We spend every waking moment outside.  That is, of course, when we can.   I grew up in Indiana and Deb grew up in Ohio.  But we were only 15-20 minutes from each other. I tell you this because people get confused because I’ve talked about Indiana and Ohio both.   Anyway, it gets pretty dang cold in these parts.  And in the dead of winter, the only thing we want to do is stay in the house under blankets.  As we were working on the deck project yesterday, I noticed so much beauty.  Nature is amazing to me.  Conditions have to be exactly correct for certain things to happen.

There are A LOT of photos on my phone of different things I see in the woods but I never share any of them.  A thought came to me in the middle of the night.  I think my brain relaxes enough to let different ideas pop up. ????  My idea is…  why not share some of my photos here.  So that you can see some of the beauty I see in nature or otherwise.  

So……  Let’s take a walk around the woods…

A Walk Around the Woods this Week

Lion’s Mane Mushrooms

Deb and I took a ride on our Polaris through the woods this past week and happened upon these Lion’s Mane mushrooms.  I had NO CLUE what they were until I asked over on Instagram stories.  Lots of people knew the answer and said I needed to go grab them because they are edible and quite delicious.  And, they have great benefits medicinally.  We didn’t have time, but may go check today… but I bet it’s too late.

Licorice Plant with White Pumpkins

I planted these licorice plants this spring when I planted the rest of my flowers.  They got so big.  My geraniums started looking pretty rough the beginning of September, which they always do.  So I removed them.  The licorice plant, which started out as a few 4″ sprigs, grew so big that I couldn’t begin to think about throwing them out.  (You an see them here.)  And, I thought they looked really pretty as a back drop for my white pumpkins.  I will definitely be getting these annuals again.  The berries in the first photo are artificial and ones I have had for along time.  I added them in for a bit of contrast.

Barn Lights on the Garage

If you watch social media, you already know that I grabbed these barn lights a few weeks back.  And, Deb installed them on each side of the door.  We were sitting around the camp fire and I thought this view was pretty.  I will be showing them more when the lights are off and share all about them soon.  But, wanted to give you a sneak peek here. 

Hydrangeas and Old Fountain

Deb and I happened upon a plant sale where they were having 25% off.  We had to grab a few boxwoods for around the pond deck and their hydrangeas were gorgeous.  So, we decided to grab a few and plant them out by the new evergreen by the fire pit.  The fountain was given to us by a neighbor because they no longer wanted it.  As I walked by the truck, I couldn’t help but notice how pretty the hydrangeas looked beside this old fountain.  Isn’t that patina gorgeous?  (Stay tuned for where this fountain ends up.  I have a few ideas.)

Another type of Mushroom

We happened upon this large clump of mushrooms down by the fire pit area.  I have absolutely no idea what type they are.  I did a brief search and they appear to be Hen of the Woods Mushrooms.  Whatever they are, I think they are gorgeous and I wanted to share.  Let me know in comments or over on social media if you know for sure.  I find things like this fascinating.

I hope you enjoyed taking a walk around the woods with me.  This gives me a place to keep all of my pictures that I take.  And also gives you a little glimpse into what we are seeing during the week.