Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Folk Art Demonstrations at the Mathers museum

This coming Sunday, from 1:30-4:30 John Bundy and I will participate in a series of Folk Art Demonstration at the Mathers Museum in Bloomington. We have done several of these events with other folk Artsists. Admission is free.

I went Mushroom hunting just outside Fortvile in a woods that holds some of my best memories. Although I did not find any morels, I was happy to be in a place thet I roamed as a child, working on wildlife related Scout projects and merit badges. I did wildlife surveys, build brush piles and discovered birds, tracks and geological features and made maps. My buddies and I spent lots of time learning about surviving in the woods during different seasons there.

Over the years ownership of the area has changed and houses have been built, changing the area a little, but the area remains wild. Hogs no longer roam the woods as they once did, feasting on acorns.I can remember climbing a tree at the sound of them racing toward me.

It was actually hot in the woods, and mayapples and buckeye trees were out, but I could see where frost had bit the leaves. It was frosting and snowing just a week before. The majority of the trees have not leafed out. Perhaps next week.

I did not see any warblers, but did hear a Parula, as I always do. No yellow rumps or gnatchachers either.

I stopped on the way out at an old dump as I always do. The groundhogs had brought up some new bottles and I found another ink bottle to add to my collection. This was a dump for Fortville schools and I have found lots of old ink bottles here. I can remember the time when I had to get ink and a nib pen to work on penmanship in school, in I think the 6th grade. Kids today would think they were from hundreds of years ago.

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