Mystical Happenings

Bill, check out the fairy ring that popped up last night. It is amazing how fast mushrooms grow. Across the street there is a solitary, thin stemmed mushroom in my neighbor's zoysia grass. He keeps a manicured lawn, so I know it was cut last week, but that mushroom's cell growth is so fast, it raced ahead of the grass rate and jumped up above the lawn.

As far as fairy rings go, I understand that they supposedly crop up around the decaying root system of previously existing trees, thus the circular pattern. But, I don't know of any tree there before I purchased the property, and it is interesting how all the mushrooms happen to pop up at the same time in a ring.

Regardless of scientific explanation, I find it fuel for my imagination. I picture strange lights glowing in the early dark, with tiny fairies descending from the elm tree above, like falling leaves. A raccoon and badger sit up with the sprite and elf, who came from who knows where, while across the way in the tangled thicket of the unused lot, there are mean and hard eyes watching the magical gathering. Who knows what could happen? But, then the sun begins to rise. We get up, walking the dog and sending kids off to school, and the magical moment is gone, fled back into the hiding places of old.

With the cool weather lately, we have begun sleeping with our upstairs windows open. I anticipate a lovely peaceful night tonight. But, I'll let you know if I get woken by soft music in the distance and the flickering glow of a small fire.