A Full Week At Haribo, A Weekend With Cheryl, and A Fridge Full Of Mushrooms!

 My first full week on the floor at Haribo is complete!  And I survived!  

I won't lie...  It is a challenge.   Navigating the fork truck in those narrow spaces is tough...  Especially for someone like me, who lacks the years of experience that many of the folks in warehouses have.   But by Friday evening,  I started to get a feel for things and  I'm feeling a little more comfortable now. 

I'm getting a feel for the landscape as well.   The times of breaks,  the people to talk to, the tech and the Machinery that requires attention and the things it takes to get them back online.  I believe there is an opportunity to grow and remain challenged here.  (As apposed to becoming bored and complacent...) With a little luck, a bit of skill, and a willingness to learn, This could be a great fit and place to grow.  That being said,   I will continue to pray for guidance and help along the way.   Gaining confidence has an uncanny ability to turn into arrogance and that is when accidents happen.  

So.... Take is slow.   Take it easy!   And always remain cautious when moving a 3 ton vehicle in close proximity to robots, equipment, and most of all:   Other people!  Safety first!

After that week,  Cheryl called and mentioned that she would like to drop in for a visit.   I was more than thrilled!   But working the late shift now, I  would not be there Friday night for her. So She agreed to arrive early Saturday Morning.  That way I could get a good nights sleep and had  time  in the morning to clean the place up a little.

With time being so precious for the weekend,  we headed right to the beach and enjoyed the cool air, cool water, and the sounds of the crashing waves.   It was raining in Kenosha on Saturday, so we headed north to avoid the turbulent weather.... and had a nice talk on the way.   Turns out  talking about your troubles helps you get the bad Chi out of your system and allows you to actually enjoy the weekend.... And the weather and  the waves along Lake Michigan.  

Cooler weather in the Summer is always welcome...   And it was nice.   Sure, the sun came out for a few moments and got us sweaty, but overall it was a pleasant day.

We dropped in to the Beer Garden in Racine.   And enjoyed  a sundae.  

Then headed to the Beer garden At Parkside and enjoyed another beer and some pretzels.  The live music at Parkside is always an added level of fun.   To bad we missed the movie that they were playing on Friday night.   ( Come to think about it, I will be missing ALL of the Friday night movies... And all of the Music in the parks around here!   Bummer!) Ah well,   sometimes you only get 80% of what you want.   And that is not always bad. 

 We decided to go for a walk in the woods after our pretzels were gone and discovered that the rains have triggered the mushrooms all through the forest!   It was like walking in a mushroom wonderland!  

And the Mushrooms were HUGE!    The Forest Floor was VERY happy.   Cheryl found a "rare" Old Man of the Woods. ( A black Bolete!)  And I found a Green Laces Russula!  Both are edible... But!   We had no basket and there is more....

You see,  I have been collecting Mushrooms all week.    And I literally have no more room in my fridge for anymore.   The Chanterelles are fully out and HUGE!  

Along with a vast number of other species of mushrooms.   

Huge Amanitas!  (Poison!) 

And HUGE Saffron Milk caps.  Edible, but Sharp and spicy!) 

And Boletes!  Edible, but HUGE!  Where would I put them?   

Boletes also have the problem of not lasting long.   In fact, I was "forced" to eat the Summer Boletes ahead of schedule because they were going bad.  So I have been leaving them in place of the Chenterelles. 

Ah!  The Chanterelles!   They are all over.   I stumbled upon a Fairy Ring of  them and filled my basket so quickly, i had to leave over half of them there!  ( A terrible feeling!)   I apologized to them for not being able to bring them home with me.   But after two days of full baskets... and a FULL FRIDGE!  I simply have no place else to go with them.  Hopefully  those "Other" mushroom hunters will find them and save them from the bugs and slime molds that will eventually consume them if they stay in the woods.  

