So 'Mush' Adventures with Friends!

Greetings Readers!

I'm soooo excited because my favorite season has begun. AUTUMN! My best friend Haley Pickleweed and I adore exploring the woods during this time of year. Today, I invited my new friend Clover along to go mushroom sighting with us. I just know her and Haley will get along well.

We started our trek into the woods and soon found a grassy field where Haley and I have discovered many mushrooms before. We decided to let Clover lead the way, since this was her first time ever even seeing a mush out in the wild! Clover used to live in the city and didn't see much nature aside from some flower patches and well tended parks and farms. She started running when she spotted the first mushroom..

"Woah, it's as tall as me!!" she shrieked when we got up to it. That's the magic of Sunnypatch Gardens, things just grow wild here! I took their photo with it to commemorate Clover's first mushroom spotting. I think she was in shock! Then she spotted something else..

So many! Clover wanted to climb these ones because they were so tall and looked like trampolines. But Haley and I advised against it, as these one's weren't very sturdy. A few years back, Haley's brother tried bouncing on a flimsy mushroom and we had to call the medic! Clover didn't like the sound of that so we kept exploring.

 

We were mesmerized by this cutie! It looks like a table for tasty forest snacks! Our rumbly tummies agreed.."You do know we can eat mushrooms right? we're critters!" said Haley. I almost forgot! Part of why Haley and I visit the woods for mushrooms so much is so that we can take some back to our parents to cook with!* Haley marched forward to find us the perfect mush to bring back! Her expert skills didnt take long to find it. With a mighty tug she ripped a mushroom out of the ground before we even caught up to her!

Clover was so shocked! hehe

We decided this one was perfect to bring home. On our way back, we spotted some PERFECT mushies to bounce on!* Somehow we missed them on our way into the woods. We helped Clover up into one to pose. Doesn't she look adorable?

Then we all piled into an even bigger one!! "MOO!!" wait..what was that sound. Daisy?? When did you get here! What a silly baby! She must have seen us coming out of the woods and ran to catch up while we were busy climbing in.

We sat and talked about our favorite snacks, flowers, and so much more and giggled for quite some time while we hung out on the mushies. We remembered we had to get that mushy home before dark, so we hopped down and finished carrying it. Whew! What an adventure.

We were so tired! Clover plopped down into some clover that grows rampantly around here to take a rest after we got into town. I think this might be one of my favorite photos of her I've taken yet!

We laid in the clover until a bit after dark, continuing to giggle and learn things about each other. Haley wants to open an apothecary when she grows up and learn all about helpful herbs and plants. I want to be a professional blogger. & Clover wants to run a smoothie shop with all the delicious fruits her family will grow this year. We're an ambitious bunch. I'm so happy we all met.

Our mushroom adventure was an amazing day, I hope we have more soon!


**Please do not touch, cook, or eat mushrooms you aren't sure are safe. & always clean your critters well after playing with them outside or near mush! Mushrooms have spores that you cant see with the naked eye, and can leave that residue on your critters if you don't clean them!

Look who Moo'ved in!

 Hello Readers!

 I'm happy to be the one to announce that a new family has just settled in to Sunnypatch Gardens. If you remember from the last article, the Graham's mentioned that they sold their orchard and were expecting the buyers to arrive soon! Well here they are, meet the Buttercup Cows!

After a few days to settle in, I went over with the Sunnypatch's & Graham's to greet the new family. Peat and Blossom Buttercup were surprised by our welcome party as the kids scampered off to play with new friends! Mr. and Mrs. Sunnypatch introduced themselves, as the Co-Mayors of town, and let them know that if they needed any assistance, building permits, or tours, to contact them on Main Street. Mr. Peat Buttercup and Mr. Graham then starting talking crop business so I went to go see how the kids were doing.

I was introduced to Clover (sister), Fern (brother) and baby Daisy. Finn Sunnypatch was so excited to have new friends that he had to take a seat and relax before he hyperventilated (he gets overly excited, especially at mayoral events and welcome parties!). Clover and I learned that we had a lot in common, so I invited her to an outing with my best friend Haley Pickleweed tomorrow. They all were super nice and awesome, I'm very excited to learn more about them!

Mr. Graham and Mr. Buttercup bonded over their love of giant and nutritious crops, and seemed to have come to an agreement regarding the sale of the orchard. They will go over what was planted this year and make a game plan together for next. I am greatly looking forward to all the yummy fresh fruits in the market next year! I wonder if the Graham's now have a worthy opponent in the local fair contest for biggest crops?
I asked everyone if I could do a family photo of them and some individual portraits with their favorite finds on their new farm. We explored all over and found some lovely flowers still blooming despite the beginnings of chilly weather. I hope you enjoy them!

