#false solomon's seal

[vandaliatraveler]

Earlier this afternoon along Little Laurel Run in the virgin hemlock forest at Coopers Rock State Forest. The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is at peak bloom in this area, along with the mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), one of Central Appalachia's most beautiful shrubs. And when the mapleleaf viburnum is in bloom, so too will be the speckled wood lily (Clintonia umbellulata), Canada mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), and false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum). And if you were lucky enough to have all four of these native plants growing in your shade garden, you could call your life complete. :-) One thing you probably won't have growing in your shade garden, unless it happens to have a rotting hemlock log or stump, is hemlock varnish shelf (Ganoderma tsugae), one of the most distinctive fungi of Central Appalachia. But if you did have hemlock varnish shelf growing in your garden, then you would also likely have a few pleasing fungus beetles (Megalodacne heros) foraging about and raising babies - these adorable bugs have a lifecycle entirely dependent on Ganoderma shelf fungus.

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum racemosum Asparagaceae

Photograph taken on August 13, 2023, at Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

[faguscarolinensis]

Maianthemum stellatum / Starry False Solomon's Seal on the Echo Lake Trail on Mount Blue Sky in Evergreen, CO

[pnwnativeplants]

Helped a friend plant mainthemum diletatum which is starting to spread!

[deathtek]

9/27/22

[i-am-l-ananas]

I’m in the midst of ~Berry Season~ and have been struck with the realisation that my experiences are probably not universal

bonus points for saying where you’re from and what you like to forage in the tags

[landwriter]

Lilium columbianum, June 2024

[bramblebee]

I am a plagiarized autobiography, a wreckage A shipwreck in sheep’s clothes

It’s been a year since I joined @cliffsidewarriors-rp with my Whistlefox! Happy birthday, you ridiculous creature.

[suttoncreek314stuff]

Star-Flowered False Solomon's-Seal

[jizzwizz69]

I think one of my favorite things I like to do is think about various social taboos/ old superstitious beliefs and apply them to the Obey Me universe and make them canon somehow

For example, that stereotype that water makes witches melt. The truth is, regular water doesn't make them melt. The Devildom canonically has acid rain, and that's what makes witches melt. An old movie where a witch that got burned by acid rain and melted made its way to the human world, and since the humans don't have acid rain, we didn't realize it wasn't normal water. For hundreds of years we've falsely believed water burns witches

Another thing: Hair dye. Humans only have a few natural hair colors. Anything that isn't/ wasn't considered natural was considered demonic. We see demons with unnatural hair colors (Diavolo's deep red, Levi's blue, Mephistopheles Pink, Thirteen's blue,pink, and purple.) Dyeing your hair is like copying a demon. I'm Choosing to believe "kick a ginger day" exists because for a really long time, humans didn't want to believe orange hair was natural

I also like the idea of tattoos being incorporated in this. In the bible, it's believed tattoos are a sin. In the OM universe, I headcanon that people believed tattoos were a sin because the first humans that inked their skin were trying to copy the marks demons leave when making pacts. Some dude made a pact with a demon, got a mark, and another human was like "shit that's cool, time to stab myself with a needle repeatedly and copy that." This is why people get so upset about tattoos. You either made a pact with a demon, or you wish you made a pact with a demon / thought it'd be cool to show off. Some humans copied the markings of famous demon's that had pacts, that way they could show off their tattoo and pretend it was the real pact mark to scare people. Pacts are basically signatures on a contract, a seal signaling some agreement or deal has been made.

Eventually, humans figured out that it could be done purely for cosmetics, and people stopped getting tattoos of demon pact marks. I personally believe Solomon gets unreasonably excited about tattoo shops. He grew up at a time where he'd be beaten and killed for having those marks on his skin, yet in modern times people pay hundreds, sometimes even thousands of dollars to cover their backs and arms with tattoos. The first time Solomon sees another human with an arm sleeve, he loses his mind. "They must be so powerful!!! There are so many pacts!!!" Then he realizes that no, they're not pacts. They're tattoos. And that's even better!!! People aren't afraid anymore!!! He can walk around wearing short sleeve shirts and tank tops in public now!!! What a fun new way to express yourself!!!

Solomon begs and pleads to get matching tattoos with MC. It's like a pact!! But for humans!!! How fucking sick is that?

