September 16, 2015
(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every
day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)
My mother, who passed away 20 years ago, did not like the month of September, even though the 16th was her birthday. In spite of it being her birthday month, she hated it because her daughters went back to school and she loved having us home during the summer. I loved my mother but I also loved school
Autumn
is my favorite season. Besides bringing memories of my mother, I appreciate how September eases me into seasonal changes.
Some trees have released their leaves while others are still quite green. Although
many flowers are past their bloom, others are still showing their color. The
weather is still mild but not brutal. I feel subtle differences in the way the
sun touches everything.
After
daily trips to the hospital for the past six days, it was a treat today to go
walking in Downs Park while David was still sleeping. I saw a blue heron at the
far end of the pond and talked with a man who was taking photos there. Next to
one of the main trails, a mushroom I’d never noticed before caught my
attention. At first, I thought it looked like a brain, similar to brain coral.
Then I looked again and it seemed to have many ribbon-like folds, much like a
cauliflower. On further research, I learned that it is the relatively rare cauliflower
mushroom that usually grows at the base of decaying trees and is edible. I don’t
care to eat mushrooms but I did find a number of recipes for this particular
one. The genus name, Sparassis, comes from Greek and means “I tear to pieces.” I
did not pull it up but took a photo that has now become a piece of my day.
My
gift today is a cauliflower mushroom.
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Eastern Cauliflower Mushroom
Other strange mushrooms
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