Mushroom Jambalaya

Tonight, Dave made his Famous Jambalaya... With Shrimp of the woods mixed in.   It's the kind of dish that takes a little more prep than most,  but he managed it before his 6:30 meeting tonight.   

I helped a bit with the Aborted Entaloma.  They tend to be rather dirty when they push up through the ground....  So I used a really small brush to get as much dirt out of the cracks and crevasses.  

I must have done a good job, because I did not encounter any sand or grit while enjoying them.  

As always, the dish was awesome.  ( "Two Helpings" Awesome!)  but I was a little disappointed that the Aborted Enteloma's cooked down a little more than I would have thought.  No matter!   The flavor of the mushrooms was great and although the texture was not as "shrimp" as I would have thought...  It did provide  an added element of flavor to the dish.  

Yesterday,  I went out looking for a few mushrooms between the rain episodes and found the Bear's Toothed Comb (A Member of Lion's Mane) for the first time in Wisconsin.   Actually, this was only the second time I have ever found it.  We decided to leave it out of the Jamalaya tonight and will add it to smoething later.   Perhaps my morning omelette.  

I found several other mushrooms as well.   Many of them Poisonous.   And one with a chance of Psilocybin . The Big Laughing Gym...  was found on a log near the Bear's Tooth Comb. I have found this before and still have not tried it.   Mostly becaue there is a chance it will make you sick and also there is a chance it will have NO Psilocybin in it.   So why take the chance?  

It was a pretty good day today.  It rained and was overcast during my run this afternoon.  I would not mind if it got a little bit cooler.  Especially for this weekend.   I have some BIG plans and the cooler weather I believe will be slightly more helpful than warmer weather.   But I will take what I can get.   In the mean time... Every second counts. 

A Busy Week In Review.

 IT was a busy week last week.  I traveled to Iowa on Friday.  Worked on Saturday!  Ran 15.5 miles today!  And Still managed to get to Church... albeit about 6 minutes late.   Hey!  I ran as fast as I could. 

This week there was lots of rain...  Which made for some pretty cool sun rises.   I even managed to capture a rainbow in the early morning hours.   Kind of symbolic of the week... on a personal note.   A silver lining, a colorful end to an otherwise hectic week....   You get the picture.  (especially if you read Friday's blog post.)

In addition tot he rainbows and fiery skies,  I managed to find more than a few Mushrooms.   And that is always exciting!  Especially this time of year.   For Fall is the beginning of the late season mushrooms.   And I was wonderfully surprised when Joan,

Fresh! And yummy!

a co-worker at the Zebra,  graced me with a perfectly fresh Hen Of The Woods.(Maitake Mushroom!)  I had a sample of it this morning with my eggs.   It was SOOOO  good,  I didn't need any salt or seasoning for it.  Texture of Broccoli,  taste of fresh meaty mushrooms, and health benefits for your Endocrine System.   What is not to love?

Popcorn Shrimp!

I was so excited with the gift on Saturday, that I went out to look for more in the Petrified Springs.  I didn't find any Maitake, but I did find some Shrimp of the Woods (Aborted Enteloma) 

Lavender Gills!

and Blewits!( Lepista Nuda) And I'm sure there are more mushrooms out there to find, but currently, I'm trying to recover from the long run I did this morning.  

Which leaves very little energy and time for Laundry and other things.... Like finishing the Fish painting.   Ahh,   the Fish.   How long has it been?   Where does the time go?   Why do my projects take so long whenever I have a Job?   Sometimes I miss the glory days of unemployment.  But having some regular form of income is kind of nice sometimes.   

Speaking of which, I have to take the Car to the mechanic tomorrow. ( er... Tonight, actually!)  To get the rack and pinion steering replaced.  I have the parts, I just need a pro to install it for me.   I'm hoping it will not take too long and that there will be no unforeseen complications. 

