The stuff of fairytales

The hollow tree

"The woods are full of the stuff of fairytales" Tinkerbelle said one day. We were walking through the woods as we usually do when she pointed to the hollow tree.  The hollow tree stands at the curve in the path that goes through the woods marking the half-way point. It's a stump of a tree really with holes covering the bark like yawing gateways into a mysterious world. Trees like the hollow tree are often cast as homes for woodland elves or other magical creatures.  "...Or like these fairy helmets" she continued, pointing to a cluster of Mycena growing around a tree stump. So named for their gray bell-shaped caps, fruit bodies of this type have often served as seating at many a fairy function.  "...Or these fly amanita toadstools...." she droned on, pointing to two bright red globes bursting through ground.  These are often extolled as the bounty of garden gnomes. "You just have to know where to look," she finished.

Fairy helmets

Fly amanita toadstools

The lonely goose

It was only the previous day that we had discovered the goose alone at the pond.  We had hoped that it would be okay without its mate and make its home among the ducks, but what we saw today made us doubt those plans.  We were on our way home from our afternoon walk and taking a shortcut through a neighboring complex when we came upon the strangest sight.  As we passed the pool area we caught a glimpse of a goose standing by the edge of the empty pool. Most pools open on Memorial Day weekend and since we were still a few weeks away, this pool was uncovered but had yet to be filled. We assumed the goose was the same one we had seen at the pond yesterday.  And as we watched it, we wondered what was going though its mind. Was it possible that it had gone mad with grief at the loss of its mate? Or was it just hoping for a swim in the pool? Regardless, the sight left us unsettled.  We left the goose staring into the abyss and headed to the pond. We wanted to be sure it was the same goose. At the pond, we saw only the ducks and so assumed it was the same goose. What would become of this grief stricken goose? we wondered.

Duck duck goose

Although we walk by the pond almost daily, it had been some time since we had stopped to visit its inhabitants. We did today but something didn't seem quite right.  The ducks all seemed fine milling together in their usual way, but it was the geese that caught out attention.  Or rather, the goose, for there was only one to be seen swimming alone in the pond.  We scanned the pond and the banks but there was no sign of its mate. Having never seen the pair apart, our hearts immediately sank.  What had become of the other goose? Had she or he (as we couldn't tell them apart) succumbed to an illness or infection or had they become victim to an animal. Worry took hold as we wondered about the fate of the missing goose.  But, the goose in the pond seemed not so worried.  In fact, it swam around serenely coming ashore to nibble on some food with the ducks. It seemed quite at peace, not lost or forlorn as we might have expected. We watched it for a while, then resolving to stop by again soon, we left.

The albino tree

We were walking through the woods today when we spotted the albino tree. Spring has sprung and the leaves on the trees have only just started coming in. It's white bark reflecting the morning sun drew our gaze. It's bark tall and thin, the tree stood white and bright among its darker brethren. We wondered why we hadn't notice it before. Since it stood on the other side of the stream we couldn't get a closer look at it, but thought that it most likely to be a white birch.

A very muddy Topsie

With the onset of spring came the rains, our walks were shorter since neither Topsie nor I care much for walks in the rain. But, today, the sky was clear as we set off on our walk.  The ground was still wet and puddles of water gathered at every corner. We were trotting along when suddenly, without warning, Topsie flopped down in a muddy puddle and started rolling around. It didn't take long for Topsie to end up covered in mud. Wet and muddy she had to walk the rest of the way home and straight into the bathtub!