A letter to my daughter on her wedding day...

 Dear Miss Sidney,

I hope you feel the sun shine warm on your skin every day.

I hope you feel the brisk cold a beautiful winter day brings to you.

I hope you wake every morning feeling thankful for the gift of the present.

I hope you take a moment to inhale deeply and smell the rain as it falls.

I hope you remember the moments from your childhood when you had no worries.

I hope you cherish the moments in life when the electricity goes out and there are no sounds of fans, buzzing, ringing, only the absolute complete quiet….those are the moments when you truly hear your own honest thoughts in your head and the sound of your heart beating.

I hope you taste new foods, drinks, and herbs that you once feared.

I hope you never feel the loneliness of loss.

I hope you never fall without someone to catch you or pick you back up.

I hope you feel love in each breath you take, each word spoken to you, each hug you experience, and each kiss you receive.

I hope you admire those around you rather than judge them.

I hope you cultivate the love you and Cyle have and continue to work harder every day to be better than than the day before.

I hope you entertain new adventures no matter how boring they may sound.

I hope you safeguard your future babies from the hatred in the world.

I hope you always communicate with kindness, softness in your voice, and love in your eyes.

I hope you know without exception how much I have loved you and always will.

Love,

Mom

 

Deep In The Mind Of A Morel Mushroom Hunter

Once a year I become an obsessive hunter.  I can’t control my thoughts for a month.  All I can think about is the woodsy smell of the morel.  The beautiful shape of the mushroom is doodled on my To Do lists, in my thoughts, and in my dreams.  I crave it, I drool over it, it consumes me.  Until I find one...then I consume it.

April showers meet up with the night time warm temperatures which then mixes with daytime rays of sunlight creating optimal hunting conditions.  I am not hunting a creature that can run from me but a fungus that conceals itself amongst trees.  I do not like ticks, mosquitos, or gnats.  Although, for a moment I convince myself that being immersed into dense brush filled with such bugs is a small price to pay for the reward of the mouth watering morel.

Methodically, I will drink my morning coffee while packing a lunch for my trek.  I carefully plan out what location to begin at and where to end my daily search.  I will lay out my attire consisting of a long sleeve shirt, white jeans(easy to spot ticks on), boots, hat, fanny pack, and my walking stick.  I rub tea tree oil on my neck and arms hoping the stench will ward off the blood sucking ticks.  I collect my essentials...knife, mace, netted bag, chapstick, smokes, lighter, and my phone.  Just before leaving for my day I gently cover the floor board with paper to protect it from mud and sand.  My daily perfume is that of deet spray.

Once I have arrived at my secret location I will take a deep breathe hoping to smell the scent of the morel.  I crouch low and walk like Marco Grouch at short intervals hoping to see my prey.  I will walk for hours taking in the crisp spring air while scanning my surroundings for hidden patches of morels.  My hunts can last up to 6 hours a day.  I may find many or end my day with none.

Once home, I will try to redirect my visions of mushrooms to my daily tasks of being a mother and a wife.  Yet always, my conversations return back to morels annoying family members.  I know that but I can’t help myself.  My mouth will water thinking of frying up the tasty treat!  Bedtime isn’t an escape for a morel addict.  It is only another way for your mind to continue to hunt while sleeping.  I will have dreams of finding a honey hole or being spotted by a fellow hunter only to lose my secret hunting spot.  

I wake another day and begin the seasonal routine of a morel addict.