Gold Rush

It all started last week when I decided it was time for my annual hunt for chanterelles, one of my favorite wild mushrooms. The spot where I hunt the chanterelles is a good one. I always come away well-rewarded. But this year, for whatever reason, (I suspect it's the two years of plentiful rain) there is a bumper crop of mushrooms. I quickly gathered lots of nice, fresh specimens, but had to step carefully because there were so many! Aside from the tasty culinary aspect, the chanterelles always make me smile to think that they are there all year long, and no one knows until they fruit at this time in summer. Seeing all the golden "fungi flowers" peaking out from between the sticks, leaves, and grasses of the forest floor delights me.



Later that evening, after cleaning, cooking and freezing my gatherings, I took my current spindle spinning project and sat out on the swing in our backyard for a bit of relaxing spindling. Visions of tawny mushrooms still spinning in my head, I noticed that the lovely merino/tencel roving was glinting golden in the evening sunlight. And furthermore, the spindle was one of Michael Golding's handsome, true-spinning gold ring spindles. That's when it hit me - gold is showing up everywhere!



Since then, I've just been following this golden thread and looking for gold each day. The weekend was filled with garden occupations: weeding, watering, harvesting, preserving. By yesterday afternoon, I felt like I needed to do something different and fun (in a non-vegetable way) before the weekend was over. I tucked my spindle and fiber into the pack on my bicycle and headed off for a ride to the Chance Gardens in nearby Centralia. I went into the rose garden first, and wouldn't you know, one of the roses at the entrance is this beauty. Its name tag identified it as "Caribbean." I loved how the center glows golden and gradually becomes deep peach at the edges of the petals.



The other portion of Chance Gardens has an Asian theme with waterfalls, rock sculptures and a cozy, shaded nook with stone benches - perfect for spinning and taking in the flowery view. After enjoying the spinning and flower gazing, I crossed the bridge over a small fish pond and stopped to see what the fish were up to. Those fish, those koi were the color of the yarn I'd been spinning, as well as some other golden variations!



So there it is, a golden thread crossing my path over and over again lately, bringing me joy in this last part of July. Of course, the chanterelles and roses will fade. I'll finish spinning the wool/merino roving, and the koi will be moved out, come autumn. But this vein of gold is now tucked in my memories where I can mine it anytime I choose.