Fungi Flourishing at Kettle Moraine and Other Things Going On

Okay, after beating myself up over lack of tripod use I made the effort in these shots to use my gorillapod, even if only to steady the shot a little.  I still hadn't fixed my problem with the viewfinder before I took these, so a few aren't in the best focus.  If you're sick of my mushroom obsession, don't worry, we'll soon be on our way to South Carolina where I hope to be shooting things I can't find in Wisconsin!

mycena maculata?

But right now I'm busy trying to decide on a paint color for the kitchen.  I ordered new formica countertop after years of hating the matte black one we got 9 years ago.  It seemed like a good idea at first, until we realized every speck of dust and cat hair not to mention every water streak was crazy visible.   Now the problem is we originally chose a "busy" floor tile with a strongly grained cabinet.  Choosing a countertop to go with all that was tough but we settled on River Gold...we'll see when it shows up whether we made things worse.  I almost bought Corian...but then I thought of all the places we could go with that extra couple of thousand dollars!

I went on the Pittsburgh Paints website and sampled some paint colors, but without the new countertop it's hard to judge.  Why did we pick cabinets and floor tile that were almost the same color nine years ago?   Then I painted the walls a similar color too!  Now I'm thinking about Thicket or Lively Ivy, a slightly green tone whose complimentary colors are similar to the floor tile.  I have a southwest feel to the room with some pottery, the curtains and enlargements from our trip to Utah so I'm thinking the color palette will work but will probably go buy a quart of each and slap it on one of the primed walls today to see what it looks like.  Thoughts?

20 year old Kitchenaid toaster works better than the new replacement I bought last year

Okay, enough about home improvement projects, personally I can't wait until I never have to remodel a home again.  But, it needs to be done and we do only have 6 years before we put it on the market, might as well try to make it look nice.   Back to the mushroom pics.

mycena inclinata?

I almost missed the one below with all the leaves clumped up around it. I think it's tremella reticulata (White Coral Jelly).

Today I'm off work AGAIN!  I do have to work the next 3 days in a row, but two of them are only half days.  I'm thinking about actually starting to read a book on my Kindle, which I haven't done in a very long time.  Which one though?

I've got "Cherokee Voices: Early Accounts of Cherokee Life in the East"

unidentified polypore

Or I could go with "Alone but Never Lonely: A Year of Borders, Beds and Backpacks"

lactarius psammicola - practically everywhere at Kettle Moraine

Or maybe "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed.

I haven't wanted to start any of these books because I was afraid they would only sharpen my wanderlust at a time when I couldn't go anywhere.  What I really need is a good fiction series to dig my teeth into.  I love books that have rich characters, suggestions welcome!

mycena galopus? (white milking bonnet)

But now I'm free to wander again so I can read anything I want and be inspired to wander at will...well, after my kitchen is painted anyway.

Oyster perhaps?

Speaking of free to wander again, this time next week I'll have my car packed and ready to go to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore with Sharon.  It was a random suggestion for an area that was convenient for both of us to travel to.  Further investigation shows there's a lot of hiking and other stuff going on over there.  Maybe even the start of some fall color.

"Fuzzy Foot" colony

Turns out we'll be there on National Public Lands Day, another random coincidence, and there is an opportunity to volunteer at Cowles Bog.  Click this link to find a site participating near you so you can volunteer on September 27th too!

Ice Age Trail