And I have harvested enough of the brittle gills now so I feel nature can have the rest.   Even though they have proven most tasty on a burger with Swiss cheese.   I'm not 100%, but I do feel like I found at least a couple Bare Tooth Russulas in my mix.   ( At least according to the Mushroom ID app.) They definitely have a delicious flavor  ( similar to almonds at least.)   But not quite like the cherries of Amaretto flavor I remember.   Then again, they are mixed with the swamp russulas and other ones.  

I use the Mushroom ID app as a guide... not a sure fire rule.   Because it has suggested that several of the russulas I have harvested were the "Toxic" ones.   But after tasting them myself, and EATING them!   I discovered that either it was NOT that specific Russula  OR it is not as Toxic as the book suggests.  Remember,  Mom used to feed us Toxic  mushrooms all the time!  (Gyromitra esculenta)  Mostly because they were fairly easy to identify and find near Grandpa's Cabin.  (Not because she was trying to kill us... intentionally...) 

I have developed a certain theory of the Toxicity of mushrooms and the book's definition of toxicity.  If there is EVER a documented case of someone getting so much as a tummy ache or diarrhea from eating a specific mushroom,   the post a warning... regardless of the source or evidence.  Better to error on the side of caution, I guess.    And with food allergies running rampant in this new generation... it makes sense that wild, foraged food might end up KILLING a fragile Gen Z or Millennial.  (That is my "Old Man Jab" at the younger generations.....)  

Honestly,  there are so many mushrooms out there where the edibility of them is unknown... So you have to take a risk sometimes.   That being said... best to do a bit of research. 

Well,   Before this post ends up being another post about Mushrooms... I should end it now and prepare for Tomorrow.   Monday begins a new week at Haribo.   And a new moment in time in my life.    So... Keep reading!  This Chapter is just beginning!

And Make every second count.  

Oh!      And a small end note:   Today was our anniversary.   Had we stayed married, it would have been 29 years today!  Ah, Nostalgia. 

MUSHROOMS!

 Finally!  Some Mushrooms!   The constant rain we have been having seems to be deterring the mushrooms from their normal schedule.  But the last two days have finally produced a few of the summer mushrooms that I have been looking for.   Boletes and Chanterelles! 

I also found a number of Fawn Mushrooms. ( Or Scaly Shield Deer Mushrooms)  but did not eat them since my basket was overflowing with Chanterelles and Boletes.   I even found a small cluster of Crowned Corals.  

I left a bunch of Chanterelles in the woods since they were still pinning and needed to grow up.   The ones I left yesterday turned out to grow 3 inches across the top. My only hope in leaving them out there is that the deer, squirrels, bugs or "German people" don't collect and eat them before I get back out there. 

 I'm afraid that the constant rain might trigger all of them to pop up at the same time.   However, it could also be the opposite!  Meaning:  each small section where I have found them in the past, bloom at a slightly different time... so I can collect them all without them spoiling.   It's had to know.   But I do know that I can't eat them all by myself if I hit the Mother lode! 

 In the mean time... It is just me at the house ( currently)   Dave will be checking in sometime later this week and Sara, ( Who I have not really talked about until now...)  Had some car trouble and will be moving to a closer location near her job.  Bad luck on her Ford..Apparently the oil pump went out and destroyed the engine.   ( The oil pump was on recall....  Now they know why!) Best of luck to her that they fix that issue and her car in the process. ( I believe a new engine is the cure!)  

All that to explain why I won't be able to eat all of the mushrooms I find.  Currently, I have been trying.  I put them in my omelette and my soft tacos. Heck!  I would put them on Breakfast Cereal if I thought I could eat them faster.  ( Coffee?  Maybe...)  But I hate wasting those beauties... so I will find a way.   I guess it means I will have to continue to run further each day to keep up with the extra calorie intake.  

Other than that...  I have been fairly productive on my days off.   I recently got my Wisconsin Driver's license and registered to vote in this state.  I also got a fishing license so now I can be kicked off other lakes and not just the private one that we frequented last year.  

 I picked up my School Computer and it fits nicely in the canvas briefcase that Joan got me.  Now I almost look official! They also gave me my keys and a brief run down on the orientation.   Next week begins the main, two-day, orientation.  I can hardly wait!