[girlactionfigure]

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

WHAT HAPPENED?

A Palestinian-owned café in Oakland, California kicked out a Jewish customer for wearing a blue hat with a Star of David on it, claiming that the symbol was “violent.”

This is a clear violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. Note that this applies even if the Jewish customer went to the café expecting that something like this would happen (in other words, “he tricked us into discriminating against him!” is not a legitimate defense).

 It’s also worth noting this café has menu items titled “Sweet Sinwar” and “iced in tea fada” and its menu is decorated with the Hamas inverted red triangle. The café also openly expresses support for the October 7 massacre.

JVP TO THE RESCUE

What do you do when under fire for antisemitism? You tokenize (Not So) “Jewish” Voice for “Peace,” which openly supports terrorism against Jews and has even glorified Nazis in the past. For more, see my posts “Stop Sharing JVP” and “Time To Talk About JVP…Again.”

For those of us familiar with Jewish history and the history of antisemitism, this is par for the course. In the 1920s, the Soviet Jewish “Yevsektsiya” made it its mission to destroy “traditional Jewish life, the Zionist movement, and Hebrew culture.” The fact that the Yevsektsiya was “Jewish” was central to its purpose. After all, the Soviet regime couldn’t be accused of antisemitism when those shutting down all Jewish cultural and spiritual life were Jews themselves.

WE HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE

Historically there have been, arguably, two kinds of antisemitism: (1) Nazi antisemitism, in which Jews are physically exterminated, and (2) Hanukkah antisemitism, in which the antisemite does not necessarily intend to take our lives, but rather, seeks to strip Jews of all the elements which make us...well, Jews.

Under the Soviet regime, for example, Jews suffered from “Hanukkah antisemitism.” The Soviets heavily suppressed Jewish cultural and spiritual life, stripping many Jewish families of thousands of years’ worth of history. Speaking or studying Hebrew was punishable by law. So was participating in Jewish religious traditions. At the same time, Jews were unable to assimilate into Soviet society due to their ethnic background. Jews were often imprisoned under false pretenses, accused of vague “Zionist crimes.” People with Jewish last names were subject to highly restrictive university quotas or banned from performing certain jobs.

Maybe you’ve noticed a pattern over the past year. First, it was only “Zionism,” not Judaism, that was a problem, despite the fact that the Jewish connection to -- and desire for sovereignty in -- the Land of Israel is inextricable from 3000 years of Jewish tradition. Then, they started denying our extensively recorded history and origins in Israel. At anti-Zionist Jewish events, now praying in Hebrew is considered “too triggering,” so it’s best to pray in colonial languages, like Arabic or English. Now, the Magen David is a “racist, genocidal symbol,” to quote Palestinian activist Mohammed El-Kurd.

Do you not see what’s happening? This is no longer about the State of Israel, the Israeli government, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or this current war. This is a thinly-veiled effort to methodically legitimize the discrimination of Jews -- and anything Jewish.

THE STAR OF DAVID

The Star of David, also known as the Magen David or the Seal of Solomon, is mentioned in Jewish texts as early as the first century. In fact, it’s found in coins from the period of the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Romans (132-135 CE). It was also used as a decorative motif in the Khirbet Shura synagogue in the Galilee in the third century. Though initially merely used as an ornament, the Magen David was ascribed deeper spiritual meanings since the 11th century. It has since been associated with Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism.  

In the 17th century, the Jewish community of Prague was ascribed the Magen David as its official symbol. Shortly thereafter, the Jewish community in Vienna also adopted it as a marker. By the 19th century, the Star of David was the distinctive Jewish emblem.

More than anything, perhaps, the Star of David is a symbol of Jewish resilience and survival. For centuries, Jews in Europe and the Islamic world had been forced to wear distinguishing clothes marking them as Jews. After the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Jews in Poland and in other Axis-occupied territories were forced to wear a Star of David, most often seen in the form of a yellow badge with the word “Jude” (Jew) or a similar variation. Therefore, for many Jews, the act of wearing Star of David jewelry or clothing is a reclamation of our ancient symbol that was once weaponized to oppress us.

