Lovely Surprises

After weeks of teasing -
allowing Old Man Winter a few return visits,
I believe that Spring is here to stay.


She's unpacked so many of her lovely accessories
and they are evident all over the land.
Yesterday, on my way down the driveway to the pond,
I caught a little something out of the corner of my eye.


There alongside the driveway were two morel mushrooms.

And because where there is one, there are usually more,
I decided to comb through the woods along the driveway.
I descended the hill through the woods down towards the pond,
made a loop and climbed back up the hill.

On my route I was delighted to find quite a few mushrooms.


I excitedly took my treasures home to show Hubbs and suggested
that we head back out and look for more.
In addition to more morel mushrooms,
we found so many other lovely surprises.


There were violets by the score...


and something I had never seen before...
Yellow Downy Violets,


and Virginia Spring Beauty.


"Widely" Mushrooms...


There were lots of fiddleheads unfurling,


and Jack-in-the-pulpets as well.


It was a lovely walk - and in the end,
a very lucrative one...
having found more than I have in any previous years.


Each of these morels measure from 4 to 5 inches tall,
and 1 to 2 inches wide.
I will dry them and cook with them.

It was a day of adventures for many of the animals.
Ginger went on a walk-about,
slipping out of the front gate to their yard.


She was easily enticed back into her yard...


with treats of Ritz crackers.


The donkey girls did their Limbo move,
sliding under the top two fence boards, through the gate
into the pigs' yard to graze.


This time, they didn't even run when they
realized I had seen them.


Busted!

Yesterday's comments included a question -
what the glass jars that hang in the yard of my shed are.
They are jars filled with tiny fairy lights that are attached
to a small solar panel on the lid.


At night they light up like a jar full of lightening bugs...
a sweet throwback to my childhood.


Today we say goodbye to April.
It was a strange month, in many ways.
We'll see how May shapes up!

For "Anonymous" who asked how I am constructing my shawls...
I wrote the instructions HERE [link to page].
Enjoy!!



Comments

colleen said…
Surprises are the icing on the cake. Those little white violets are just darling. I wish we still had lightening bugs. The jars with the fairy lights are a fun idea. Thanks for the shawl pattern. xxxx
jaz@octoberfarm said…
what i wouldn't give for some morels! what luck! what a beautiful day!
Ah, I posted a very similar walk-about post and I think the flower I wasn't sure of might be the violet you found as well...

Morrels! I know they are considered gold by mushroom hunters. I am always afraid to eat what I might find as I am not well schooled in the poisonous versus edible- although these are so distinct.

Have you watched Outlander? I'm addicted - but the shawls! the knitwear.. is beautiful. Even if you don't watch the show, google Outlander shawls and you'll see.

This N That said…
April showers are more like a deluge..WHat a way to end the month..It has been a wet one for sure..Perfect for your mushrooms..We have violets everywhere..They are like dandelions..It looks like you have several escape artists in your midst..Love your fairy lights..great idea..Welcome May!!xxoo
Marcia LaRue said…
When I was 3 or 4 years old [I am currently 76] my Mom, brother & sister and I would go to a wooded area and hunt morels in the Village of Buda, IL where we lived at the time! I loved them even then and Mom always fried them in butter! Yum! Such a great memory -- and you are lucky to find so many and such a wonderful size!
I love the violets, as well! Never knew there were yellow ones and those white ones are a surprise, too! Can you use all of them on salads? As well as the fiddlehead ferns?
I look forward to your trips around the farm and a trip through the woods!
Wow, you hit the morels jackpot!
Chris T said…
Thank you so much for the shawl pattern, I was "anonymous" as I could not sign off properly on my iPad, but I am on my laptop now. I have lots of spare yarn and it would be so good to use it to make a shawl. I look forward to reading your blog I always pick up some snippets of information. I can't tell you how much I envy you your Morels, I love them. Thank you for all your blogs and bringing a bit of our country life to me.
Chris T said…
I have another question, what method do yu use to dry the mushrooms? Thank you.
Karen said…
I can smell and taste those Morrells . . . .my mom would dip them in flour and fry them - oh my . . . they have such a woodsy, rich taste. My Dad was a logger and would bring them home by the bags full. Enjoy!