Usnea Longissima, Nature's Garland

Day 51: I have quite a few "favourite" lichens. I mean, it's hard to choose a single one from over 1000 species (not counting subspecies) present right here in the Pacific Northwest, but Usnea longissima pretty much tops the list. It is Nature's version of a Christmas garland, its long strands unbranched and sometimes growing (in my personal observation) up to fifteen feet long. At Rainey Creek, it festoons many of the trees close by the water, dwindling in occurrence the farther one goes from the creek banks, as it is quite sensitive to air pollution and prefers the circulation afforded by proximity to moving water. Like other Usneas, it can be used to dye wool and cotton, and the current popularity of home dyeing with natural materials is leading to a decline in Usneas in some areas. Even as abundant as it is at Rainey Creek, I will not collect it. I prefer to observe, admire and enjoy Lichen Christmas all year 'round.

Christmas Presence

Day 64: The presence is...are...is under the tree. Okay, he doesn't know about homophones, but Tippy is a pretty smart little (well, not so little) boy. He knows he's not supposed to play with the garland or remove any ornaments, and although ribbons on packages offer an even greater temptation, he mostly leaves them alone. That said, I have to treat the tips of the branches with a bitter-tasting spray to keep either cat from chewing them (an appeal I fail to understand, since the tree is artificial).

Christmas is a stressful time for the smaller members of the family. There are lots of comings and goings, dozens of new smells and things which look like they should be toys. It doesn't take a lot to make your holidays pet-friendly, so please keep them in mind when you're decorating.

G Is For Garland

Day 68: Why didn't I see that coming? Anyone who knows me even half well could have predicted what would go wrong with my plan to put up the Christmas tree today and decorate it tomorrow. I mean, think who we're talking about here. I had brought the tree in from the garage this morning to warm up (even artificial branches are creaky when they're frozen) and then I made a dash out to do errands. After I'd got the groceries put away, I built the tree. That should have been the end of it right there, but no, I dragged out the ornament boxes and told myself, "I'll just put on the garland and mount the cardinal on the top." But as long as I was climbing on and off a chair to string the garland, it made sense to hang the small ornaments as well. And as long as I had that box open, it seemed silly to close it back up again half-full, and by the time I got that done, I was too deeply committed to stop. I finished just in time to make dinner. Yeah, shoulda seen that coming!