in the woods...

the light is coming back these days; i think we've gained almost an hour since the solstice. yet with the general gloom of recent days it is hard to remember that. on saturday i walked to the store to return a movie (the social network - i recommend) and took a detour through the woods on the way back. once amongst the trees i realized dark was coming faster than i had thought, and my camera was less than excited about this. i hate having to amp up the iso for low light shots, as i know i'll be frowning later over the "noise" in the photos, but i did it anyway (as i seem to be doing a lot lately) to try and grab some sense of the forest that afternoon.



there are still dirty clumps of snow lingering here and there, both in the woods and along the roadsides. on the trails they are joined by mud that sucks at my bean boots. i love these clusters of lichen (above) that fall to lay on the rotting leaves like bleached pieces of coral, standing out so starkly against the dark ground.



i still haven't determined if these little fungi are a variety of turkey tail mushrooms, but they sure are everywhere right now. they line up in long trails leading down fallen tree trunks. i'm starting to develop a mind to pick some and see if they could come to anything in the dye pot. i haven't started dyeing yet, but i've been spending a lot of time with my new books and am eager to start, once i compile a few more supplies. plant selection seems a little thin this time of year, but i've got some ideas.

have i wandered completely off topic? probably. while i'm at it, i'll remind you there will be a little shop update this weekend, as well as a little giveaway if i can get myself organized. i can't be the only one who thinks it would be handy if there were more hours in the day?