And that is all.   I have a big weekend coming up again, so hopefully, I will be able to catch up on some things during the week.   Speaking of things.. I think my Laundry is finally finished and now has to be moved to the dryer.   So I had better cut this blog post short.   On a weekend that has been cut in half... Ever second counts!

A Zebra Profile: John.

John is one of the Inbound Material Handlers at the Zebra Warehouse.   We essentially do the same job, but I do it cheaper and with with more prestige.  (I'm a material handler 1!)   For a couple Thursdays last month, we went out the bar to chat about sports, work, flirt with waitresses, and drink beer.  Oh!  And they have Mushroom and Swiss burgers there, so sometimes I get that.  Basically, he is one of the Inbound Zebra Family that I get to work with.  

A 15 year Veteran.... of McDonald's.... John is a fountain of Wit and Wisdom with one liners that make you scratch your head before busting out laughing.  His Catch phrase is: "....That's not a Big Deal."   And he usually bats traumatic situations away with the flick of his hand.   The dude is a rock!

This past week, he has been on Vacation in Hawaii.   And that Lucky Bum has been taunting us (via Facebook...) with glorious pictures of his celebration.  Beaches, dancing, grass skirts, and fireworks are all the rage over there.   With Pineapple cocktails and LOTS of sunshine! John seems right at home.  ( Don't get burned again!)

But alas, the Ball can't last forever.  And at Midnight....  The fancy carriage will turn back into a pumpkin.  John eventually has to come back home... to the Zebra.  If only the fantasy could last a little longer.  

Well we hope he enjoys his time away from the manual labor that is warehouse work.   But we miss his Mcdonald's War stories.. And those Thursday night bar chats.  ( Ok, technically, it is just me, unless Francisco shows up instead of pretending to be at the Gym.)   I can imagine the memories will last longer...  And isn't that what life is all about?   Making the memories is only half of the fun.   Because every second counts!

The End Is Official....

I had a long day today.   I drove to Iowa to finish up the big legal process that tells everyone that Cheryl and I are no longer a couple.   ( The big "D" word..... is final!)  I just got back and it is late.   And I felt the need to post a quick blog entry just to make a note on this timeline that is my life story.   The entire process took about 20 minutes.    Not counting the 90 days of "cool off" time that was part of the process.  In fact,  we never saw a judge.  They just handed us papers to fill out and "Poof!"   No more Team Allenbrite.  

Well, it was a fun 27 years.  We met at McDonalds and "celebrated" the end at Mcdonalds for lunch.  A fitting end to that chapter and story arc.   Almost poetic, if you think about it.  

I then drove all the way back to Kenosha.  Currently,  I am feverishly trying to finish this so I can get some sleep.  I have to work tomorrow at the Zebra.   ( Overtime, Baby!)   I hope I can get enough sleep to function properly.   Or at least enough to make it through  the day.  

And that is that.   All over!  Fini!  The funny thing is I didn't feel sad at the end.  I actually felt a flood of relief!  I'm still working out why that is...  But in the mean time.  I am free to get on with my life.   And every second counts!

Of Men, Women, And Old Cars...

I love going to old car shows.   You know the ones..  Where the vehicles from the 50's 60's and 70's have been restored to their former showroom glory.  I find it fascinating that those cars actually exist outside a history book or old movie, poster or catalog.

And I find the people who restore them even more fascinating.   The amount of love and dedication to put all that time and money into something that only brings them joy in the form of memories hints at the kind of people they are.   Builders.  Fixers.  Artists...

And most, if not all of them...  are Men.   

To be honest, I have never met a woman who has restored an old car to its original condition.  Or even souped it up with mods and fancy tires.  I don't doubt that there are some women out there that do these shows, but I  have never met them.   And given the ratio I have seen,  they must be in the minority.  

I'm sure that there are those who "support" their husband's hobby.  I have met a few Husband/Wife teams touring around the show circles with their first car that they both helped restore.  But even those are a rare sight.  Most of the time it is an old man, sitting by himself or with his kids,  talking cars and telling stories.  

