hibernation tendon-cy

Photos that I've taken this week:  three.  

One, when we had a freakishly warm day and made Claudia come outside for some fresh air:

Two, when said warm day created beautiful ice cracks in the front pond:

And three, a really beautiful late-afternoon sky that I observed from INSIDE the house.

Late January is tough.  It's cold, and I don't like to be outside in the cold much.  It's grey and wet, and there's just not much to photograph.  Not much going on inside, either.  I've developed tendonitis in both Achilles tendons and both shoulders...so no repetitive-motion activities right now.  No sewing, no embroidery, no puzzles, and minimal lifting heavy camera lenses.  I've started physical therapy and am hoping to get back to normal activities - on a limited basis - within a week or so.  Meanwhile, I've looked at some old photos from the late fall that didn't make the blog cut.  Still, I think they're worth remembering.  When the flowers, the leaves, and the green grass has faded for the season, sometimes the fungus that remains can provide both color and interest.

crown-tipped coral fungus

pink-mottle woodwax

unknown fungus

slime puffball

cantharellus lateritius

mushrooms forcing up through a crack in the concrete

mushroom unknown

Now, this LOOKS like a fungus, but it's actually a wool-sower gall.

The wool sower is a type of wasp which lays eggs in white oak trees.  The larvae develop inside these woolly balls.  They don't hurt the oak trees, and I think the galls are quite pretty!  

I like seeing these interesting shapes and splotches of color during fall hikes.  Speaking of hikes, we've got a big one planned this week, so hopefully I'll have some photo diversity soon!

Until then, more cats...

...and trail cams.  This one is from early January...the date is incorrect on the video.  One, two, three raccoons!  We're also feeding a couple of raccoons on our front porch every night.  They're huge!!

Here's to more interesting times in the next week!  

two shakes of a lamb's ear

 It's getting chilly.

ice on pond

frost on lamb's ear

Even though most mornings are frost-free, we're still in that inevitable plunge into winter.  Leaves that remain on the trees are decidedly dead.

It's kind of tough having a December birthday...it's usually too cold and wet to do anything outside.  Here's the sky the day of my birthday this year:

We had a million indoor activities, though, including a trip to the local bingo hall, where I was one number away from $200!

I made my own cake, as usual.  For the first time in a few years, I made an ice cream cake.  They're so easy to make!  A scaled-down brownie recipe, baked in a loaf pan...frozen, then frosted...frozen, then layered with ice cream and whipped cream.  Delicious!  

The kittens love having us in the house so much during bad weather.  It's a prime opportunity to beg for food.

I keep food on my desk for Calliope, but Barnabas wants a taste too.

And...you know.

Besides these "wild animals," we're still getting lots on our trail cams, although mostly deer...

...and this rapidly-growing buck.  It's hunting season and I frequently hear shots from the forest...I'm glad that he's been able to stay safe!

After getting hours and hours of groundhog footage by the white barn...

...we moved this camera to the back field.  I'm looking forward to some new animals, maybe even a bobcat!

We'll see what turns up...have a great week!  

hairy peri

 A couple of weeks ago...snow!

Borga was not too keen to go outside...

...despite the lovely views right outside the front door!

More rabbits!

The weather warmed a bit, but we still had ice.

  

This ice on the back pond reminds me of hives.

Comparison picture from when I was in the emergency room with fire ant bites!

It's warming up lately, and the ice and snow have melted away.  Even with the frost, there are signs of spring!  Daffodils are coming up.

I almost didn't see these subtle changes, because I've been really sick, which is why I've missed a few weeks of posts.  Horrible insomnia, middle-of-the-night panic attacks, skyrocketing anxiety, rashes, and nausea that left me bed-bound many days (so...much...nausea)...all related to extreme perimenopausal hormone fluctuations.  File this under Things You Should Know Before 47 But Have Never, Ever Heard Of, I guess, but my doctor told me that this is completely normal and happens to many women.  Being fairly sick for half of every month for the past two months doesn't feel normal, but hopefully I will get things sorted out soon.  And bonus...my finger-in-the-light-socket anxiety made me so jittery and panicked during my sick weeks that I had to get out of the house, no matter how terrible I felt.  I've taken many, many walks in the past few weeks, in all weather.

