My Fascination with Wild Mushrooms

I am fascinated with mushrooms that grow out in the wild.  Okay, seeing mushrooms growing wild in downtown Princeton, NJ isn't like seeming mushrooms on a hiking trail in the wilderness, but it comes really, really close to awesomeness.  I think that the pictures will show you what I mean when I say that I am truly "hung up" on wild mushrooms.

One day just running in the woods at Mountain Lakes Preserve http://mikestrailhead.com/PrincetonMountainLakes.html, I came upon this mushroom:

This was really incredible!  If I hadn't looked down, I would have missed this sweet find!  What kind of mushroom it is, who knows...but it sure is unusual.  

Out on another run, I came across this mushroom right in front of someone's house on Library Place.  This one was huge, over 2 feet in diameter.  All intact, really amazing! 

Growing Vertically

Green, Orange and Brown on the bark of the tree

Here are a few more mushrooms found in Mountain Lakes Preserve in Princeton, NJ: 

looks like what you find at the grocery store, but I wouldn't eat this one!

Mushroom Pillows...Who would of that that there is so much "fungus" among us? 

under view of the Pink mushroom

Last, but not least in anyway, two beautiful wonderful mushrooms from Acadia National Park in Maine. So pretty! 

Pink top view

Shelf mushroom upside down!

All of these mushrooms are different, unique, unusual and I love taking pictures of them.  What a joy to be able to find mushrooms in the wild! 

Shopping for a Handbag, A Soul Searching Experience...

The title of this article just spoke to me, "The nerve-wracking, soul-searching; exhilarating process of Shopping for a Handbag," by Rachel Dodes in the Wall Street Journal. Here is the link to read the article; Shopping for a Handbag. I get to the second paragraph and I am taken back by my laughter and surreal experience of totally understanding the line, "I appear to be suffering from an increasingly common condition.  Call it Handbag Decision Paralysis (HDP), a type of commitment phobia in the accessories milieu."  My mind jumps to a few years ago, when I am standing in T.J. Maxx staring at the most gorgeous handbag I have seen, it is purple (my favorite color) and a dark green too with purple leather and the most exquisite Nubuck suede patchwork pieces.  Then I check the price, "Yikes, its $160!"  I CAN'T  spend that much on a handbag that is going to be thrown on the floor many times, going to get dirty and I know that I will put it on the public bathroom floor sometime in the life of this handbag.  But I love it!  I WANT it, I HAVE  to have it!  Immediately I go into Handbag Decision Paralysis (HDP), should I buy it, its too expensive, what will my husband say, it costs so much, I love it, I want it, I deserve it, I am working so hard, I should have it, I can't, it costs too much and on and on....  I must have stood there handling that handbag forever till I walked away to another store and came back a short time later.  I was GOING TO BUY THE HANDBAG!  My inner dialogue was racing, can't shouldn't, cost, too expensive, it was a major battle in my head.  I was driving myself crazy!  Finally, with heavy feet, I decided to buy it.  I paid for it, went home, showed my husband with lots of explanation of why it was necessary to have this handbag.  I think I did the explaining more to wrestle with my guilty demons that had been wrecking havoc in my mind.  Well, that handbag was wonderful, I don't have it anymore, got worn from being thrown everywhere and I passed it on to someone else in a bag of give-aways.  Now one would think that I got over this fear of buying handbag, guess what, NO, I still wrestle with my Handbag Decision Paralysis (HDP) every time I have to get a new one.  Its awful, I look forever, not the right size, not the right brand, everything I like is so expensive, and on and on.  Its like a disease hanging over my head when TIME TO BUY A NEW HANDBAG happens.  My last purse I bought, I circled the Coach store demanding to myself that I was not going to leave until I bought something.  It was over $100, and of course I felt guilty for buying it.

I may never get over my Handbag Decision Paralysis (HDP) but at least I am not alone after having read this article and that makes me feel better and IT'S NOT TIME TO BUY A NEW HANDBAG YET!

Some Handbags I own, sold and love below:

My Orange Vintage Handbag I bought for $1, no problem!

This was a bargain at a consignment store, Jill didn't like it, so I sold it on eBay, got my money back!  

This is the current purse I am using, I do love the Pink Color!  I did pay over $100, that hurt.  Like my Coach Smiley Face, $5 at a garage sale, Bargain!

This is cowhide, gorgeous and I bought it at a garage sale for $20.  I know it cost more than that retail!

This purse is all Leather, Vintage Coach!  I got it for $3.00.

I love Pink/Fuschia, this one is all Metallic sequins.  It was around $50 at a Coach outlet, I believed it retailed for over $300.  Only problem, the two buttons in the front fell off, now I need to get it fixed.  Not ready to be retired yet!  It is loud like me!

Vintage Beaded Dress Clutches, another garage sale find!

I wish I could show you the Gucci, Fendi, Prada and other designer bags I had in the past, but many years ago, when I wanted to cleanse myself of things I did not need, all the handbags were either given away or sold off at a consignment store.  I only wish I still had the Metallic Green Prada bag!  It was so, so beautiful and unique.  It would be 27 years old now, and it would probably worth some money.  

