Spiky little jerks

Moss is moss is moss.

Did you know there’s a page dedicated to moss on Tumblr? It’s pretty enthusiastic.

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Warm reds

I suppose this is a bit out of season, but it has been unseasonably warm here the past few days. Up to sixty degrees Fahrenheit, at times! In December! Well, that’s all right, we’ve probably got a hard winter to look forward to in coming months.

Meanwhile, outside the general store

Just an old vending machine for Ma’s Root Beer outside the Whitesbog General Store.

My mother raised her eyebrows when I took a picture of it. Did you grow up with vending machines like this? Are such machines commonplace and boring to you? I hardly ever see old ones, so it’s interesting to me.

Boxes upon boxes

Just some old post boxes in the Whitesbog general store.

Sphagnum!

If you want more info on sphagnum moss (aka “peat moss”), you can check out the Wikipedia article. But here’s what my “Old Bog Nature Trail Guide” pamphlet from Whitesbog Village had to say:

A unique feature of sphagnum moss is its ability to absorb many times its own weight in water. Native Americans once used it as diapers for their infants! Ecologically it is valuable in flood control and protection from drought. Sphagnum moss is also used as peat to loosen and improve soils and to protect plants during shipment from nurseries. Due to its acidic, sterile nature, sphagnum was an effective wound dressing during several wars. With its many applications, the gathering of sphagnum moss was once a major Pine Barrens industry.