A DOUBLE STANDARD

Hundreds of millions of people have been slaughtered under the banner of Christianity and Islam each. The Crusades alone took about 1.7 million lives. The Spanish Inquisition? Up to 300,000 lives. In the “New World,” some 56 million Indigenous people were killed in the name of Christianity. These are just a few examples. It’s estimated Islam’s conquests alone left some 270 million people dead. 

During the First Jewish Revolt, the Romans crucified some 500 Jews a day. Yet I would never dream of denying someone service at a coffee shop because they’re wearing a crucifix. 

When Jihadists carry out terrorist attacks, they shout “Allahu Akbar” — the same phrase used by the 1.8 billion Muslims around the world in their daily prayers. Muslims recite the Shahada prayer daily, the same prayer that is inscribed in the ISIS, Hamas, and Al Qaeda flags. And yet, I would never dream of denying someone service at a coffee shop because they’re a Muslim who says “Allahu Akbar” or recites the Shahada prayer.

Under Islamist regimes, such as the Islamic Republic in Iran, women are beat to death for not wearing hijab or wearing hijab “improperly.” But I think you would agree that denying a woman in hijab service at a coffee shop on account of the Islamic Republic’s crimes is plain bigotry.

You may be triggered by crosses, hijabs, or the Star of David, and your triggers may be rooted in valid trauma. But your triggers are no one’s responsibility to deal with but your own, and they are no excuse to lash out in bigotry.

Even if Israel’s actions were equivalent to those of Nazi Germany, equating the Star of David with the Nazi hakenkreuz (commonly misidentified as the “swastika”) is an inherently problematic analogy.

Unlike the Star of David and the Jewish people, the swastika has zero spiritual or cultural significance in German culture beyond Nazism.Within the German context, the Nazi hakenkreuz means one thing and one thing only.

On the other hand, the Sanskrit swastika and other similar symbols, such as the whirling log, have long, rich traditions in their respective cultures. While some Native American tribes have decided to retire the whirling log, others continue to use it. The Sanskrit swastika is commonplace in countries such as India and Nepal. 

Sure, if someone with zero cultural connection to the swastika or the whirling log decides to “reclaim” the symbol, I’d probably do a double take and consider it an antisemitic dogwhistle. But when I went to India, I saw the swastika everywhere, and because I am capable of critical thinking, I was easily able to recognize that the symbol has an entirely different connotation in this particular cultural context, despite my personal and family trauma.

A NOTE ON HOLOCAUST INVERSION

Holocaust inversion is a rhetorical tool used to portray Jews as morally equivalent — or worse — than Nazis. It’s often employed in discussions about Israel-Palestine and is frequently used by anti-Zionists.

 To understand why Holocaust inversion is unquestionably antisemitic, we must first understand what Holocaust denial actually is. Holocaust denial is not just an outright denial that the events of the Holocaust happened, but more often than not, it’s a denial of well-established facts about the Holocaust. For example, someone who says the Holocaust didn’t happen at all is as much a Holocaust denier as someone who claims the Holocaust did happen, but only one million Jews were killed.  

Therefore, Holocaust inversion is always Holocaust denial, because: 

(1) it relies on the minimization of established facts about the Holocaust. However harrowing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza — and it is — it’s just in no way equivalent in scale, scope, and methods to the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. This is a historical fact, and denying it is denying the Holocaust.

(2) characterizing Jews — Zionist or not — as Nazis is a denial of the well-established fact about the Holocaust that the predominant force in Nazi ideology was genocidal Jew-hatred. Jews cannot be the inheritors of Nazism simply because the Nazis wanted all Jews exterminated. A denial of this basic fact is Holocaust denial.

For a full bibliography of my sources, please head over to my Instagram and  Patreon. 

rootsmetals

I sincerely don’t understand how there’s still Jews out there who still make excuses for these people, who don’t see what’s happening. Learn your history. Have some self-respect.

[vandaliatraveler]

The High Rocks Trail along the Highland Scenic Highway offers an easy, 3 mile out-and-back hike featuring one of the best views in the Central Appalachians. Perched on a sandstone outcropping at over 4,000 feet (1,219 m) above sea level, the overlook provides sweeping views toward Virginia to the east and the Greenbrier River Valley to the south. I imagine this would be an ideal spot to do some stargazing, as there is very little light obstruction from the valley below.