And finally,  I got Dave's truck running again and fixed the spare tire to the boat.   It appears we will be moving the boat back to the house after not taking it out for over two years.   In that time,  the tires have deflated and we will be changing them again.   The Dodge truck that pulls the boat has a slow drain on the battery that we can not figure out.   So the best I can do at the moment is charge up the battery and keep starting it up periodically to keep the battery charged.  ( Maybe a done light or radio issue?   Don't know.) 

So that is all.   Tomorrow is Thirsty Thursday with the Zebra folks.  ( John and maybe some others.)  John will be joining me in my exit from Zebra at the end of this Month... So I have to take advantage of the Thursday meetings as much as I can.  Then he is off to Texas!    Forever! 

I have found this week to be very peaceful.   I have been running in the heat and I actually enjoy the suffering.   ( I know that is weird to say, but true!)  I listen to music in the house and am not afraid of offending or annoying anyone.  And I still have to clean up the basement as one of the tasks I have set for myself.   "Clean" is not the right word.   I have already swept up the dust bunnies and scraps of paper from the last projects.   I really need to organize the areas once again.   Mostly the Fishing area, since I now plan to use that fishing license before the school year kicks off and I find myself chained to a desk or classroom.  

So much to do and so little time.    But taking things at my pace has been therapeutic, actually.    And sometimes you can't put a price on free time.  And rest....  Because every second counts. 

Mushroom Hunting With The Natural Science Club!

 Today was out first outing as a school club.   With all of the "newness" going on..   AND homecoming....  I have not had any opportunities to actually schedule an outing for the natural Science club at all until this week.   Friday we met and I pitched the idea of going mushroom hunting in the Petrified Springs recreation area.  I was going to probably go anyway, so why not add a few extra people? 

I knew that there was going to be a few folks who would not be able to make it.   The people in Cross Country had an grade school invitational that they had to cater, so I know at least one person would not be able to get away.   That being said... I was impressed that a number of folks showed up for the meeting.   (I think 12! in all!)  

But then the actual day of the outing came. ( Today!)   And only three students were able to attend.  

 I was actually thrilled! First:  that ANY students showed up!   And second,  I tend to work better with smaller groups anyway, so it was probably a little easier to keep track of three as opposed to 6 or 9....   

We found a LOT of Bonnet Mushrooms.   Most of the mushrooms we found were on logs or stumps.   I had hoped that the rain we had at the beginning of the week would trigger a few ground mushrooms.   But is appeared all we were going to find were the saprophytic mushrooms.  

I was ecstatic when we found some fresh Lions Mane.  A small clump, but it was still the first edible mushroom we found.  We also found some aborted entoloma.  Not much,  but it was encouraging after two hours of disappointment.  ( Mostly for me,  not the kids.   They seemed to be having fun finding and ID ing the mushrooms.) 

eventually, on our way back,   we bumped into a couple who actually knew mushrooms.    They told us of a Hen of the Woods they saw  just down the trail, but warned us that it looked too old to be of any use.   I still wanted to find it, se we set out to the general location.   Elias was standing on a huge stump when he looked down to find  two huge specimens!   

They did look a little old.   One of them looked like it could still be edible,  but all of the bugs that settled in pretty much clued us in that we were not going to enjoy it.   But the Kids got to see it and I took the remains and scattered them through out the forest.  Hopefully seeding the possibilities for next year. 

So that was today.   A fun Saturday with the Science Club.   One of them suggested next time to see if we can either catch frogs in one of the ponds or see if we can catch some insects.    That sounds like a good time to me,  so I will have to see if I can set that one up.  

But next week,   I am going to be a little busy running a half marathon.   The Lakefront Marathon I ran last year will be on Sunday.  I am not running the full marathon this year.  Just the half!  I actually managed to fit in a long run this morning ( 12.25 miles)   I was not happy with the time,
but I did manage to finish.   And I was breaking in some new shoes, so I didn't want to mess up my feet this close to the event.   I think I can at least finish, ( maybe not in the best time frame)  And add to my half marathon collection.   I'll keep you posted. 