Who knows where it is?

Fall Arrived.....

I love fall.  The air is crisp, cool and the leaves crunch under your feet.  I have an abundant amount of leaves to rake...more than I can ever do!  So some leaves get raked, some decompose where they land and others get crushed by the lawn mower.  Peak is rapidly approaching.  The first week of November is usually peak here in Princeton.  There are some trees that are showing off their glory now and others that are waiting for the big show.  I am so awed by the change of the colors.  What an amazing miracle how the leaves go from green to yellow, red, pink, gold, brown, and orange.  Sometimes the color is so unusual, I can even give it a name.  I am truly blessed to live in an amazing place that has tons of woods, trees and spectacular colors.  Enjoy the fall show.....

Water Lilies from NY Botanical Gardens

Water Lily Seed Pod, looks like it is from outer space!

Purple and Yellow Water Lilies

Amazing Water Lily

Pink Water Lilies

Lily Pads, looks like they are from the Land of Oz

Dried Seed Pod

Spectacular Hawaii, The Big Island, Ocean and Flowers

Arch City, Big Island Hawaii

The Big Island of Hawaii is truly a beautiful place.  The ocean is the most spectacular blue I have ever seen, and the flowers in the rainforests are extraordinary!  All about the Big Island, Hawaii

The pictures speak a thousand words....enjoy!

Volcano National Park, Crater Road, Big Island, Hawaii

Waialea Beach, Big Island Hawaii More on the beach...

 Plumeria, so fragrant and beautiful

Ginger Flower, Two Tone Wax, these were unreal, something out of the Wizard of Oz!

Red Torch Ginger Flower at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, Big Island, Hawaii

Something about Shoes.....

I never thought I was a shoe collector or fanatic but lately I feel like I have a hidden passion that I never knew existed.  My last blog was all about these fabulous leather boots I got a garage sale.  Well, I got lucky again this past Saturday, with another pair of shoes.  These shoes are weird, funky, outrageous all in one!  For $6.00, they were a steal.  They are made of some sort of animal fur, not sure what and they are made in France.  See the pictures.  I don't know when I will wear them, but I just HAD to have them!

It is made in France.

Then I found my favorite brand of shoes Pikolinos on sale at Nordstrom!  If you have not worn Pikolinos, you must try them.  They are all leather, very well made, and beyond comfortable.  They are hands-down the MOST COMFORTABLE shoes that are FASHIONABLE!  They are also unique, the leather has nice designs, the heel is cool.  I can't say enough good things about Pikolinos.  For all the uniqueness, style, fashion, leather, they will cost you, but you will not be sorry spending money on this brand.  They are soooo worth it!  Since I saved so much money buying 90% of everything I need at garage sales, I can splurge on Pikolinos shoes.  Here is their website.  http://www.pikolinos.com/us/en/default  Here are my shoes are my Pinterest board, I love them so much they have their own board! http://pinterest.com/lindaapark/pikolinos-wonderful-shoes/

Painted Tulip

Tulip Close Up

close up of tulip, so pretty, so pink, so red, so yellow, love it!

Scored at Garage Sales Today! Leather Boots

Great finds at garage sales yesterday in Princeton.  As I do my usual Friday night ritual of reviewing all the garage sales in the neighborhood on one sheet so that I have my garage sale loops all organized, I noticed one said that it had lots of women's size 9 shoes.  Bingo, I am a size 9.  It was on a good street in Princeton, so I knew that I had to go to this garage sale early in my day to get the best deals.  I arrived at the garage sale and zoomed right in on the shoes.  Wow, I saw an amazing all leather (interior and exterior) gray boots.  I yanked my sneakers off,  pulled out my orthotics and slipped them in the leather boots.  On my feet they went, fit perfect, very comfortable, and very stylish.  I knew that these were $200 or more boots.  The sole said that they were Lavorazione Artigiana, okay, definitely Italian, the lady of the house was speaking French, so I knew that I was going to get a fabulous pair of boots.  I played coy, said I wanted them, kept looking around and found two more boots (a pair of Timberline leather boots, and a Sofft brand pair of leather boots with shearling inside.)  I made a big pile of stuff and asked for a price.  The French lady said she wanted $20 for the Lavorazione Artigiana, okay, didn't sound bad.  She then came up with a bigger price for everything and I negotiated everything down to $50!  

Here are my smashing new boots!  (If only it was wintertime.....)

I am in love with these boots!

You know how it goes, you search and search for the perfect pair of leather boots at an affordable price and don't find them.  My motto is, "patience, everything I want will show up at a garage sale, I don't know when or how long it will take, but that perfect item that I have been searching for will show up at a garage sale."

The next fabulous find was these three amazingly soft sheepskin rugs.  Guess how much?  You will not believe they were $1.00 each!  Here is a photo of one of the rugs.  I got cream, brown and white.  All for $3.00!  That was an amazing bargain!

As you can see Ruby loves the rug too.  I bet he will sleep there all night.  

There is nothing better than going Garage Sale(ing)!  It is so worth it, time and money!