Of drag races....  And accidents,  First kisses, and memorable dates.  Getting stuck  down shady trails and surviving blizzard conditions.  Cars bring back those moments.   And those men, with love, have kept and maintained that vehicle's condition just like the way they remembered it to be.

I suppose it is telling of the kind of man who is capable of loving something that much.   And I wonder if there is a correlation with the type of husband they are at home.   I wonder if they remember their wives the same way.... as a hot cutie that they originally fell in love with.   Their first kiss together.   All those wild rides through hills and valleys. And now....  looking at her as she is.   He only sees the beauty that originally captured him.  

I wonder if women are the same.  

I do know that not all men are the same as the fixers and builders.   There are also the users and abusers.   They run their cars into the ground and treat them badly.   Sometimes because they are young and foolish.   Other times because they are rich and can always buy another one after they crash this one around a tree.  (Provided they live to tell the tale.) These "Bad Boys" look at cars as a thing to be driven to the max.  Raced!  And pushed to the edge of breaking.  I wonder if they treat their women the same way....

The type of man who restores cars is certainly not as exciting as the guy who races and crashes them.   All women seem to like the "Bad Boy: for some reason.   And then wonder why he keeps crashing his cars or blowing the engine.   Or treating her badly  or cheating on her with another woman.    She is nothing more than a thing to be used by him.  

And yet she continues to go back.    All while lamenting that there are no guys who want to drive her for 400,000 miles or more.  There are those guys.   You just don't choose them. 

I think there is a satisfaction to repairing a car and restoring it to the level where you remember it.   For those couple who are married 50+ years,   I'm certain that the man does not see an old woman sitting next to him... but rather:  a Beautiful  young woman who gave him his first kiss.   And his Children.   And all of those memories of struggle and achievement.  And it may only be a one sided love affair.  Just like a car that they.put in all that time and money into that only brings them joy in the form of memories. 

A Learning Experience.

Sometimes you have to learn things through experience.    This weekend, I learned several of life's little lessons... And I would like to think I passed!  Or at least got marks that would suggest growth and maturity.   At least a  little....Hopefully.  

Lesson one:   Understand that your plans are able to be dashed within a moments notice!  I discovered this yesterday evening and this morning when my early morning Sunday plans of running long were pushed back. Dave asked if I could give an elderly lady  a ride to Church.   How could I refuse?  And although it was a bit of an unplanned diversion,  And I had already went to Saturday Evening church  to free up my Sunday..... It was not really an inconvenience.   So I agreed!  At the very worst, I could run in the afternoon after church had finished. So...Not that big of a deal.  

This morning,  it rained.   And rained.   And rained!   I took this as a sign from God that he did not really want me running long today.   Even had I refused the request of Dave,  I would have been "washed out" of my running plans regardless!   So...  I made the correct decision... In my mind anyway.   I had a few things already planned for the day, so I would focus on them instead of running.   I drove to the lady's house and picked her up.   She had a walker that I stashed in the back seat of the Subie.    Easy peasy!

Now things get "interesting."    As the rain refused to let up, and with my passenger being  a handicapped person, I offered to drop her off at the Church doorway so she would have  only a short distance to walk and would be sheltered from the rain.   I left the Subie running and got out to help her with her walker.  (Important detail here)   I opened the back door...  retrieved the walker, and helped her out of the car.   She shut her door and I went over back to the driver's side only to realize she must have tripped the "Lock Door" button!   Locking my keys in the car....   while it is running.    in the front of the church doors....  Blocking the entrance... while it was raining.

Hey!  It was an accident.  I understand.   But that did not stop the sky rocketing pressure building up inside of me.   Panic!  Uncontrolled panic!  With 20 minutes before Church was to start, I had blocked off the entrance with a running car that could not be moved!  No biggy. 