It was an absolutely miserable time, but I felt a little better in the cold air, and I did get to see some interesting things that I would've missed otherwise.  

This really cool fungus is Amber Jelly fungus, otherwise known as Brown Witch's Butter.  Witches are notorious for stealing milk from cows at night (according to legend), and this fungus is "formed" from the spilled drops of milk as they hurry away.  Although it doesn't look very appetizing, Amber Jelly fungus is edible, although fairly tasteless, and mainly used to add "texture" or bulk to soups.   

There are lots of beech trees around here, and I've seen this incredibly black mold on many branches.  It's Sooty Black, and it feeds on the honeydew (sugar-rich secretions) of the insects and aphids that frequent this type of tree.  If you see Sooty Black, you've got pests.  

Despite the cold, ferns are starting to peek out of the dead leaves.

I'm going to keep an eye out for more green growth!  Meanwhile, we're continuing to enjoy beautiful skies...

...and sweet cats.

Calliope has been kind of smug about my sickness, because I've been sleeping on the couch for most of the past six weeks (erratic sleep + nausea = must...be...alone) and she loves to sleep with me there.  Here's hoping for a better month this time around...have a great week!

incautious nauseous

In the past two weeks...COLD.

Down to -10 degrees at the coldest, so cold that ice formed inside our windows where normally we'd have a bit of condensation.

Although we were prepared for up to 8 inches of snow, we only received a couple of inches, and the wind scoured the open fields to a mere dusting.

That meant a nice pile-up elsewhere, though.  Lovely sharp shelves and undulating ridges.

And my favorite...snow tracks!  Curious birds, walking...

...or briefly alighting, leaving behind a spread of wings.

Lots of rabbits with their easily-identifiable double tracks...

...and patterns.

This is something with a tail...most likely a field mouse.

Believe it or not, even our moles were active!  Moles don't hibernate, and they've absolutely decimated our side yard this past month.  Here you can see a fresh pile of soil, evidence that one has burrowed to the surface recently.  Claudia was tucked safely away in our temperature-controlled barn...too cold for cats outside!...but I hope she has some happy hunting soon.

We made sure to keep the feeders full during this cold snap, and the birds responded.  I don't think I've seen our front tree so overloaded with them before!

All puffed up to help stay warm.

Now our weather has warmed to near 60 degrees, and there are reports of spring bulbs starting to prematurely sprout.  I haven't been able to go outside and check, because I've been laid low by an attack of anxiety nausea.  

Anxiety nausea, if you don't know, is where your subconscious mind and your body decide together that there's a threat.  They react by flooding you with nausea-inducing adrenaline, leaving your rational mind behind, yelling like a pesky kid:  "Wait up, guys!!"  I've suffered from it since elementary school, miserable episodes that have lasted months at a time.  You can't reason though them.  You can't "breathe them away," as the unhelpful doctor at Urgent Care suggested.  Medicine?  Haven't found any yet. Nothing helps.  You can't eat.  You can't be move around.  You're in bed, prostrate with nausea, until things beyond your rational control decide that the threat is removed.  

Frances, trying to make me feel better in his own way

This particular attack was triggered by a recent migraine.  I haven't found a prescription that works well against them yet, so I'm anxious about developing one.  I felt a familiar pressure last week...no migraine came, but it didn't matter. The pressure alone was enough to trigger an episode of anxiety nausea.  Last night I moaned to Todd, "Tomorrow, I'll be able to say that seven days with anxiety nausea makes one (weak) week!"  Being able to joke about it means that I'm feeling better, and so does the fact that I was able to actually eat three small meals (after a week of choking down saltines).  Already this morning, I can tell that I'll be able to shower today(!!!).  This particular attack is going to be a short one, but phew!  What a week.  Still, in my weak and distracted way, I've been excited about the new year.  I have so many amazing plans and projects in my notebooks.  I want this to be a life-changing year and I'm going to work hard to make it happen.

Happy New Year!!