Mushroom looks like Jeff Bezo's rocket

When this uniquely shaped mushroom appeared in a neighbour's front garden, those who saw it admitted to being mildly embarrassed when they tried to describe it to others. I feigned ignorance at first and then I said, "Ah ha! It looks like Jeff Bezo's Blue Origin rocket. You know, the one that carried William Shatner into space." And it did.

But I have to admit, I was filled with questions about this oddly shaped mushroom. For one thing, why are there flies all over it? Answer: It is a member of the stinkhorn mushroom family. This particular stinkhorn smells a lot like dung or maybe decomposing flesh. It depends upon whom you ask. But don't ask me as I didn't get that close.

I was able to discover its true name but only after multiple confirmations am I willing to report it is called, wait for it, phallus impudicus. Not a great name. Maybe we can get the name changed. I was thinking of caeruleum eruca or Blue Rocket in Latin. It may not be great Latin but it is a better name.

Happy Halloween is the way to go

"That is the happiest, most upbeat ghost I have seen today," I told the gentleman decorating his porch for Halloween. The blue, inflatable bat was also one happy critter. Why I wondered out loud would the fellow hanging the stuff choose these? They were so oh-so-very-cheerful. Almost sugar coated.

He smiled and told me he had young kids. If he wanted them to sleep, scary characters, even inflated ones, would keep the frightened little one awake and they in turn would keep the whole house from getting to sleep.

My granddaughters are in tune with this fellow's children. Happy is the way to go.

Fall colours reaching their zenith

 

With November just around the corner, it seems a little late in the year but the fall colours are just now beginning to hit their maximum intensity here in London. What is most interesting is that with some of the trees, such as the one pictured, not all the leaves are turning. The ones closer to the ground are holding onto their green colour. Why? I cannot say.

A simple display but kids say it's effective

The large spider web spun over the front porch and part of the driveway seemed a pretty simple Halloween decoration to me.The kids from who I sought an opinion agreed it was simple but it was also very effective. Spiders are frightening and anything that brings to mind spiders, especially large ones, is a fine Halloween decoration.

Extensive Halloween decorations: something relatively new

Many homes are extensively decorated for Halloween in London and elsewhere across North America. The decorations appear a week or more before the trick and treat event. Rain and high winds may damage the installation in the days leading up to Halloween but the homeowners take all this very seriously. All is soon repaired.

In the '50s when I was a boy, this degree of decorating in anticipation of Halloween was unknown. A few home had a carved pumpkin on display but that is it.

Some Halloween decorations not steeped in horror

Some Halloween decorations appearing in my suburban neighbourhood are not accenting the horror angle. All things considered, a Halloween with a light touch when it comes to horror would be greatly appreciated. Since the appearance of COVID-19, we have quite enough scary stuff in our lives already.

How the little store stays in business: creativity

It is just a little store located in a somewhat out-of-the-way location. Oh, there's a lot of vehicle traffic in the area but getting even a small percentage of that traffic to stop is quite the feat. But the little grocery store, lunch stop, butcher shop and woman's clothing boutique with gift shop keeps going year after year.

I wonder how many other customers are like us, my wife and me, and simply want to support the underdog? Truth be told, if that is what we think we are doing, we may be wrong. We may need it as much as it needs us.

Today, we stopped by the little store so my wife could buy a fall outfit. While she shopped, I picked up some Polish perogies, some English crisp bread and some Italian dried beans soup mix before we both left with cups of hot pumpkin spice latte -- move over Starbucks.

In writing this I may have revealed to myself why the little store is still in business: creativity. It carries such an eclectic inventory of quality stuff that the place has made itself worth making a stop. Considering how stores come and go with great regularity in the large malls, maybe our local retail entrepreneurs located in the malls could learn from the little oh-so-creatively stocked store in the middle of nowhere.