pink stinkhorn and other lovelies. no photographs included. but feel free to research the images yourself. if you dare.

posted by:  jennifer

so, last week i was in the front yard and noticed something popping out of the earth.  it was about 6 inches long, pink, and stalky.   i know huh?  sounds lovely.  the tip of this thing was covered with flies.  i mildly freaked out.   i thought maybe it was a small rib bone... fresh.   i tend to have an active imagination.  my mind went other places as well... maybe it was something alien?  where did you think i was going?   okay, it did seem slightly phallic... but really not so much at the same time.

i was quite brave.  i got a plastic bag, and pulled it out.... i determined immediately that it was not a bone.  maybe an alien life form...  i threw it away.  and pretty much forgot about it. we had a crazy day on friday, and this was pushed to the recesses of my mind.  until another one came up.  (5 have been spotted thus far)

at this point i decided to research it.  we have pink stinkhorn fungi spores in our yard.  who knew these lovelies existed?

on another note:  chilblains.

have you heard of them?  a couple of times a year i have these lovely outbreaks on my toes.  
they are bright red and at times insanely itchy. they stick around for a couple of weeks, going through a few stages.  they then disappear for many months.  

 on doing research i have come to find that many people silently suffer from this condition.   i think that we need to shed some light on this matter.  chilblain sufferers unite!   although i honestly don't know what we would do for each other....  encourage others to be strong, and to not scratch.... offer helpful tips on what footwear will cover up the chilblains, but will let air in to help them heal.

lastly.   earlier this week i spent a couple of days with my oldest child at the beach.  we both love beach combing.  

 side note: i just looked up beachcomber in my vintage (1972) dictionary. i wanted to make sure it was one word.  the definition of beachcomber is: a man who loafs on beaches or wharves, esp. on a south sea island, living on what he can beg or find.
hmm.  well, by that definition, we are not beachcombers.  however, we do like to comb the beaches for shells, rocks, and other treasures.

second side note:  did you know that extreme temperatures are not good for people who get chilblains?  walking barefoot in 59 degree water and then walking on 95 degree sand probably did not help with my... ahem... condition.

anyway.  while beach combing.  i found not only several sand dollars, a couple of bones, (one i thought might have been from a whale. my husband feels it is probably a rib bone... from someones b.b.q.)  and a pair of diving goggles... but i also found what i thought might have been a fossilized piece of a sea star leg/ray/appendage.  i took it back to our hotel room. 
while sorting through our finds i couldn't help but notice that there was a strong smell of the sea in my treasure pile.  i showed it to my daughter who has a knack for finding fossils.  she informed me that no it wasn't fossilized.  

well, i am not sure how to end this post.  but maybe just with this.  what you think might be a rib bone may just be a fungus.  what you think might be an ancient whale bone may just be a rib bone.  but always keep an open mind.  because you never know.

cheers!