Pause.    Take a breath.   Breathe Deep!   Ok... I have a second set of keys...  At home.   I'm not sure I know where they are, but I have at least a couple ideas.   At the VERY least, I took them out of the car two months ago...   for fear of this very situation happening!    Pastor Gordy offered me his keys to his car and I drove back home,  leaving the Subie to continue running so all of the congregation can marvel at my idiocy.  I'm so shaken, that it takes me several minutes to figure out how Pastor Gordy's car Starts!  ( It was a push button, no key!  You have to press the brake before you push the button though.  Otherwise, nothing happens!)  

 I finally arrive home.  Look down in the basement for my spare set of keys.   I find it tucked away in my luggage!  Hurry back to church!  The rain has stopped!   People are able to get in by walking around the Subie.   And I try to open the car door with the Key fob.   

Nothing!  

Welcome back Panic!   

Ok... Deep Breath.  Use the key in the door lock.    ( Old School!)   It OPENS!   

I climb in,  buckle up.   Try to put it in drive.  Gear shift will not move!   

Welcome Back Panic!  

By this time,  it is almost like I'm in a comedy sketch.  I turn off the car,  Get out of the car.  Push the car until I hear the starter click and lock into the flywheel.   Climb back in the car and start it up. ( I have done this before)   Put it into drive... And move Subie to a safe parking space. With plenty of time to enter the church before the service starts....   Like the entire episode never happened!

So... what lessons were learned?    One:  I have to find a better location for my spare key.  Two:   Resist panic and breathe deep.  Try to think before saying or doing anything rash.  ( Like using a coat hanger on the window...  which would not have worked since I do not have those types of locks.)  Three:  Realize that accidents happen and avoid blaming people for being human.  (I'm actually kind of proud of this one.)   Four:  Church is a great place to have an episode with your car.   Oh, sure, a garage would be better, but people at church are very understanding and helpful.   If they can not help you fix the issue, they will be more then willing to give you a ride home or call a pro to help you.  

And Five:  God did not want me to run 18 miles today.   I'm sure he has my best interest in mind.   Even when Church was over and I had dropped the lady back home,  I started to think I might be able to run a shorter distance as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.   But....  seconds later,  the rain began again.  As if to tell me.... "Seriously... NO!"

It's all good.   I was able to finish laundry,  fill out a survey, paint the fish, paint the bird house,  fix a vacuum,  clean up my area, and call some relatives.  I'm even able to blog about this little episode and laugh about it.  It happens to be blog worthy.  

So now I have to find a magnetic key container for my key.   Thank goodness I took the extra key out of my ashtray!  AND that I remembered that I had recently discovered it in my suitcase.  I panic to think what would have happened had I locked the car while the suit case was in the trunk!   I would have been screwed in that instance...   So this little learning experience has showed me the correct answer to my Spare Key problem.   Can't keep it in the car,  can't keep it at home.   I have to keep it with the car, but in a location where I can access it.  

The theme of the service last night and today was "forgiveness."  I would like to think I have become better at forgiveness.  I can see a younger version of me reacting in a very different and undesirable way. ( blaming others, profanity tirades,  violence and property damage....)  Perhaps it is age.   Maybe Maturity. ( I doubt that.... I am a child most of the time.)  Or maybe I had the hand of God on my shoulder.  

I like that thought.   That there is someone else with me during stressful  and troubling times.  Perhaps He won't help me directly... But rather,  He gives me the perspective to act appropriately during those situations.  A calming touch.  A moment of clarity. A grateful heart.

And although I do not desire too many more of these little "life lessons" from the Almighty.... I do recognize their usefulness in everyday life when dealing with other people.  And other people are important for a happy life.  Because life is short.  And the life lessons that God blesses you with must be repeated occasionally if you do not learn them the first time.  This is the second time I have ever locked my keys in my car. And that was a long, LONG time ago...  So...I must have needed a refresher course....Because  every second counts.