That's Gneiss! #45 ~ Camping time!
Hello friends!
By the time some of you read this, we will be well on our way to six nights of camping on the Olympic Peninsula. I am excited to get out and stare at the trees and other naturesque things for a few days. I WILL do a much better job of unplugging myself than I did on the last trip. I WILL.
First we will be here, though it probably won’t be so sunny.
Then we will be here, and it’s possible it will look a lot like this.
There will be moss, and a lot of ferns.
I’m going to go visit my favorite tree.
I’m really looking forward to getting away for a few days. I’ve got my art supplies packed, postcard writing supplies, and a big stack of books. I’m mostly in the mood to read - so many great things came in at the library it will be hard to choose!
It may be a bit too cloudy and there will be too many trees getting in the way of stargazing while we’re away. That won’t stop you from spending time with Stellarium, the online planetarium. Click and drag to look at a different spot in the sky, or click on a star to learn more. How cool is that?
It’s been a busy week, so this is all I’ve got - I hope you enjoyed the pretty pictures! I’ll have some new ones to share next week. The recent rains should bring out the slugs and some interesting fungi. My cameras are ready.
Until next time!
Video(s) of the Week
I doubt I’ll be able to limit myself to just one video each week… I’m not even going to try, there are so many strange and wonderful things out there.
This is a great piece of guerrilla activism.
What the heck is this, and why have I never heard of it? That’s some great music they’ve got going here.Supermarionettes were apparently quite the thing in the UK in the 60’s.Tidbits
Are you a fan of bees and other invertebrates? Then you’ll want to check out The Xerces Society, an organization devoted to the protection of invertebrates and their habitats. Lots of opportunities for citizen science!
Sasquatch? Not.
Looking for something to do with all your empty bottles? Kinkajou!
Nevermind the overseas shipping costs ~ so many great botanical books and charts to choose from. Natural history, too…
Recently eaten: this week there was a lunch for a coworker who was ending a temporary assignment and going back to her regular library. We ate at the Eagles Buffet in the Tulip Resort Casino. It was worth it for the salmon and the desserts!
Making: someday I will do something different, maybe while I’m camping. Check back next week.
Reading: yesterday I finished Educated: a Memoir by Tara Westover. I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks this year, and many of them have been exceptionally good. This one falls right into that group. It is not easy to listen to the retelling of her upbringing in a survivalist family in Idaho, but I think it is essential for anyone who wants to learn about how others in this country live and think. It is also a textbook case of gaslighting - the manipulation of a vulnerable person into thinking that SHE is the one with a problem, that everything is her fault. I could go on, but I won’t. I highly recommend this one and the audiobook is excellent. I have slightly lighter reading for my camping trip.
Question of the Week
Each week I ask a question - just hit reply to send your answer if you're so inclined. I'll share your answers next week - anonymously of course!
What was your favorite childhood toy? Bonus points for a link to an advertisement on Youtube.
Last week I asked about your favorite plants and what makes them so awesome.
Well. Only because it heals. The Devils Cabbage aka: Cannabis Sativa and her sister: Cannabis Indica. There’s a third but it’s rare. Too much to list but there is a male and female plant and it’s been used as a multi use plant for 1,000s of years.
How can I choose just one plant?? Well if I must I would have to say the plum tree. Because, well, german plum cake and you caught me at just that time of year. I make plum cake just during plum season, and this year I made 6 cakes so far with the plums just from my tiny tree. It is a beautiful tree and the fruit is amazing. The cake is a yeast bread bottom and it bakes on a cookie sheet and is just chock full of plum halves. It feels more like lunch than dessert it's so hearty. Our plum tree was hacked apart by the previous owner so all that was left was a tiny branch sticking out the side of a tall stump. Surprisingly, in four years, this little branch has really taken off and become the main attraction now. I do know how big a plum tree can get so I want to keep it trimmed small. I just love it right now but we may be in the honeymoon phase of our relationship. *sigh* Maybe your next post will explain how to best process large quantities of fruit to enjoy all year...
My husband's current favorite plant is baby's breath because of the stark white color. We never had it in our yard before and were surprised how many swarms of tiny bees that thing attracted.
The favorite plant mantle is taken up by an ever-changing array of natives and non-natives, but if pressed I'd say Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla 'Eva.' New growth is green, mature foliage is black, and in the spring are sprays of pink flowers. I'm waiting for mine to get established and then I'll be able to make elderflower cordial and champagne with the blooms, so it will be both beautiful and tasty.
It’s impossible to choose a favorite plant because I love so many! I love valerian, dianthus, Althaea officials (or marshmallow) , etc. I like almost any perennial that doesn’t need a lot of attention and has a long blooming season. I’m going to branch out and talk about one of my favorite trees, the Pacific madrone. The beautiful cinnamon bark combined with the evergreen yet deciduous-looking leaves make it a year-round stunner.
My answer to this week's question is...FERNS! I love all plants (except the poison ones I always seem to brush up against!) but I think I love ferns the best because they were the first to populate our planet in greenness. They are green year round and whenever I walk out my door in the beautiful northwest, I'm surrounded by their spiky, soft, and breezy beauty. And I love their funny little fiddle-heads just before unfurling. Our upcoming camping trip itinerary will include one of the most marvelous fern-tastic spots on earth - Fern Canyon in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It's a magical place! The canyon walls are ALIVE with all variety of ferns and mosses. Heaven, I tell you!
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