Crazy About Catnip!

Ugh...Hippies!  Am I becoming
one? 

Not on My Subaru! 

I'm beginning to believe I'm becoming one of those Hippies! (Or as Cheryl calls the: "Dirt Baggers")  I assure you, it is an affectionate term...)  You might have thought that the Subaru love and ownership was a dead giveaway...  But not so fast!   Subaru's Rally! 

Subaru's RALLY! 

Stinkhorn Mushroom
with butterfly,

You might have thought it was all of that foraging that has been taking place lately... But I have always loved berries, butterflies, and mushrooms.   Mushrooms are just one of the newest curiosities for my arsenal of nerdiness.

But recently,  Cheryl has been making soap.    I'll spare you the long thread that clings these thoughts together and just say that I came up with a great idea as she was talking.  (about something...  I forget what exactly...)  CATNIP! 

Have you ever been in the cat store and picked up a package of dried catnip?   Were you SHOCKED at the $3.99 price tag for a couple of ounces?  Well,  Me Too!   And that got me to thinking about all of the catnip that grow WILD around here!   We have a dehydrator!   Let's get busy saving money! 

Follow the cat to the Nip!

Hmmm. I got maybe a little more than
I thought. 

Foraging for catnip is easy!   It grows right along the Kewash trail along with the Berries and stink plants Cheryl hunts for.  I was not messing around!  I grabbed our largest mushroom bag and filled it with big bunches of Catnip.    I slung it on my back and we headed home.

Oreo seems kind of weird..

Wonder why he is so crazy.

In the yard, ( because Cheryl didn't want me cleaning it in the house for some reason.....)   I began stripping off the leaves and buds for drying.   I filled up two of our largest mixing bowls!    Cheryl says we will be drying this stuff for the next two weeks!  I think it dries pretty fast though.   Maybe a couple of batches a day and we should be done in no time.

He seems calm now. 

Two full bowls! 

I know what you're thinking:  Do the cats like it?   Well,  The neighbors cat certainly seemed like he liked it.   Normally, he just meows and eats food.  Sometimes he sleeps on the sidewalk.  But today, he seemed like he was a little more frisky that normal.  I would like to think it was the mountain of Catnip that was piled up in the yard.

Catnip with Today's Neighborhood
mushroom find!

Hiro is not impressed with the
smells in the house.

As for Hiro...  I think he may be immune to the effects of Catnip.   You would think he would be crazy by now, as the entire apartment is filled with the scent of Catnip from the dehydrator.   I personally like the smell.  It certainly beats any air freshener or that stink weed Cheryl has been putting in her Soap. ( BeeBalm.. for those who are curious...)

Cheryl baking.  Cookies, Oat Bake. 

And now.. sourdough bread! 

Other than that,   Cheryl continues to Bake,  and we continue to find mushrooms in the darnedest places.   (basically,  our yard!)   I have been finding Deer Mushrooms, Field Boletes, and Chanterelles in the back yard pretty much every day now. 

Mushrooms in our yard. 

Even MORE mushrooms from
the trail. 

We also find them on the trail during our evening bike rides  AND  in our neighbors yard.  Today was especially fruitful!  Cheryl and I found 35 field boletes and crackle boletes along the trail.   I also found an entire Bucket in the neighbors yard.  He must think I'm weird.... or a Genius!   I think the latter.

Cheryl drying them up. 

Tonights Wildlife sighting:
Baby Skunk.  SO cute!

And then there is Me,  I'm still working on that Origami Dragon Fight.   I better wrap things up soon, as the dragons can only be manipulated and modeled so many  times before they tear.  Just yesterday,  the leg fell off the Red Dragon!   I'll glue it back on.. for now.   I don't want to have to fold another one ( three red dragons in total!)  just because they can't seem to last more than a single day of shooting.  Sounds like I work in Hollywood or something.   But anyway,  Enjoy the latest installment.   Thanks for stopping in.