WHAT A LOVELY AND INTERESTING WORLD WE LIVE IN

 

BUDDY AT THE BEACH

IT'S WINTER: NO ICE, BUT THE WIND WILL MAKE YOU A BELIEVER

FOLIOSE LICHENS ON A DEAD ASH TREE BRANCH

Wednesday, 10:00 AM.  34 degrees F at the ferry dock, 33 on the back porch.  Wind variable and calm.  The sky is overcast and foggy and a freezing rain is falling.  The humidity is 92% and the barometer is still falling, predicting snow on Saturday after better weather on Friday.  The roads were treacherous this morning and Buddy and I cut our walk short.  He doesn't have far to fall if he slips, I do.

   Yesterday was the first day of winter, according to the calendar.  The beach has but little snow, the sand is hardly frozen and what ice there was on the lake is gone. It really doesn't look like winter, but the east wind will convince one very quickly that it is indeed the season.

  Buddy needed to stretch his legs and so did I, and it was good to exit the truck, zip up and head into the gale.  It was even better to turn around and have the biting wind at my back.  Buddy just doubled down and ran harder.

   Proceeding over a little rise, and with the wind out of my eyes, I could see more of the smaller details of beach life, specifically these gorgeous foliose (having leaf-like structures) lichens growing on a dead white ash tree branch.  There they were, living bravely in their own little world, their crusty bodies seemingly oblivious to their challenging environment.
   What a lovely and interesting world we live in.