growing, growing, everywhere

We've had lots and lots of heavy rain this season after 4 years of drought, so much that mushrooms were popping up everywhere. So we went on a mushroom hunt and found 12-18 distinct kinds of mushrooms, just on the boulevard on our block and the next one.





Among other interesting things for the Nature Basket...


We are not experts at mushroom identification (though there's an app for that, it turns out, and I'm learning a little about them).

Did you know that lichen is in it's own kingdom, neither plant, nor animal? It's very sensitive to pollution, so in the city, it only grows high in the trees. When we have storms, little bits or even whole covered branches come down, and the boys are fascinated by it.







The boys are often interested in helping out in the kitchen. They're very cautious and precise around the hot stove, so I'm starting to trust them a bit more.






Mmmm--curried rice and greens. They are indeed getting to be "good cookers"!