Treasures Found While Recycling | Mushrooms

May 6, 2017 by Debra 6 Comments

Treasures Found

Hi, it’s amazing at how the smallest thing can bring so much happiness. I have started recycling; mainly aluminum cans and plastic milk jugs. Just before grocery shopping I dropped off several bags of cans. Nothing unusual about that. What was fun was the surprise I found once I opened the cover to the recycling can house. Adam was with me and he had his phone with him; he took several pictures. Not me, I had no phone nor camera. So the next day I went back. Another surprise, they were still there!

treasure mushroom — LENS: 30 mm Macro
EXP: 1/60 sec; f/3.5; ISO 200

In the local Dillon’s parking lot is the Cans for the Community recycling bin; I refer to it as the can house. Cans for the Community proceeds from recycling are donated to local non-profit organizations.

You can see the small mushrooms on the bottom right side of the opened sliding door in the middle and right image above. As cute as these mushrooms are, still be very careful. Mushrooms can be dangerous. We never touched them, just looked at them and took many pictures!

What’s even funnier; after taking these pictures I researched macro photography and found that it is recommended shooting with a smaller aperture. The first image above I used the largest aperture for this lens f/3.5. So I went back to the can house the following day. Guess what, they were still there! One had faded (expired, died) and another one had grown open more. Here is one of the pictures taken with the smaller aperture of f/10. Note that in this image my distance is a bit closer to the mushroom treasures.

treasure mushrooms — LENS: 30 mm Macro
EXP: 1/60 sec; f/10; ISO 640

Have you found any treasures such as this? If so, where did you find it?

Best Wishes,

Killdeer Nest of Eggs, Can You Find It?

May 3, 2017 by Debra

Hi, can you find the Killdeer nest in the image below?

It was last weekend when I was with Kevin while feeding the cows that he asked me if I could see the Killdeer nest. As I was looking everywhere, Kevin just laughed. He said it’s out in plain site. I had to admit that I didn’t know what I was looking for- never seen a Killdeer nest before. Heck, I wasn’t sure what a Killdeer even looked like!

You might see the nest right off the dot. But when you are out in the open pasture the nest isn’t easy to see. This is down by the pond/cabin, Kevin marked the nest with two bigger rocks so he wouldn’t mow over them.

killdeer-eggs — EXP: 1/640 sec; f/5.6; ISO 100

Best Wishes,

Homemade Weed Killer Grandma’s Weed Control

April 29, 2017 by Debra 2 Comments

Hi, they say April showers bring May flowers. Right now I need weed control! Kevin uses Roundup. But with all of his chores, he doesn’t spray as much as I would like. It was Easter weekend, my dad was telling us of the homemade weed killer he tried and said worked. So this is what I am going to try in a selected area of our driveway. Our driveway is gravel and all those pesky weeds are growing up between the rocks.

http://www.gmasdiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/28-2850-post/sprayer-th.jpg
The Recipe:
White Vinegar 1 gallon
Table Salt 2 Cups
Dishwashing Liquid A good squirt.
Hot Water I used half a gallon to dissolve the salt before mixing with vinegar.
Sprayer I bought a 1 1/2 gallon sprayer.

It is not recommended spraying this homemade weed killer on concrete (sidewalk or driveway) or where you do want plants to grow (in your garden).

As you see, I will need to give it one more application.

Have you tried this homemade weed killer recipe? How did it work for you?

Best Wishes,