And that is about all for now.   School seems to be growing on me and I hope I continue to improve my teaching as the year progresses.  With God helping me,  I feel I can at least manage growing and finishing this year with a modest "Win".   I don't want to brag, or become arrogant...  So I will leave things there.  I continue to be grateful for this opportunity everyday.   And I want to give God all of the credit.   For in the end,  if I can be a part of getting these kids to join us in heaven,   I will be humbled and gracious beyond words.   Because every second counts!

A Fine Fall Day.

That was yesterday.   Today was actually rather cold.   That being said, I did manage to run 6 miles in the chilly weather.   That is kind of a mile stone for me because I have not run that distance since the Marathon!   Sure, I attempted to run a little several days later,  but my legs and knee hurt.  Then two miles a week after that.   And then 4 miles in the 80 degree weather we had just earlier last week!   So... Finally!  6 miles!   Yeah!

Subie... in the Fall Color

What it is like when you run without music...

Not that I felt that much of a celebration.   I actually find running rather boring without my tunes to help me soldier on.   But until I replace my headphones,  I will be forced to run without music or any distraction from the pain and suffering that is running.   I simply have to bear it. ( Bare?   As in bare Nekid?  Or Bear as in "Large Furry Omnivore?")  Either way...  You get the drift.  ( Personally, I like the thought of an angry Bear running on the sidewalk...) 

I have managed to gather a few pics of the fabulous Fall colors.   While exploring  several new areas for Mushrooms,  I happened upon several wildlife sightings along the way.   It gave me an idea about exploring the fishing sport once again at a future time.   Nothing is usually more peaceful than wading through a shallow stream while fly-fishing.  

Ok....  "Nothing"  is just an expression,   There are LOTS of peaceful activities that you can do in the forest that have nothing to do with water or fish.  Like hunting!   

For Mushrooms!  Truth be told,  that is one of the only things that is always in season.   Unless they are not in season...   Which usually means either it is too dry or you are not looking hard enough.   But even knowing where they grow and hitting those places several times a week does not guarantee you a find. In fact,  this week was rather a dud week for me.   I only found a handful of oyster mushrooms and a LOT of Turkey Tail.    ( Too bad I'm brimming in Turkey Tail now.... No need to gather more of that just yet)  

But...  Yesterday,  just before I was going to pack it in,  I found an entire tree with pinning Oyster Mushrooms.   I was able to fill the basket up and save the day.   Other than that,  the leaves are probably hiding any ground mushrooms.   And I simply have not found very many other species.   So....   I'm grateful for the find.  

As for today,  I continued working on the cardboard fish.   And I managed to fold a Pegasus from one of the sheets of hand made paper.   That little sculpture will require a coat of Modge Podge to keep it intact, I'm afraid.   But it was fun to dust off the folding skills for something a little more complicated. 

Tomorrow is the Big Reformation Service at one of the larger churches.  And after that,  November will be right around the corner.   November is the National Novel Writing Month.   I have done this before and was successful!   And have attempted it several times afterwards and did not complete it in the given time frame.  However,   I did manage to complete a second novel.   I have had a third story in my mind for several years now and simply have lacked the motivation to complete it.   I should try to get off my butt and actually try to rough it out this time.   And with November so close,  And with the Universe sending me LOTS of signs,  perhaps this is the year I can make it happen.   Fingers crossed that I keep myself to that goal.    

Because I think I like telling stories.   And I like writing.   And sometimes people tell me I'm a good writing.  (Really?  Or perhaps they are just being nice....)   Well, at least those who I can coax into reading my blog.    And the NaNoWriMo helps you stay on track and gives you something to aim at.  Call it a "Pacer" for the race of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.  And who does not like running a race?   ( Um... Everybody?) Well,  Life is short!  And sometimes you need a fire under your butt to get you to do things.   And 30 days is not a long time.   So every second counts...