It's been cold, foggy, and raining for the last month. This kind of weather makes me crazy, and not in a good way. I have also been dithering back and forth over what new beading project I want to start, which means I haven't started anything. If I didn't sit down and create something, I was afraid I would start banging my head against the walls. So, I turned on my sunlamp, pulled out my art journal, and played. I did a total of four pages, and had a great time. Here are three of those pages. Can you tell I was thinking of Spring? I wanted COLOR on those pages, dang it! Bright Spring colors.
I like doing collage in this journal because it's quick gratification. I have another journal/sketchbook for more serious work. This one is all about a few paint washes, cut, paste, and quick notes.
And now for the mushrooms.
My husband is creating horse trails in our back ten acres. He will rototill the path first, then he lays down a layer of horse manure that we pull from the stalls. The manure breaks down and makes a nice soft footing for the horses. When out feeding the beasties one morning, I noticed dozens and dozens of mushrooms growing from the manure. It was like a fairy road of mushrooms. I even found some growing on tree trunks or in old rotting stumps. So I went back to the house and grabbed my camera. I kept wishing my camera would allow me to get closer shots, so I could pick up more detail, but this is the best I could get.
I don't know what kinds these are, but none of these mushrooms are a variety you could eat. All of them would cause great, and very nasty, and probably fatal reactions if consumed. So, no mushroom omelets from these guys.
I had a lot more photos than this, but at least you get the idea. By the time I was done it had started to rain again, so I had to duck back inside. Within about a week, all of these were gone, except a few of the tree mushrooms. I hope they come back again next year. By then I hope to have a book on mushrooms, so I will be able to identify the different kinds.