From top: views from the High Rocks overlook at the end of the trail; false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum), whose plume of white flowers gives way to a cluster of waxy, gold and red-speckled berries in late summer; two of the most impressive speckled wood lilies (Clintonia umbellulata) I've ever come across in my travels; American lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majuscula), a more robust and less densely-colonizing cousin of the more familiar European species, native to the Appalachian mountains from Southwestern Pennsylvania to North Carolina and Tennessee; the gorgeous mountain angelica (Angelica triquinata), also known as filmy angelica, an Appalachian endemic that produces the most impressive compound umbels of greenish-white flowers in late summer; and a gregarious woodland fungi, perhaps sulphur tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)?

[matan4il]

Most of the time, I don't bother talking about the hate and harassment I get, because I don't think haters deserve the attention. The person I'm gonna write about definitely doesn't deserve any, but they've started harassing others that I know of, not just me.

So this is basically a warning post for Jewish bloggers and bloggers who are allies to Jews, and a request for anyone who can, to report and block this person (if you want to warn other bloggers, then please consider a reblog, too). @staff, This is also for you, proof of a pattern of harassment and abuse. Please do something and protect your Jewish users and their allies.

They first commented here, denying the antisemitism of Hamas, with the url @grizzlyismyspiritanimal and they seem to change their url quite frequently. For now it's @fancowboy but expect that to change again. Since IDK if Tumblr will let the mention (@'ing their url) hyperlink to their blog, here's how you can check out what their current url is, so you can report and block them. Go to this post where they're tagged as @grizzlyismyspiritanimal and hover your mouse over their url, you'll see their blog pop up no matter what new url they changed to. Here's a screenshot of what that looks like:

Here's their first comment on my post, along with my reply. Tumblr arranges these comments with the oldest at the bottom, click to see the image better:

Of course they never provided a link sourcing their claim, instead they provided a link to an op ed, which was not written by anyone affiliated with Hamas. This link did not support their claim that "Hamas specifically stated," but that didn't stop them from ignoring the fact that they couldn't prove their claim. Next, they repeated an already refuted antisemitic conspiracy theory (and I linked them to a refuting source, which they just ignored), while using strawmen arguments (attacking statements I didn't make). Obviously, none of this addresses the point actually made in the post they were commenting on.

When I called them out on the antisemitism of their whole narrative, they pulled the "I can't be antisemitic, because I'm Jewish" line of defense, while also bragging in the same comment about not going the easy route by doing that:

I no longer believe people who say antisemitic things, and then use this defense, after several have been proven to have lied about being Jewish, but more importantly, and this is the point I made to @fancowboy, Jews are not immune to internalizing antisemitism, and repeating antisemitic narratives. But I was curious whether there was any sign of this person having any sense of a significant Jewish identity on their blog. When I went on there, one of the first posts I came acorss was an antisemitic one, claiming that Jews have stolen the Star of David from the Muslims... I know there are a lot of anti-Zionist Jews out there, and that many of them are very capable of saying antisemitic things, but I don't think even they would endorse this false claim.

What's ironic is that the post shares a screenshot from Wikipedia, which explicitly mentions that this Muslim kingdom that existed in the 13th century AD (roughly 700 years ago), adopted the six-pointed star, due to the Muslim belief that it was a symbol on the ring ("seal") of King Solomon, a Jewish king who lived about 3,000 years ago. In other words, this post literally points out that Muslims borrowed this symbol from Jews, not the other way around. And just for historical interest, the first archeological find of Jews using the Star of David is dated to the 6th century BC (around 2,600 years ago).

I pointed out to @grizzlyismyspiritanimal / @fancowboy that I no longer believe they're Jewish, because I don't believe any Jew would reblog this antisemitic lie. In response, not long after, this "I'm not a coward" and "you would've blocked me (aka fanatic)" person blocked me. Instead of addressing what I said, or taking responsibility for their wrongdoing, and deleting this antisemitic post. Our exchange started on Jan 5 IIRC, this post was reblogged by them on Jan 4, and as of Jan 25 it is still on their blog, as you can see here (post and current date highlighted in this screenshot):

