My Mushroom Mascot

The death of my beloved Sierra left a hollow space in my heart. For me, life without a canine companion is empty. Fortunately, my landlord's dog, Sheamus, was more than pleased to fill the void with his delightful company. Every time I took him along for a ride through the state forest, I would spot some good edible mushrooms from the road. For blessing me with "mushroom luck", Seamus became my "Mushroom Mascot".


Sniff...sniff.. This one will do nicely in an omelet.



Sheamus meets wild turkeys.
An intense moment... stand-off between dog and bird. The energy of this meeting was electric! Always the perfect little gentledog, Sheamus checked his instinct to chase. The turkeys, too, kept their distance, but interest was high on both sides. As Sheamus inched closer, the turkeys grew wary, strutting off into the woods.



Heading home... with a basket full of honeys and bluets.



Honey Mushrooms
I picked pounds of honeys nearly every day for weeks. No need to walk through the woods to spot these. They were so prolific, you couldn't miss them from the road running through the state forest. I've never seen (or gathered) so many honeys in this area before.



A small hen-of-the-woods...
One day's growth fit nicely in the palm of my hand. I could have left this another few days to grow larger, but it was so perfectly fresh, I decided to cut it while it was still undiscovered by insects.


The last and largest of 2009.
The season's last hen weighed in at 8 lbs... not very large compared to those many foragers find in other areas, but it was in perfect condition and 8 lbs. is a lot of mushroom to clean, and enough to make mushroom lasagna, mushroom pizza, mushroom strata, all shared with the Forest Rangers at Shawme-Crowell who are my favorite "taste testers" and always willing to sample my mushroom concoctions.



Mushroom eye candy.
Top: Pink Fruiting Lichen -Bottom: Turkey Tails & Lichen growing on a stump.

Dog for a Day

Meet Sheamus... My Dog for a Day

Since losing my beloved Sierra in May, my life has been devoid of love and warmth. I thought about adopting another elderly cocker spaniel, but hesitate because my health is poor. Adoption is a serious commitment.

Fortunately for me, my landlord has a lovely little well -behaved male Westie who just LOVES riding in the car! Sheamus has become my "Dog for a Day". Whenever I feel up to having him visit or keep me company when I run errands, Sheamus jumps at the opportunity to venture out with his Auntie Lu.

Sheamus is an intelligent little boy.. a real pleasure. He sits in the front seat (something I could not allow Sierra to do as it was impossible to keep her off my lap while driving, so she sat in back like a little queen.)

Dogs are sensitive to human frailty and disability. Sheamus knows instinctively that I do not have the strength to hold him if should he exert his considerable strength and pull me around at the end of his leash. He is the perfect little gentleman and brings joy to my life.

Although he cannot replace the emptiness in my heart that a canine companion of my own can fill, his presence is a gift which only a gentle, loving dog can give.

Sheamus & I enjoy an outing at Shawme-Crowell State Forest