A Rolling Stone Gathers Moss

     This stone sits in a circular shade garden in my yard dominated by two paper birch trees. The stone is heavy, rectangular, and mossy. However, a winter or two ago it disappeared. Come spring, it was not in its usual, appreciated place. Knowing it hadn't grown legs and walked away, I looked for it. The snowplow had hit it and moved it into the woods. My husband and I pushed and rolled it back to its usual home, still mossy. So a rolling stone can gather moss. I think my kids watched a Myth Busters episode on that topic, too, although I don't remember the outcome. My sons and I appreciate the many beautiful, mossy stones in our verdant corner of the world, including this one.

     My sweet dog drinks from one of the minor puddles, one inhabited by frogs, in front of our home. I also love the many ferns and investigated what it would take to propagate more of them. Suffice it to say, the process of collecting spores and germinating them in the basement was more than I have time for now.