from Lafayette, LA 9-30-12:

Our world is wonderfully complicated, with so many fascinating features, each one a doorway to a bigger picture. We can follow any slender thread that captivates us - the humble snail, the town of Carencro, the history of hammers or perfumes, the smallest whale, the flowing fern in the images above, a favorite actor on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the poems of eastern Europe, aspirin, measles, dress patterns, door hinges, peanuts or pistons - and enter the interlocking gears of existence.

from May, 2012 in Austin, Texas:

sometimes they let go of words

bells and we're all on board
a boat with oars thru pastel mists
(yes pogy are
the most important fish)

Nonexistent champagne
in the Nonexistent glass
more and less than we request
a toast, and we are cast adrift

Below is a photo, a rather weak photo, of the 4th mushroom to which I referred the other day. These seem to grow in clusters. For some reason, this mushroom was quite camera shy, the lens could not get a grip, could not focus, but there you go. I'm including another recent image of morning glories, just to remind myself there are times I can get clearly focused. (Referring to photos here, but also could be applied to life....)

I'm attaching a link to the home page of the Mycological Society of San Francisco. The photos there are stunning. If you dig a little deeper into the site, you'll find lists - quite lengthy lists - of the many fungi they find during their annual forays into the wilds of the Bay Area of California.

as i walked to the store, Big Grumpy Face was up in the sky. i'm always happy to see him....

a fungal post from Lafayette, Louisiana. I've come across at least four unfamilar mushrooms this month (photographed only three). Though a lot of the dirt in our yard seems to be depleted (no worms, active composting), the mushrooms to me seem to be a promising sign. I've been saving banana and apple peels, coffee grounds, onion and potato skins and such, and covering them in shallow holes with earth to encourage composting, figuring even small contributions to the soil are worthwhile. Though we had a light bit of rain today, it's still dry (for Louisiana) and hot here (in the nineties fahrenheit in the afternoons). Sleeveless shirt and sandals kind of days....

They were a plucky bunch.

(Taken this morning in Lafayette, LA, Monday, 9-24-12.)