Re-Foresting

Our little bit of earth has had a long and varied history. When the Farmboy first purchased it shortly before we started dating, parts of it had been logged and re-planted, but then left alone for several years. The result was a forest that needed a lot of our care and attention. In the past 18 years we've tackled everything from blackberry patches with stems the size of a cucumber to wild pests that like to eat fresh young trees to volunteer conifers that grow so thickly together they're like hedges, to pieces of land nearly impossible to reach without first building roads. It has been an adventure, and one that has seen its rewards (if not monetary, at least we have bragging rights!).

This Spring, we bought a parcel of bare root Douglas Fir seedlings to fill in some holes where we want a healthy forest to live again. The kids are now old enough to join in on the fun, much to their (insert sarcasm here) delight. Some day, we hope they'll be able to show their kids the trees they planted. I know that its rare anymore for properties to stay in families, but its our dream for our little bit of forest to be a place that our great-grandkids play one day.

This is what I wore for the occasion...
Don't judge. Camo and Plaid totally go together.

My camera has a little feature that turns a longer video into a shorter clip. I didn't choose the sections of video or the music, so I really can't take credit for how it turned out, but thought it was too perfect not to share.

Where Mushrooms Grow

They're all over these days, those little umbrella funguses. Popping up in groups and as individuals. We like to play "Mushroom Hunt", and constantly have our eyes on the ground when we're out walking.

There's something about these little microcosms that always get my imagination firing. They make such whimsical little vignettes, growing there among the mosses and leaves.

Sprouting inside rail holes in fence posts.

Brown and white, purple, pink, slimy or dry. They are sure to shelter tiny little fairies during our plentiful Pacific Northwest downpours.

I know that if I were a fairy, I would certainly spend time cozy under one of these fabulous parasols.

I would probably also swing around their center poles just like Gene Kelly and the lamp post.

And then, when the rain stopped, I would bounce from cap to cap until I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

Too bad I'm not a tiny little fairy, eh? I'm sure I would put on a good show.