Buttercup Cow Family Portrait

Baby Daisy

Clover and Fern

Blossom and Peat


Until next time!
xoxoShiloh

Blue Ribbon Tomatoes

 It's harvest time in Sunnypatch Gardens! Each season, the Graham Chocolate Labs grow the most amazing produce for the families of Sunnypatch. Especially interested in the products are my parents, who are almost out of the tomato sauce they canned from last year! The giant tomatoes the Graham's grow are perfect for pizzas. I asked Mr. Graham if I could tag along with his family for harvesting today and he happily agreed. 

When we first got to the tomato fields, I could not believe my eyes, some of these tomatoes are almost the size of my head! I rushed over to the pretty green ones pictured above and asked if they were ready to pick. Mr. Graham chuckled and told me that while fried green tomatoes were delicious, we were here for ripe ones to pick for my parent's pizza sauce. 
                                       

He explained that unripe tomatoes are firm and dry, therefor fry better than the ripe ones which just get mushy. Then he pointed over to Mrs. Graham who had found a great example of the ripening process.

    "I just love the colors!" she said, showing me how they turn from green, to yellowish-orange, and then eventually bright red. The bright red ones are the ones we want today! They are fully ripe and great for pizza sauce.

Ruby then showed me the beautiful flowers growing in the fields. She told me that these are what the tomatoes come from. I couldn't believe it, tomatoes from flowers? Nature is pretty cool!

I sat back and watched as the family methodically climbed the vines and harvested the perfect tomatoes. It was amazing! Charlie told me that this is the second year he and his sister Ruby have helped harvest. They had to do a lot of training to make sure they would pick the correct ones and do it safely. They've been learning all about the science and hard work that goes into properly taking care of crops. I admire their dedication.

After a hard days work, we met up with my parents to deliver their order. A nice big basket of ripe giant tomatoes! I excitedly told them about everything I learned. They were so pleased with their order. I sat with the Graham's a bit longer as they told me, and showed me photos, of last year's harvest. The kids had helped with harvest for the first time and had a blast. They also showed me pictures of their grapes, which we didn't get to see today. Did I mention they won the state fair with their giant red corn? It was huge! I really admire their dedication and hard work to provide delicious and fresh produce to the town of Sunnypatch Gardens.

   I asked them if the farm is hard to keep up with, as I certainly couldn't imagine my family keeping up with all that. They told me they actually just sold the orchard part of their farm to a lovely family who loves growing giant crops and providing amazing food to their community too, & that they should be moving in soon!

I had a lovely day with the Graham's, I hope they invite me over again!
& I'm so excited to meet this new orchard family! I wonder who they are?

xoxo Shiloh

Welcome!

 Hello everyone and welcome to my blog!

    My name is Shiloh Sylvanian the Marshmallow Mouse. I live in a wonderful place called Sunnypatch Gardens, where every day is a new and exciting adventure! Sharing photos of my experiences here in town is one of my greatest passions, so I am very excited to start this blog for all of you to read! Think of this as like the unofficial town newspaper! This week I'm going to start off just telling you about myself and a bit about the town. I also wrote a  blurb for all our current residents (located in the Family Introductions tab) for you to read and get introduced as well!



     My family is called the Marshmallow Mouse family. My father Benicio and mother Willow make pizzas for a living. It started out as a hobby to share for get-togethers, but our friends loved them so much they started asking for them often! We are still working on building a permanent shop in town, but for now they make them at home and Mr. Hector Pickleweed delivers them for us! Here he is pictured below on our very first delivery run. 

    My brother Theo and baby brother Alberto love to help out with pizza as well! Theo is learning how to toss dough and wait tables in preparation for our shop opening. Alberto is REALLY good at clean up..and by that I mean he's always eating the extra leftovers! hehe. Here is a photo of my family all together! Left to right: Me, Benicio, Alberto, Willow, & Theo. I look a bit winded because it was my first time using a tripod. I ran so fast to get into the photo! I also had to use a pepperoni prop to keep Alberto interested in looking at the camera..he took off after it seconds later!

    Sunnypatch Gardens is currently comprised of 3 sections: Main Street (where our pizza shop will be!) being the historical part of town with lots of cool shops, Cozy Hill being the residential and camping area, and Rosebrook being the new bustling city hub. I can't wait to take you on a tour of each place!

See you next time!
xoxoShiloh