Christmas Cookies

We (Emily mostly) spent some time this afternoon baking and decorating sugar cookies. There were a few casualties (headless snowmen, one armed Santas, etc.) that ended up in my stomach...mmmm, delicious casualties...

Walking Stick

Northern Walking Stick to be more precise. Diapheromera fermorata. Found on my back deck last weekend sitting perfectly still...which is pretty much this guy's MO. If attacked they can emit a foul smelling odor, if they lose a leg they can grow it back, and they are the only species of stick insect that are legal to sell, buy, and keep in the United States. Pretty sweet.

Stuff Near my House

I've been noticing these things near my house lately and decided to take some pictures.

- Laetiporus sulphureus : Sulfur Shelf Fungi or Chicken Fungus. I've been passing this on my runs for the past week. Tastes like chicken...
-Symphyotrichum patens : Late Purple Aster. Blooming all over the place now. This one was down by the lake.
-Channeloccus Pliarti Crustiform : Crusty old channel lock pliars that I found in the lake. Ford Lake has a way of crustifying things rather quickly.
- B A Boatus : Beautiful scene for wakeboarding. I love this time of year.