A minute after they blocked me from the above blog, they commented on my pinned post with links to my fandom content from another blog, @verygardenerland and this comment made it clear that it was the same person. I made a mistake, I wanted my fandom space free from antisemitic harassment, so I deleted that comment, which means I don't have that piece of evidence that it's the same person, but I do have another bit of proof. Remember how this person claimed to be Jewish? This is how they presented it:

(again, using a strawmen, I never said all Muslims are terrorists, and never would, because it's simply not true, and if anyone made that claim to me, I would be correcting them)

Well, this is the VERY similar way @verygardenerland talked about their supposed Jewish identity, in a post they made solely to harass and DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) me:

Jews were almost completely ethnically cleansed from Muslim majority countries, so the likelihood of a random online stranger being a Jew from a Muslim country is generally incredibly low to almost non-existent, and two who just so happen to both harass me on my blog one minute apart is probably less statistically likely than winning the lottery.

It's poetic irony that the one comment the above post got from another blogger, is someone else also calling this person out on the antisemitism of what they're saying:

Gotta love the bonus misogyny with "bitch."

I'm also going to offer you this following antisemitic comment (which distorts the Holocaust, and refers to Jews insultingly as "the chosen ones"), which I also don't believe any person with an actual Jewish identity would make:

And here's also one of the last comments this person made from @fancowboy before blocking me on that blog and continuing from @verygardenerland. Just notice how we have the same antisemitic abuse themes from both of these blogs:

Once more, extra touch of misogyny with "that much of a pussy."

(I have to address the white phosphorus claim. There are 2 ways of using it in battle, one legal, the other's not. Israel stated that when using it, that's only in the legal way. There is no record to show the contrary. People just exploit the fact it's used, to pretend it's automatically illegal. But I accept this is an antisemitic libel against the Jewish state, that sadly some Jews might repeat. The rest is what makes me think this person isn't Jewish)

@verygardenerland noticed I write fandom meta, and harassed me on these posts. Here's one example:

Then they searched related tag/s, and proceeded to harass me by calling me names in comments they left on random posts from other fandom members. These are posts that had nothing to do with me. One of the people on whose post they were calling me a Nazi is someone I have never even spoken to. The OP deleted the harassing comment, but this time I did get a screenshot before that, so here it is, as an example:

Now, on top of all of the above, @verygardenerland also started stalking my main blog at the same time they made their first comment from this url, as well as my two back up blogs. One's last post was on Mar 2022, the other's on Apr 2021, so it's completely pointless to follow them, other than as an intimidation tactic:

And they sent me anon hate. The thing is, they made it explicitly clear through what they said and the language they used, that it's them. They sent more than one message, but the one I'll attach here was obviously meant to freak me out the most, because it falsely starts out as a fandom ask, and then transitions into abusive language, as well as telling me there's more blogs they're stalking me from, basically making it clear that even if I block this url, I'll still not be safe from their stalking and abuse:

From a certain point on, I told them that whenever they make a comment to me, all I'll do is just remind them repeatedly that they're an antisemite, which is exactly what I've kept to. That's when I even bothered to respond. I postponed blocking their second blog, 'coz I wanted to put this post together first. Now I'm done with them.

To wrap this up, here are some final screenshots of their antisemitic abuse, how they obsessively comment on my posts, or posts that in their mind are related to me, and how they have started directly addressing random people who are commenting on my posts, telling them not to talk to "it," meaning they're also using de-humanizing language when referring to me, and of course once more employing the DARVO tactic by accusing me of that which they're guilty of:

My activity feed yesterday:

And not just yesterday. Love the bonus hateful language towards those who are disabled...

And this is just one of their comments on a post simply mourning the death of Israeli soldiers, and putting it in the context of multi-generational Jewish trauma:

To summarize again, please:

report and block this person

reblog this post if you feel comfortable to, in order to warn others

@staff please do something to stop the abuse. Thank you in advance!

[faguscarolinensis]

Maianthemum racemosum / False Solomon's Seal at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[hell-drabbles]

Someone made a WHB au where if Solomon's descendant didn't need devils essence to survive but rather they could eat angels instead and now I can't stop imagining Embittered Companion choosing to eat angels instead of fucking demons

I don't know if this rule would apply to God Fragment Companion,like would they need demon essence?

