Good News, Bad News

Well, I don't really have much bad news, but there is a little.  I thought the title of today's blog would intrigue you and maybe get a few new curious readers to click on my post, LOL!  Thanks for stopping by if you are one of those people, and for my constant supports, I really appreciate you!!!

I'll start with some good news...we have 3 little Carolina Wren chicks...so cute to watch and mom and dad are busy flying under the porch and feeding them, distracting us with song and twittering at Fluffy when she is on the porch (you can be sure I am keeping a very close eye on her!)  We have the critter cam aimed at the nest (I took this photo through the lattice wall) and I will share those pics once they leave the nest...we don't want to disturb the natural way of things by going to the nest right now.  Cute little fuzzy chicks!

Bad news...we had a lot of rain yesterday (again) accompanied by heavy wind, and it knocked down most of our corn...

Good news...we've staked them up to poles and we think they will be just fine.

Good news...lettuce looks great and we will be having a red leaf lettuce with dinner tonight.

Bad news...the ground is so wet that many of our potato plants are rotting, leaving only a few spuds in the ground (you can see how moist the soil is)...

Good news...we harvested enough to roast for dinner this evening, along with our fresh red leaf lettuce salad!

Good news...the Pipevine caterpillar on the screen looks like it is morphing into a chrysalis...

Bad news...about 20 minutes after I took the above photo and went back to take another, it was gone and no where to be found.  I searched everywhere on the porch with no evidence of the caterpillar and because I have a bird feeder hanging directly across from the screen door, I think it made a fine dinner for a hungry bird.

Good news...raspberries are ripening...

Better news...they are scrumptious!

Bad news...my rhubarb got swamped by all the rain...OK, it also appears I neglected to weed around it...

Good news...there is a new shoot with two leaves so we transplanted it to a spot that will get more sun and better drainage.

Awesome news...we have little chanterelle mushrooms growing everywhere...one good thing about all this rain, mushrooms love rain...ooh these mushrooms are one of the best!  I can't wait until we can harvest them...won't be long!

And then we went wild mushroom hunting in one of our favorite spots, and kowabunga!!!  Thank you rain!  On the left is navel hedgehog...scrumptious...the two little white balls in the center are puff balls...smooth and sweet...the green ones in the right corner are green quilt russela...delectable and common around our place...and finally on the right, chanterelle...divinely delicious...and next to truffles and morels, the best and highly valued mushroom you can get!  Ooh, dinner tonight is going to be good, with everything but the chicken from the garden or the land!

Best news of the day...I have sold one of my blog photos.  It's the second photo in this July 7, 2012 post about true potato fruit!   I'm actually going to get paid and get a credit line...how 'bout them apples!!!  Nature Friend magazine...www.naturefriendmagazine.com...I'll let you know when they publish it, they said it may not be until next year...I'm really tickled and so excited!!!

Overall good news, wouldn't you say?

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise