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Beardy Guy Musings

Experimenting with ways to live a low impact life in a tiny house in the woods. Graphic and web design at Beardy Guy Creative . I often write about the Climate Emergency, Apple and the iPad. Living on the traditional territory of: O-ga-xpa Ma-zhoⁿ (O-ga-xpa) (Quapaw), Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, Kaskaskia, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo)

Photography

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    Silent Sunday.

    A photo taken in the woods and close to sunset. The sun flares from behind a group of pine trees. The forest floor is gold with fallen pine leaves and a blue sky is visible behind the trees.
    A photo taken from the ground shows a forest floor covered in moss near the camera. The background is slightly blurred cedar trees against a blue sky
    Shelf fungi growing from a log. The fungi are dark mossy green where they attach to the log. The surface is slightly fuzzy and the colors form rings outward to the edge changing from green to gray back to green and then orange.
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    I recently had the thought that I wanted to try making waffles so asked on a family messages thread if anyone had a waffle iron I could borrow. My aunt and uncle (also neighbors) offered one of theirs. I added peanut butter and caramel on top of chocolate chip waffles. Oh my, I've been missing out!

    a small waffle iron is open, showing a small recently cooked golden colored waffle
    two waffles, on a plate with peanut butter and caramel on top
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    Broom Forkmoss, Dicranum scoparium with a little cedar berry appearance. A macro photo of a mound of lush green moss. Each cluster of hairs

    Thuidium delicatulum, delicate fern moss or common fern moss. A macro photo of lush green moss that resembles a small forest of fern leaves

    A macro photo of lush green moss that resembles a small forest of fern leaves

    ID uncertain, possibly Entondon cladorrhizans flattened entondon moss Long tendrils of cedar like moss grow along a tree branch

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    I almost missed this fallen branch covered in Luminescent Panelus, Panellus stipticus. Such a fascinating world if we take the time to see it.

    A macro side view of cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms grow from a fallen tree. In the background green moss and more mushrooms are visible.
    A Top down view of a cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms growing from a fallen tree. The mushrooms are in the shape of a Half circle and are irregular in texture and variations of color. In the background green moss, lichen and more mushrooms are visible.
    A bottom up view of a cluster of Orangish cream colored mushrooms growing from a fallen tree. The mushrooms are in the shape of a Half circle and are irregular in texture and variations of color. As the photo is taken from below the underside of the mushrooms with gills or ridges are visible. In the background green moss, lichen and more mushrooms a
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    With last night’s rain and the soft light this morning the fungi, lichen and moss really popped out at me during my morning trail walk.

    Luminescent Panellus, Panellus stipticus and Eastern speckled shield lichen, Punctelia bolliana Small off-white to peach colored fungi near a cluster of cup-like lichen and green moss

    Sternum ostrea, false turkey-tail Fungi, dark brown at the center attachment to a tree. Rings outward gradually become lighter with the outer edges a light orange and white. They are in the shape of a semi-circle, somewhat resembling sea shells

    Tremella mesentercia, witch’s butter A bright yellow, semi-translucent, gelatinous fungi grows from a tree branch. Pale green lichen are also growing on the branch.

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    While out on a trail walk yesterday, I saw something small and white moving around in the leaves and met this cute, furry moth, Artace cribrarius, the dot-lined white.

    a furry white moth is perched on a brown leaf set against a blurred forest background. The image is taken from the side.

    a furry white moth set against a blurred background of brown leaves. The moth has faint, delicate black specs on its wings.

    a furry white moth is perched on a leaf. Is taken from the underside, showing its belly and its legs holding onto the stem of a leaf. The background is a blurred forest.

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    From my morning trail walk.

    A custer of flowers have turned golden brown for the winter. Amongst the remaining flower parts are several small seeds still attached. The seeds have an elongated black base with tiny white, feathery tendrils to catch the wind.
    A custer of flowers have turned golden brown for the winter. Amongst the remaining flower parts are many small seeds are still attached. The seeds have an elongated black base with tiny white, feathery tendrils to catch the wind.
    The golden seed heads of the sea or river oats plant. Each cluster of seeds consists of around eight seeds which are flat and pointy on their outer end. the heads hang from deicate golden brown stems that are attached to larger stems that are, in turn, attachd to the main stem of the plant. Blurred against the background, a few remaining golden leaves can be seen along the main plant stem.
    A very small white feather clings to a dark brown stem of a plant. The feather is whispy with thin, delicate branches from its main stem.
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    From my morning walk. I almost missed this branch hosting tiny Trametes fungi.

    Primarily white fungi grow from a fallen tree branch. They are a half circle shape with a stem attachment to the branch on the flat side of the fungi. The have faint orangish brown rings dispersed across the surface. The branch and fungi are resting on a backgound of green moss and brown leaves.

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    Enjoying and appreciating the burning bushes scattered about the Missouri woodland. They're holding on but just days from giving way to rest of winter.

    Bright red leaves set against a bokeh background of brown winter woodland.
    The fall colors of a burning bush in the forest. A branch of leaves of pink, yellow and green, set against a slightly blurred background of small tree branches in a winter woodland.
    The fall colors of a burning bush in the forest. The small tree with leaves of pink, yellow and green, in a winter woodland of brown.
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    I've been enjoying my time on the trails this past week. So much color and the fragrance of autumn is overwhelming at times. Fantastic. These woods are home.

