A thrill, times two

It was such a thrill when we discovered one of these Yellow Fly Amanita (Amanita muscaria var. formosa) mushrooms around mid-August. A few days later, we went back to botanize the same area and found three of these fungi growing where we had seen only the one before! They are so attractive but also poisonous!

Another cold day today, around -22C (-8F) this evening, with a windchill of around -27C (-17F). Lots of sunshine today, though, which always helps. I went with three friends for a very nice turkey lunch at the Zellers store today - lovely to catch up with friends whom I hadn't seen for many months! And the mashed potatoes and gravy really hit the spot, especially on a cold, cold day. Afterwards, I called in at a local park. After about half an hour of standing with my camera (which was unhappy having to be out in this cold and taking about 10 seconds to take each shot, thus missing most of the birds), I drove straight to Canadian Tire to purchase three packets of those small hand warmers that you place inside your gloves!!! They worked miracles throughout our severe winter last year. A life-saver.