Happy New Year!

Yesterday was a lovely, warm, sunny day. 

The kids, the dog, and I had a wonderful time playing in the woods. 

 The kids and the dog played in the creek.

 

Anything that gets Copper in the water is a fun game for him.

He even likes to retrieve rocks. Silly dog.

I found mushrooms to photograph. 

 

 I strongly suspect these are Deadly Galerina 

(Galerina marginata, previously known as "Galerina autumnalis").

 According to the Wiki article, Galerina means helmet-like.

I think they are pretty little things, even if they are quite poisonous.

Nothing makes me smile in the winter quite like the 

greens of mosses and lichens.

I even found some oyster mushrooms which didn't photograph well, but tasted pretty darn good.

Yesterday was a lovely finish to a good year.

Today, on the other hand is cold, windy, and gray. 

It's not my favorite kind of day.

But we are a day closer to spring!

-Shakerag Susan