species has been found to contain the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin.
* Oyster mushrooms were used to treat soil that had been polluted with diesel oil. The mushroom was able to convert 95% of the oil into non-toxic compounds.
Wow! I had no idea. I hope our totems keep fruiting for a very long time!
oyster mushroom pieces (Pleurotus ostreatus)
PS I am feeling much better today––I think it was my covid vaccine. Thank you for the well wishes (esp. you Carol!)
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I loved pondering over how I’d arrange these. It would be quite different, I think. So, after the photo shoot, were these lovelies sauteed in butter? Have any gone into the “banned to the basement” dehydrator?
Glad you’re feeling better; I felt puny after my covid booster, too.reply -
Why oh why have I never thought of plopping sauteed mushrooms onto a baguette?? So simple, so delicious! So on-the-menu now! Maybe ciabatta bread…
Y’all are certainly getting plenty of mileage out of these babies :) Thanks for the report.reply
the laaaaaaaast melon!
Does anyone remember the line “The laaaaaaast melon?” from the original Pixar Ice Age movie? Well, this may very well be the laaaaast fresh (non-pressed) leaf for the season 2026. Tonight we will get our first frost, on the heels of two days of blustery cold rain. The party ends tonight. And I am exhausted, I actually feel a little like I have a party hangover. I think it is simply a minor body-reaction to a recent Covid vaccine booster. Whatever it is––a leaf-party-to-end-all-leaf-parties hangover or a covid vaccine hangover, the result is the same: It is 6:08 PM as I type, and I am heading to bed. See you tomorrow!
horse chestnut leaf in fall (Aesculus hippocastanum)
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WHIRLIGIG
The party is over,
The song sung.
We’ve all gone home,
Whirligig remains.
It teases of hope
Through winter frost—
Waving good-bye
While counting the cost,
Of the bruises incurred
From its seed on a string,
Conkers in pockets
Legends that rang,
Of the “biggest” and “baddest”
That ever did bring.
Children with bruises
Fingers maimed,
Whirligig waves
Good-bye to the game.reply
I get it Mary Jo! I have a house load of guests arriving in ten days, one is lactose intolerant, one is gluten free and a third needs a low protein diet. Two are vegetarian. On the menu so far is popcorn. And I’m getting ready for an orchestra Christmas concert (I play the string bass and just picked it up last year!) and a tour in Germany in January (the orchestra is not my career; just an interest). And yesterday, I had plantar fasciitis! This morning I stood in the kitchen dazed and Gordon (my husband) asked what was wrong and I said, “I have to get to STILL.” He knew exactly what I meant. Another leaf. Yes. Another leaf. And it is beautiful! And my brain feels calm and I settle into your images and poetry and all the craziness becomes background noise and then…disappears. It is the best part of my day. It is the essential part of my day. Yesterday, some friends of mine said they were trying to be still for 3 minutes and found it impossible. What?!