A reader has identified the white berries pictured a couple of posts back. She correctly identified the plant as "White Baneberry"and it is, indeed poisonous. Here is the link she sent to me: White Baneberry

There also was a comment on that post, and hopefully they will see this information and get rid of the bouquet they picked while hiking in the woods. Not really safe to do that - sometimes the sap from certain plants can cause skin problems. It's really only safe to pick the berries you are sure of. Around here, you'll find wild blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, choke cherries (but not many want to eat those puckery little berries, although when we were kids, my cousins and I used to have contests to see who could spit the stone the longest distance). There were other berries, like bunchberries, but they are awfully small and as I remember, not very good. It's a good idea not to take any chances with any you aren't absolutely positive you have identified correctly.

I also had a message tonight from Homer Fitts that he couldn't find the blog. Fred and I were tinkering with the web site today - putting some of the stuff from his last course into practice - and we may have disturbed something. I will check with Homer tomorrow to be sure he's able to get it ok. If anyone else has a problem, please let me know. Different browsers react differently, and we may have disrupted something important. We have changed the look of home page, but I haven't decided if it will be permanent. Some of Fred's on-line classmates weighed in and gave us some ideas, and they also pointed out some flaws . . . I guess once you've taken a course like that you tend to see little things the rest of us wouldn't notice, or at least can ignore. I don't understand the mechanics of it, but I do offer my opinion(s) frequently. It's a darned good thing Fred has lots of patience.

Fred started getting some of our winter wood supply in today. It seems pretty early, but the pile that's been drying for a full year is definitely ready to come in and there's no point in leaving it outside to get wet again this weekend. There are tarps covering the top of each course of wood in the pile, and when Fred lifted one this morning to remove it, a bat flew out. Poor fellow probably had been sound asleep and didn't appreciate being disturbed. We had one in the house a few mornings ago. We still aren't sure how he got in - could have been trapped in the garage and got by one of us when we opened the door from the kitchen. Or I suppose Woody, our cat, could have brought him in - but I sort of doubt he could catch a bat . . . that's Woody in the picture. He doesn't look like a bat-catching cat, does he? Anyway, Fred left the doors open, but the bat didn't seem to have his radar operating very well. He finally landed, exhausted, on the floor in the kitchen and Fred was able to grab him with his leather work gloves and released him outside.

I have to finish some work here at my desk so I can go in and watch the convention. I heard on tonight's news that Ms. Palin has kept out of sight for the past two days and people are wondering what's up. That and tracking the new hurricanes that are forming off in the Atlantic keep me pretty busy. Besides that, I have a sudoku puzzle I want to get back to. I have been working at it off and on today and so far I'm stumped. I probably should have known better than to try a "very hard" one . . .