Star Struck

As I poured my coffee this morning my mind was bouncing around like a ping pong ball.  Topics came and went quickly though my mind.  There was laundry, going to gym, and is it really a good idea to feed the birds?  Ecologically speaking, aren't I disrupting the natural plan by setting out suet, peanuts, black sunflower seeds, meal worms and sugar water?  Because I do this my yard has many more voles and field mice.  The lawn around the bird feeders is soft with underground tunnels.  The voles and mice attract more feral cats, foxes, and hawks and possibly owls.  More of those predators is not good for the birds.  Perhaps it would be better for the birds to NOT feed them.  As I think this thought I see a big white underbelly of a bird upside down on my peanut feeder. This bird's belly is three times the size of a white breasted nuthatch.  What is this bird?  I see a red belled woodpecker drinking water out of my bird bath.  The bird with the white belly leaves the peanut feeder and flies up to the bird bath too.  I am star struck! Although this is not Johnny Depp or George Clooney, this is a rose breasted grossbeak!  I stand still. I don't even think about getting the camera because I know this moment is not going to last.  This male grossbeak is a beauty.  With the pink crab apple trees in blossom behind it, this would make an awesome photo so I take a mental snapshot.  Ten seconds later both birds leave.  Wow!  What was that thought about disrupting the ecology?

Growing Oyster Mushrooms

I ordered a kit to grow oyster mushrooms.  I got a plastic wrapped log in a card board box.  The instructions read to spritz the open end of the log with water and put the entire box inside a humidity tent.  Add sprays of plain water twice a day and mushrooms should be ready to harvest in 10 day.  The directions read to keep the log out of direct sun light but some indirect light is necessary.  Also keep it between 55 and 80 degrees.

So I did what I was instructed to do.  I spritzed it twice a day for 10 days.  Nothing happened.

On the 15th day the weather got warm.  The temperature in my house got above 70 degrees and that is when I saw growth occur. Only one mushroom sprouted and it grew.  Eventually it grew into the cardboard side and into the cardboard.  I cut it off and used it in cooking.  The mushroom tasted fine but the shape was too large to use in any manner except diced.  I scraped off the end and tried it again.

This time many mushrooms grew.  Here is a fork so you can judge the size.  This is how the oyster mushrooms looked on Wednesday.  Looks to me like mushroom growing will be more productive in the summer when the house temperature varies more than it does in the winter.

Today is Friday.  Saturday will be a good day to harvest these mushrooms.  Then I  will scrape off the end of the log, soak it in water, close it up inside the cardboard box and leave it in the dark for a week  When the week is up I can open the box and start the process again.  So far this method has not been cheaper than buying mushrooms at the store.  If I can get four crops out of this log, I might just come out even financially.

Perfume In The Air

Last night the time I spent gardening was magnificent.  With the crab apple trees in full bloom the air was magically perfumed.  With Chickenson Caruso at my side, I worked putting weeds out of the garden.  She pecked at the bugs that came up and further raked the soil with her feet.  I heard a gray tree frog singing as a leopard frog went by.  I thought maybe I heard the snore of a leopard frog but I think that was a woodpecker drumming rhythmically to establish his territory and some wishful listening.  A barred owl called from down by the river.  Sand hill cranes were calling so they must not have laid their eggs yet.  Once they have a nest the cranes turn silent and stay silent until next spring when they seem to have a lot to say.  A robin sang, “Cheerio cheerio!” at me.  The cardinal flew by the back of the yard because it’s too shy to eat from the bird feeder while I am so close.  The chickadees and nuthatches don’t mind my presence though.  I have hummingbird solution hanging but I haven’t seen any hummingbirds yet.  The white breasted nuthatch said, “Nuh Uh,” in that negative way it has.  I see another frog hopping by the garden wall.  Is this a frog highway?  I ask, “Can you say keck-a-heck?” but the frog doesn’t answer.  It simply poses for a photo before hopping along.  I think it is a wood frog. The light is fading but I’ve only got a little more of this section to go. Chickenson Caruso thinks it’s time for bed but the door is shut on her coop.  She flies to the top of the coop but she must not feel safe there.  She leaves the coop and hops up the steps to roost on the deck railing.  Hello!  Who is this trip trapping up my new deck that has never had any chicken droppings on it yet?  I finish weeding that section of the garden. I throw the last of the long and stretchy crabgrass roots into a pile.  I go up the deck steps and approach the chicken.  She is too tired to move quickly but she doesn't like being picked up and shows me so by flapping her wings.  I talk to her and tell her the plan.  She settles down and allows me to put her safely into the coop.  I gather my tools listening for the sound of the house wrens.  I don't hear them so I guess they haven't migrated up yet.  Two morning doves coo as I close the door and go inside.

 

Mindfulness

Today I went to an inservice on mindfulness.  For two hours we practiced being mindful.  We focused on our breathing and practiced together.  Our instructor told us what to do.  "Take deep breaths."  I took deep breaths.  "Focus on your body."  I focus on my body. "Note any discomfort."  I notice my neck is tense. "Pant short breaths through your nose and brush the discomfort away."  I pant and brush the discomfort away. "Take a deep breath."  I take a deep breath.  "Notice how your discomfort has changed."  I notice my neck is not so tense but I can feel the contents of my sinuses draining down the back of my throat.  Oh, gross, I would prefer a tense neck to what I got going on now.  She keeps giving us more instructions so I loose focus on my throat and go onto other things.  I enjoyed the inservice and felt more relaxed when it was over.  At the same time, I remain curious what was going on in the minds of the people around me.  Might be better not to know.

My New Car Recognizes My Cell Phone

Nice to be recognized for who I am.

That Old Cape Magic

I read Richard Russo's book, That Old Cape Magic and loved every single word of it.  I might have read it before because some parts seemed a little familiar.  If I had read it before it has been nine or more years ago because I didn't write a review in this blog which has been going for 8 years and 10 months now.  I love Richard Russo.  The way he writes soothes me like a blanket when it's cold.  The main character is Jack and he fumbles and bumbles from the beginning when a friend of his daughter gets married to the next year when his own daughter gets married.  Some parts are so funny you want to imagine it in a movie.  Stunt doubles would be necessary. Jack's parents are terrible examples of parenting and Jack wants to do better.  Jack's parents liked to vacation on Cape Cod. So Jack wants to vacation on Cape Cod too. In his efforts to be level headed and responsible, he ends up spiraling downward in a self destructive pattern much like his parents did.  Everybody in the book is so understandable.  I guess that is why I liked it so much.

May Day

On Sunday I was rocking out in my kitchen listening to 'the artist formerly known as' and cooking up some food.  I heard a noise at the front door.  I went to the door and opened it.  No one was there.  On the stoop, however, was a little decorated cup with a ribbon handle.  Inside the cup was candy that I like but never buy because I like them so much I can't resist; snicker bars, peanut butter cups, and starburst.  I went to open the door when I thought, wait now, what is the protocol here?  Is this a May basket?  Isn't there some kissing involved?  Do I want to kiss anybody right now?  Does the person who delivered this basket want to be discovered?  What is a person supposed to do?  MAYDAY! MAYDAY! There are so many decisions to make here. I had to go back to the stove and take care of my cooking.  Eventually I went out side to collect my May basket.  I don't know who gave it to me.  Not knowing is part of the charm.  Maybe next year I should make a few May baskets and keep this old-fashioned tradition going.