Life is Better on the Farm

Winter Lichen

While walking in the woods at the back of my farm on a chilly, bleak December afternoon, I spotted this fungus growing on a decaying log that had fallen across the creek bed. As they rocked with the movement of their host in the brisk wind, the color and lines of the lichen provided a stark contrast to the gray branches and dead underbrush that surrounded them.

While I was snapping photos of these seemingly fragile pieces, I listened to the laughter of my son, Samuel, daughter, Eliza, and LoriBeth, their sister in spirit, as they climbed downed trees and balanced on ancient grapevines across the way. There we were, the four of us, not a care in the world, accompanied only by the birds and critters who watched us without revealing their presence.

It was a special couple of hours....a very precious gift of the holiday season.