Mushroom Clouds

I recall looking for the spores on this coral mushroom…the last flush of mushrooms that I grew had masses of spores that I sprinkled in my terrarium – yet one more experiment in the making…

One of the ways mushroom spores function is to rise into the atmosphere and to bind with water molecules to create rain says Merlin Sheldrake among others.

Spores are full of DNA that bind, re-combine, and mutate to produce genetic material that is diverse and adapted for changing climates according to the New Scientist.

No one knows much about a Kingdom that wasn’t one until the 1960’s(all fungi were smushed in with plants) but it makes sense that fungi who have existed for one billion years might be able to adapt to whatever changes are ahead Surely this is one reason to protect mushrooms from over harvesting…

The word mutating has me thinking about possibilities my mind cannot comprehend. Mutate how?

Isn’t it also common sense to assume mushrooms have other functions that are totally unknown? I repeat, overall we know nothing about this fungal kingdom most of which lies just below our feet… Amazingly this mycelial network stretches across the earth anywhere man has not destroyed it – from the harshest deserts to the arctic probably holding secrets we cannot even imagine…

It’s almost the end of a dreary March punctuated with the worst snowstorm we have had all year. With 37 inches of snow on the ground and no help I was left to keep paths open with snowshoes and then shoveling for days (though my vet who has a bad back/ other health issues and lives an hour away) insisted upon coming to help until I said NO and meant it).

My broken hip has not worsened, although it aches at night. I am grateful for this body that has worked so hard. I still cannot clear a way to the front door, and yet my cellar’s sump pump has been running since January ( grateful to have it).

As of the end of March my cellar has been wet for one year. Humidifiers and fans run continuously to fight the moisture and I suspect this is my future. With rain and fog for days the snow is receding… I’m not sure I could stand another round of the deadly white shroud that keeps me separated from rich brown earth…

I think of the birds trying to migrate during this weather. Sandhill cranes have been seen in Maine for over a month now and more are nesting here every year, much to my great joy.

One photo of a pair taken in Minnesota… Lovely to end this entry on such a peaceful note.