PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE
Some Welcome Sunshine & Looking Forward To A House Guest
And Why Mushrooms No Longer Play The Game
Where Does The Water Go
Despite some heavy rainfall, our neck of the woods has had some sunshine lately.
The picture above is of a huge willow tree. Its roots straddle the water course, with one giant foot in our garden and one in the neighbour’s. A mature willow tree can drink up to 100 gallons of water a day. I think that’s one reason the nearby houses have so far avoided flooding.
Dinos Enjoying The Sun
The tree below is also a willow, but far younger, and has a Dino lurking beneath it.
The dinos have enjoyed this burst of sunshine and take themselves off to all corners of the garden. They would explore all corners of the house, too, if we let them.
A Reminder That We Are Knowledge Wreckers
I couldn’t resist this shot of the moon showing itself in the blue daytime sky.
I like to think about people walking on the moon’s surface, and speculating on how much further we might have gone had we not been so good at self-sabotage. Maybe the fact that we, as a species, are so destructive to ourselves and our planet, makes it a blessing that we took so long to get there, and might well wipe ourselves out before we get further.
Why Fungi Will No Longer Play The Game
I noticed that one of the willow trees has developed some magnificent turkey tail fungus.
At least, I think it’s turkey tail. Whatever it is, it is no longer available to the game of Animal, Vegetable or Mineral that we used to play as children. Fungi are now classified as their own thing, neither animal nor vegetable. Indeed, they have now been shown to have more in common with animals than plants.
Food Bin Football
The black-and-white chap over the fence is a small pony who has several similarly-sized companions. They have an instinct for the approach of a camera and invariably turn their backs or move out of shot.
Those blue and black food bins provide no end of fun for the ponies. When full, they get down to the serious business of eating, but once empty, the food-bin football starts. I have seen one of them take that blue bin by its lip and carry it in its teeth. Both the pony and its teeth must be stronger than they look because those are substantial bins.
The usual game, though, is played with the feet. They race around, booting those bins the length and breadth of the paddock. When they started doing this, the sound of the game brought people rushing from far and wide assuming some great catastrophe was unfolding.
“Walking” With The Caped Crusader
Although flood warnings are in place as I write this, we have had some sunny days, and the Caped Crusader and I have taken advantage by going for walks. I use the term “walk” loosely. The point of the outing is for the Caped Crusader to catch up on all the canine gossip from around the neighbourhood.
I spend far more time watching her doing this than putting one foot ahead of the other. She’s too elderly now to be hurried along, so I let her choose the route, stopping her only if she wants to follow a scent through a gap in a hedge or into someone else’s house.
We might be seeing more of her in the days to come. Her house — below — is having its roof replaced. As her pack will be out at work while it’s being done, we are charged with keeping an eye on her.
The scaffolding went up when she was alone inside. With scaffolders tramping back and forth and metal rods clanging I expected her to bark. When there are people on her territory, she likes to be introduced so she can frisk them for cheese. But no, not a sound. She slept through it all.
Looking Ahead To A Canine House Guest
We’re not expecting even the Caped Crusader to sleep through it when both the roof and ceiling are removed from the room she sleeps in. On the day they do that, she will come and stay in our house.
The week in photos articles were started by Dennett and taken up by many. They provide some fascinating insights into people’s lives. As well as Dennett, here are more writers whose stories are worth following: Susan Alison, Anne Bonfert, Kim Zuch, Ellie Jacobson, pockett dessert, Erika Burkhalter, Barb Dalton 🇺🇦, Pene Hodge, K. Barrett, Mia Verita, Louise Peacock.