One evening while at my mom's my baby brother, the youngest of us four, came by to invite me to go with him while he hunted mushrooms.
I reminded him I had never been on a successful mushroom hunt. Mom and Dad started "hunting" after I left home. The one time I went with my mother, many-many years ago, she tripped on a grapevine and tore ligaments in her ankle.
There are certain conditions necessary for "mushrooming"....warm days and nights, wet ground, right after a rain is optimum. Black oak and/or ash trees provide the necessary fertile soil.
The evening of the invite was wet--had been raining for three days; but wasn't warm. Mark said it was early in the season, but we might find a few.
I quickly discovered that traipsing up and down tree-covered hills in rain boots will quickly wear me out!
Mark gave me the call to "come and look" just two or three trees into the search. I circled that tree, not wanting to step on the valuable mushrooms. Finally I found IT, the lone two-inch tall white morel mushroom. I carefully picked the mushroom and put it into the brown paper bag--not plastic, but paper.
After another 10 or 15 miles...okay, one or two, we circled back to "start", with a total of ONE mushroom. I told Mark he didn't get to take it since it was the first find for me. I would chop it up
to eat in an omelet Umm-m good.
We watched Zade practice T-ball tonight. The first game is May 1. You can certainly pick out the boys who have "played" pitch and catch with a family member. There is a big difference in the rookies and those with some experience. I might say without any prejudice that Zade is in the two two players on the field. :}
It takes LOTS of patience to be a coach of a dozen 4-6 year old boys learning to throw, catch, play position, and hit. It would be very frustrating to me.
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