But let's just say they do,I do imagine they could just eat the angels formed by their wings while their in a hungry semi lucid state and I also imagine the false angels wouldn't mind

In fact Companion's behaviour influences the false angels and sometimes when Companion is hungry the False angels act like a pack of hyena or piranha and tear eachother apart

Like a group of them just dog pile eachother like piranha or a pack of hyenas swarming their prey

And it's just a gruesome scene of this wiggling mass of white bodies and feathers fluttering around and spurts of blood and the sound of breaking bones and ripping flesh as the False Angels tear eachother or their weakest member apart to satiate Companion's hunger

My brain juice is coming back

I go M.I.A for a bit and end up coming back with a lot of new random ideas

I do this all the time sorry

Dante Anon

No need to worry, I too have low mental stamina. I want to talk but ough I'm so tired all the time. I see the inbox messages but my fingers won't let me type. I get very tired, so easily. I am burning with ideas all the time, if only my mental stamina could keep up with it! Anyways. Let me add onto this fun idea.

This is just my kinks showing up so don't mind me.

Hmm honestly, I would assume that this version of the Companion doesn't need to consume demon essence, but oh well.

I want one of those angels to have been taken away and locked up deep in whatever Heaven prison facility they got. This fake angel was crafted when the Companion was in the worst pit of self loathing, so this fake angel was created with the task to kill the Companion. That is it's goal, its purpose for its creation. But, obviously, the other angels come in, capture this being and locked it far away. They can't kill these fake angels, because they received the order to stop killing each other in the Companion's name. It's unsightly, disgusting, I don't want it.

This, of course, stretches to the Companion's angels. So they can't kill this particular one.

And whenever these strange angels go into a feeding frenzy in an attempt to sate the Companion's appetite, God's angels come in and collect the heads of those eaten angels and help them regrow all their body mass. So you just have a sci-fi facility filled with fake angel heads floating in those classic liquid chambers.

Hey, wouldn't that make for a neat side-story? Where the fake angel that's trying to kill the Companion ends up being the first one to develop a consciousness, and it goes through the facility with those fake angel heads and is confronted by God's angels that question why this fake angel wants to kill what created it. Do you not love the Companion? Worship their very being? You're lucky that we can't kill you, but we will take you apart and seal you away.

And jokes on them, this fake angel is trying to kill them out of love. Of course love is there, its the very core of this purpose. This angel has learned to pray, learned to praise their very precious human qualities outside of the godly ones.

And eventually the purpose goes from "I must kill the Companion," to "I must kill God." As in, "I must kill the shard that forced them to make me, and made them suffer."

[ahedderick]

Last weekend was the a Fall Festival not too far away in Pennsylvania. We went. It was nice. The crowds were so big, though, that it was almost difficult to see the vendors and craftspeople. If you stood at a comfortable distance to see their booth, you were blocking the moving mob of humanity, and if you stood close enough to be out of the way then you were crushed right up against the displays.

Part of it was in a big, sunny field with a spacious craft barn. Lots of really, really old farm equipment humming and chugging away, demonstrating the old engines of the early 1900s. There were folks making applebutter and various other old-timey foods in big cauldrons and kettles. There was a booth. I'm pausing to compose myself. A booth dedicated to. Selling sauerkraut. Large, large quantities of it. I like sauerkraut, but I never would have imagined it being sold at a booth in a fall festival. The air was redolent.

The rest of it was small huts and booths set up along a winding forest pathway. Cooperage, glassblowing, carving, tanning, hat-making, popcorn, metalwork of various types. All the skills of a prosperous 1800s society. The pathway also had a few small markers to identify the understory plants. Red elderberry, various ferns, blackberry brambles, solomon's seal. There they messed up; their solomon's seal (Polygonatun biflorum) was actually false solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum). Identical leaves, but the real s.s. has flowers and berries all along the stem while false s.s. has flowers/berries clustered at the end of the leaf. So I had to face the fact that I am that kind of person.

While we wandered through the forest Son and Roommate kept admiring the rocks. Lots of large boulders that were shaped and angled very well (in their opinion) for riding mountain bikes over. Everyone has their own things to focus on.

The maple products vendor won the 'best smell' competition, hands down. We bought a little tub of maple cream. Toast and maple cream, my beloved. I should maybe try to make some cinnamon rolls, and glaze them with maple cream once they're out of the oven. Hmm. Delicious thoughts.