Back to Normal!

The clear skies and cold temperatures have moved on, and our normal winter rain has returned along with warmer days. What you've heard about the wet weather in the Pacific Northwest, I heard "Northwet" on the radio recently, is mostly true and is certainly reflected in our vegetation. We're the EVERGREEN State for a good reason. Many of our tree branches are covered with lichen, like this hairy branch.

Long ago in biology class, we read about lichens and moss. Moss was common in the Wisconsin woods, but back then I never expected to live in a place where lichen grew so readily. It's everywhere, even on rocks in our garden.

And then there are these little critters which are all over the sidewalks. At first we thought they were the result of errant birds, but on closer examination, we realized that they are some sort of plant!

Our damp and chilly weather make a warm hat a necessity. We learned in a mountaineering class once that you lose a lot of your bodily heat when your head isn't covered, so a knit hat makes a lot of sense in this climate. Thanks to Dee and her blog, I found a link to this pattern called "Utopia." It was fun to do and should keep someone's ears and head nice and warm.