Possum, dead

Last month I ran across a live possum. Today I found a dead one. I prefer them dead.

Christmas Mushroom Trio

The ground may be frozen but a few arboreal fungi can still be found. I was actually pretty surprised today to find three different varieties. I only took my camera with me because I was hoping to see one of the bald eagles that's been hanging around lately.


The dark turkey tails are dead, but the light spots are new growth.


These oyster mushrooms are surprisingly fresh.


This is witch's butter. It was also the first thing I found in the spring.

Don't Shoot!

I'm always a little hesitant to go on one of my lunchtime hikes this time of year. You can see why.

The Birds and the Bees and the Electric Deer

Our neighbor called us this evening all worked up. "You know the swinger house down the street? You know those light-up Christmas deer?" The deer are doing it in their front yard!"

In fairness to our neighbors down the street, it's only a rumor that they are swingers. And if you walk down the street you see the deer are actually separated by about ten feet. But from our end of the street it sure looks like they've been lovingly posed in a loving position.

Ice On the River

You can tell it's been cold here by the amount of ice that has formed on the river. A few days of frigid air -- it was down to two below zero yesterday morning -- and it's looking pretty wintry, even with no snow on the ground.

A few years ago when I worked at the University of Minnesota we had a really cold winter and the Mississippi River got pretty icy. I would go down to the East River Flats at lunchtime and tempt fate by walking all the way out to the very edge of the river ice, watching the frigid current rush past my feet. It was scary and exhilarating. While I had fleeting thoughts of testing the ice today, I'm not crazy enough to do it any more.

The Thrill of the Hunt

Here's a link to a nice article about mushroom hunting from the San Francisco Chronicle:

If you consume, know your 'shroom

San Francisco Chronicle, December 7, 2006

Maybe too much fuss is made about adrenaline. In Northern California, one can engage in a risk sport without elevating your pulse or breaking a sweat. It's called mushroom hunting....(more)