    A fat tire bike leans against a tree in the woods. To the right is a leaf covered dry creek. The leaves in the trees are mostly yellow.
    A leaf covered woodland trail passes under trees one of which is dominated by bright yellow leaves. Most of the other trees in the image have brown leaves in their branches.
    A fat tire bike leans against a tree in the woods. The leaves in the trees are a mix of green and yellow.
    A large cream colored fungi grows from the side of a fallen tree. The image is taken from directly over the fungi and it has a half moon shape. The texture of the fungi is highlighted by light orangish-brown that faintly extends as barely definable concentric rings from the center connection at the tree to the outer edge. The center stem connection is more solidly orange-brown. Below and around the fungi and tree are brown and orange leaves on the forest floor.
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    My three furry friends hanging out on the porch today.

    Two black dogs and a brown cat lay on beige colored carpeting on a porch. The dog closest to the photographer is looking at the camera
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    From Saturday's morning trail ride. 🚵‍♂️

    A fat tire bike leaves against a tree near a leaf-covered trail under a canopy of bright yellow and green leaves against a bright blue sky.
    A fat tire bike leaves against a tree near a leaf-covered trail under a canopy of bright yellow and green leaves against a bright blue sky.
    Looking straight up into bright yellow tree leaves. Blue sky and the sun are poking through a couple of small spots between the leaves
    A fat tire bike leaves against a tree near a leaf-covered trail under a canopy of bright yellow, red and green leaves against a bright blue sky.
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    From my morning walk a couple days ago. Such sweet pups.

    A black haired dog on a walk in the woods in the fall. The dog is sitting and looking side-eye at the photographer. The foliage and morning sun give the photo a golden tint.
    Side-eye!
    A black haired dog on a walk in the woods in the fall. The dog is sitting and looking away from the camera. The foliage and morning sun give the photo a golden tint.
    Two black haired dogs on a walk in the woods in the fall. The foliage and morning sun give the photo a golden tint.
    Cosmo on the left, Annie on the right.
    A black haired dog on a walk in the woods in the fall. The foliage and morning sun give the photo a golden tint.
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    A wheelbarrow of dark colored sand, gravel and rocks sits in a dry creekbed

    I'm not doing the Micro.blog September photoblogging challenge but thought I'd share a photo for today's Date in the life. For the past 22 days I've been working on our gravel road. Moving 5-8 wheelbarrow loads a day from our dry creek bed to fix a few washed out sections. 100+ loads total, 2+ hours of daily exercise, about 1,100 cal burned as a workout. I like getting actual, needed work done as a workout. Several more sections to fix, another few weeks of exercise. The road actually looks messier because now its a mixed up conglomeration of the original, uniform gray road gravel but with lots of dirt, sand and creek gravel all mixed in. In the process of digging out the shoulders to resurface the burried gravel, adding the creek materials I've raised the whole section of road an inch or two while also lowering the shoulders for better drainage.

    Obviously working with just hand tools takes far longer than using a tractor or other motorized equipment but I need the daily exercise anyway. 2 hours a day spent listening to music and working out in the woods to fix a problem makes sense. With two hours a day through September, October and perhaps a week or so into November I should have it done before the ground starts to freeze.

    Over the past 3-5 years we've been getting more intense, 7+" rainfall events each year. With each such event more excess gravel is left in the creek while more of the road gravel is washed off the road. Going forward I'll have to spend more time maintaining it but the work now should result in a more stable road and also better divert the excess water during storms. The goal is to have more water shed off the road rather than flow along it.

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    Copperheads are fairly common in my area and I see several each summer. They're beautiful snakes. Venomous, yes, but in my experience never aggressive. Just respect them and let them have their space, they make fine neighbors. And frankly, they're beautiful animals.

    The tail of a copper colored snake is visible while the rest of the snake is hidden under a silver metal trash can
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    Tiny little fungi! Witch's Hat, Hygrocybe conica.

    a very small, glossy red mushroom pushes through moss. Its cap is conical as it has not yet opened.

    two mushrooms, growing near each other. They have orangish, stems and red caps. Surrounding the mushrooms is a mix of forest floor debris, including small steaks, and leaves. 

    Unidentified mushrooms  two very thin and small white mushrooms

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    Seen on a morning walk, Campanula americana, American bellflower

    A blue flower with five pointed petals. The center is a white circle with a long, curved center pistil

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    I've found the most comfortable position when working from the bed/futon in my tiny house. Never thought I'd use a pillow stand but was given one and it actually works really well with the Logitech Combo Touch. Perfect eye level and typing angle and really stable when placed on a pillow.

    An iPad configured in a Logitech Combo Touch keyboard is propped up on a tablet pillow stand and is being used in a bed

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    Tiny little Splitgill mushrooms, Schizophyllum commune. So tiny but both the top and bottom sides are full of texture.

    The underside of several very small, cream colored fungi growing on a branch. The underside consists of deeply lined gills

    The top of side of very small, cream colored fungi growing on a branch. The texture seems fuzzy or spongy. The outer circumference is not smooth but rather looks like a bunch of small toes.

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    This morning I discovered a small group of pawpaws growing just 150 feet from my cabin! 🤗 I planted 2 in a different spot last spring but these volunteers are growing in the other spot I was considering. Which leads me to think there must be more in the area that I have yet to discover. 🤗

    A small tree/shrub about 2 feet high with very large, dark green leaves. The leaves are smooth, elongated coming to a point at the end. Leaves are each 2-4

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