good news

I watched a news feature story a few days ago that left a lasting impression on me. I found it so heartwarming that I rewound the TV and watched it twice. The news clip is below, for those of you who did not see it.

still making an impact on young lives at 86 yrs young 

a horseman, not a cowboy

horses thriving and serving a purpose

riding the streets

horses go back over a century on Fletcher Street

intersection

smiles say it all

cute featured kid on his favorite pony Pandora

Taking the Reins news clip (4.38 secs)

Just curious if you have heard of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club? I had not. Now I want to watch the movie Concrete Cowboy.

Who knew such an impact could be made with horses ~ in a big city. Good news stories like this gives me all the feels and renews my faith in humanity.

land of wonders ~ june version 2/2

The second half of what I spotted in June was just as interesting as the first half. The more it rained, the more nature grew. Mosquitos included. They make everything harder, even snapping photos. 

Sharing just a few of my land finds:

wild roses started blooming
6.20.25

golf balls are everywhere

fresh orange coral renewed itself

hanging around the side of a pine

parasols pop up in mass, and disappear just as fast

Yes, I am obsessed with these tiny wonders!

turned a corner for a surprise large pine blocking path 

(Jameson & Tank)

Officially the year of Spiderwort!!

white stands out among bright green

what all this rain is good for

tiny coral for the win!

I notice how the bright orange coral changes on each walk. It has been morphing for weeks!

mushrooms pop up everywhere

tiny red spider? 

ID came up as Red Velvet Mite/True Velvet Mite/Rain Bug. Never seen one before.

Spiderwort close-up

As always, click for photo details. Spiderwort is both delicate and hardy. I bought a plant and grew it at our previous home. I get a kick out of what the garden centers charge for natives.

soft waxy yellow mushrooms

bright orange snot goop caught my eye

expanded view

wild mullen started blooming

pink parasols appeared, too cute!

 ridiculous amount of wild invasive prickly branched loganberries

mulberry trees

Mulberries remind me of my mother. I grew up with Mulberry trees in our big-little city yard. Some years jam was made. She loved eating them fresh!! It wasn't unusual to find her fingers purple. Not a huge Mulberry fan, but I always eat a few in her memory.

coral is still growing strong
6.28.25

gel like "fingers" forms

there is a lot growing on here

round coral growth

glowing shelf mushrooms
(orange goop on right)
6.29.25

We got more rain yesterday, a solid 1" in less than half an hour. Gives meaning to when it rains, it pours. More on tap for today.

land of wonders ~ june version 1/2

June was a very rainy month for us. Various amounts of rain were dumped out of our gauge on a regular basis. 5" one day, .25" the next and on and on. Regular rainy days are still happening. Wish I had kept track of our unusual rain fall from the start of this Summer.

One good thing about living in sand country is rain instantly soaks in. Friends that live about 10 minutes away (same town, different area) say their gardens are a muddy mess.  

Meanwhile our woods turned into a tropical rainforest. The sound of chirping birds accompany us, and echoooo. You can hear various songs, but not see who is gleefully singing. Or scolding. Depending on the bird. 

The dogs and I peacefully meandered along the trails. Both aging grand dogs wander off trail and require constant attention. Our Tank on the other hand, is the best hiking dog I've ever known. He waits/watches out for me and sticks close by. Sometimes too close lol. 

My eyes quickly dart around, looking for anything different that stands out among the lush greenery. After the rains, some June finds are blobby and goey. They instantly make me think of Blogger gal pal Val. I would never have paid attention to things that remind me of snot, had she not made them look so interesting with her awesome Macro photography. Fungi has always popped out to my wandering eyes, and been of interest. I still think slimy moldy stuff is gross, but now it makes me curious. It is a wonder how/why it appears, morphs and then disappears.

Speaking of wonders, here are some from June: 

not so cute larger pineapples

Remember the "cute" pineapples I found in May? I truly love pine trees, but pollen from the White Pines "pineapples" coated every.single.thing outside and on our doors. Nothing cute about it. When the wind would kick up, you could see swirling clouds of pollen falling from a distance. It was/is a bad year for allergies.  

accumulation of pollen on our driveway

Normally I would get excited to have a chance to photograph an eagle. They have become common in our area. Seen at the river fishing, but also eating/hunting in farmers fields. Spotting an eagle too close to home, only made me worry for our cats. Specifically Leo.

Looking across our neighbors driveway (it runs parallel to ours):

taken from our driveway

We have one less (turkey) hen in the area. Perhaps hit by a vehicle? When Brad drove by earlier he saw the hen alive. It didn't take long for the eagle to spot it and take what it wanted. No, I did not go over and investigate when I returned home. Blech.

 circle of life

Our three cats are such good mousers that they bring mice (and other victims) back to our barn!! Leo constantly hunts and most days can be seen in our wide open fields. Our two female cats (Purr & Tinkerbell) are more discrete. No way Leo could outrun an eagle in the field.

front porch safety zone

Just for the record, our cats are free fed dry food 24/7 and share a can of wet food every evening. It keeps them healthy, coming home and yes ~ hunting. I was told not to get attached to barn cats. Impossible! 

Ready to get your scroll on? More nature stuff, mostly spotted during dog walks:

Spiderworts first appearance (notice hidden cacti pad)
6.5.25

False Solomens Seal

An actual tiny strawberry growing on one of many wild plants

white slimy stuff started growing in/on many places, not just wood

goey goopy glop

intricate purple & shades of brown 

flat golden fungi pops up from the ground

first ever changing cute tiny fairy parasols appear!!!
6.17.25

shelfy 'shrooms

several huge old aging oaks in the lower hollow

endless white moldy fungi

white coral

fuzzy shelf 'shrooms

Spiderwort is prolific & beautiful this year!

lil’ pinky buds

pop goes the mushroom

After one of our many rainfalls, I pulled back a leaf and found this little guy had taken cover in my robust rhubarb plant. I was all smiles :))

peek-a-boo frog 

6.18.25