Winter Days

We sit on comfy cushions on the floor in front of the wood stove. Our books and laptops spread around us. This is how we spend our winter days when there is rain and wind. We're expecting a week of wild weather. The forecasters (those drama queens and doomsayers) are gleefully predicting mudslides in southern California and disaster deluges with shameless delight. We are always amazed by the times we are living in.
We venture out whenever there is break in the weather. Fortunately there really are times in winter here when the temps break 60 degrees and the sun pours like honey for the bees that have come out as well. We were surprised to see a pretty good swarm of these guys buzzing around some fine fresh puddles from the most recent rains.
Our walks along the Loma Rica trail have been sweetly serenaded by ruby-crowned kinglets and mountain chickadees. Lately, though, they've all been moving way to fast for me and the camera. So, I've been focusing on things that just don't move at all, like scat. Not sure who left this behind, but there is a lot of it all over the woods here. Any and all guesses are welcome.

The other thing that keep catching our eyes is the amazing abundance and diversity of fungus here. We simply cannot walk outside without spotting some new mushrooms springing up everywhere. Here's a little rundown of our latest finds:


Winter has been good and mild so far. We know there's supposed to be plenty of snow here, and suspect that it's only a matter of time. Meanwhile, we read and hike and fantasize how much some things look like others.
Doesn't this remind you of a sand dollar too?