What a Week.

It has been one of those weeks...   You know the kind the kind.   When everything in your life that you can not control seems to crumble around you.   Causing you stress...   Lots of stress.

And then things are done that don't seem to improve anything and don't seem to drop your stress level...  Bu enough of the vaguery.   Let me fill in the details and development...\

After hitting 300,000 miles,  we have been watching Subie closely.   He has been relatively cool all year... so something was bound to happen.   A small noise suddenly appeared a  week ago.   A small whine that only happens after we have been parked for a while.   Performance wise,  Subie has been a gem.   Nothing to note.  just that little bitty noise...  Bur you can not be too careful after 300,000 miles.   So we get it checked out.

Turns out,   the mechanics tell us we need all new shocks, struts, tie rods, a bearing, a ball joint,  and 4 new tires!   WHAT? !!?!?!  All for the same compareable price of a replacement vehicle that is 5 years younger!  


I have been carefully rotating the tires to prevent uneven wear.  But apparently,  all those other things have worn them down..  at least two  ( we shall see just how bad they are. )

We could not pay for the total restoration of a 2003 Subaru to brand new status,  so we elected to get the "safety issues" first...  costing $900!    Talk about passing a kidney stone!   Add in that we have been working all week and have very little time to do much of anything... except worry about stuff.

And the thing is,  the small whining sound is still there.   I perceive no difference in the handling of the car.   I wonder if they looked at the 300,000 miles and thought,  " This thing probably needs everything... so lets just suggest they swap it all out."   Perhaps they did not think we would do it... electing to buy a new car for the price they quoted us.    I'm a little dubious about the entire scenario.

Add on that the Cat is having issues.   He has a "bulge" on one side and I know it is from a cat scratch.   Possibly acquired after playing with the other cats.   It has become infected... because.... Our luck is TERRIBLE!   The cats can attack each other with impunity,  but our cat gets broke!   With $900 dollars less in the bank account,  I told Hiro, he has to heal himself.   So far, he is doing  his best.   Most likely, he does not want to go to the vet either!   Those memories are probably burned in his brain for good.

And finally,  while cooking up one of my mushroom omelettes,  The lid on the salt shaker fell off,  dumping half the bottle into my food!   I tried to save it, but all those mushrooms were wasted.   Baaa!


So,  with all those bad things out of the way,  I feel we are due for some good news/events.  I knew our summer had been mostly too good for a little longer than normal.  And bad things usually come in threes.   I am counting those things are the three bad events.    Let's go Goodness!

Ah well,  sometimes you have to have dark nights to appreciate the smallest of lights.  right?  We have a long weekend and I want to enjoy as much as I can.  I'll be happy if things at least stay level and do not dip down into the negative.    We shall see how things pan out.      Thanks for listening to my complaining.   This weekend could not have come any sooner.

Weekend Summer Mushroom Madness!

Cheryl was the Mushroom Hound today.  

 What an awesome day today.   Cool temps, partly cloudy skies with a bit of sun and a cool breeze.  The rains have triggered the Mushrooms to come out of hibernation... finally.  We began another project at Pearson on Thursday,  so Cheryl wanted to take it easy today and spend most of it relaxing... To make up for all that mental strain a job puts on us.   What better way to relax than to take a walk through the woods and "Commune with nature."...



Ok,  It was secretly an excuse to look for more mushrooms.   After three days of rain followed by three days of cool dry weather..  the conditions were PERFECT!  All that was missing is for Cheryl and Ethan to go gather them... right?

Well, we were not disapponted!   ( for a change!)    Cheryl suggesed we head right back to where we found those Chanterelles last Sunday.  We did, and along they way, we found the most beautiful cluster of Jack-O-Lanterns!    Check out that awesome orange color. 

These guys were fresh!  And "Textbook" specimens of the color, cluster, and gill structure.   Cheryl ID-ed them from a distance, they were so obvious.    The reason I make such a big deal about it is that they are "toxic" ( not poisonous/deadly).  They will make you think you are dying, but will give you a serious tummy ache and all the bad things that come with digestive distress and  food poisoning.   And people often confuse them with edible mushrooms like Golden Oysters and Chanterelles. 

But check it out!   Do these things even look close?   First:   Jack-O-Lanterns are Orange.    Really REALLY orange.   So orange, they are down right beautiful!  (I would love to have some growing in my yard!..)  They have GILLS...   that do NOT go down the stem. ( compared to Golden oysters... which are yellow and have gills going down the stem for a consideable distance.)   Compared to Chanterelles,   the Jack-O-Lanterns are so differant, I can't even understand how anyone can confuse them. 

Cheryl thinks that if you have NEVER seen either a Chanterelle, Golden Oyster, or Jack-O-Lantern,  you may be confused.   ( Humble moment....  I was that person!   As cataloged in this very blog.)  I did eventually gain enough knowledge and bravery to sample the Golden Oyster mushrooms. and learn the difference.  But finally seeing a cluster of Orange Beauties like this.. AND being able to ID them flawelessly is very satisfying.

Almost like a Flower.. Not all of them
Look this nice though. 

The "perfect" Chanterelle.

After that, we stumbled back into the Chanterelle zone and began to find them.   Cheryl was finding huge clusters of them while I,  thinking I hit the motherload, was finding them as individuals.   In the end,  Cheryl filled up two bags while I barely had one half full.

Russula. (Brittle Gill)  Bare-toothed
Possibly? 

A Mixure of Copper, swamp, and bare-toothed Russulas. 

We also found Brittlegills.  ( Russulas)  Green ( swamp, maybe) copper, and baretoothed varieties.   Those common names might not apply...  there are over 3000 species in North America and many have not been fully ID'ed.   But most have the same characteristics:   brittle gills... shor hollow stems, and either they taste like almonds, pepper, or bitterness!  I select for the Almond taste.  ( or tasteless in the raw state.)   If they are not bitter or peppery,  I throw them in the mix.

Ammenita nex to a Russula. 

But Ammenitas have this at the base
and are more durable than
brittlegills. 

Speaking of "look-alikes"   Check out this Ammenita ( highly Poisonous!)  next to a Russula.  Granted the Russula is smaller and obviously red.   But the green Russulas have that same color and tooth structure.   However, Ammenitas emerge from a Vulva/  Egg like structure.  Russulas never do.  Also,  If you compared the structure of the mushroom,   the Ammenita is not as brittle as the Russula.   Russulas are VERY brittle.  Check out how many survived the trip home!  Many of them are nothing more than fragments by the time I'm ready to cook them up.

The Penny Bun, (King) Bolete.  Also known as Porcini. 

Much smaller than last year, but I was still happy to find them. 

The "Bitter Bolete" 

Feels like rubber..tastes VERY bitter.

And finally... The Boletes!    We did not spend much time looking for them, but I found a Bitter Bolete ( In the same place I found one last year....)

Penny Bun was past its Prime.

This one was even further along. 

 and a few of the red and yellow ones. ( don't know the common name of them.)   But... I was very happy to find the Penny Bun or King Bolete.  ( Or Porcini Mushroom)   Lots of names for a very tasty mushroom.   Unfortunately,  we were a little late for these guys.   When I flipped this one over,  it was already past its prime.   The one next to it was even further along!

But ALAS!   A fresh one! 

Hmmm,  Kinda small though. 

That is ok,  I'll Eat it! 

But I did manage to find a small one that was fresh.   I threw it in with the Brittle gills and other Boletes and had them for Lunch.   Very tasty.  I really can't stress enough how flavorful the Russulas are.   They are nutty and sweet like almonds.   Mixed with the Boletes...  the Yellow and red ones taste like Creme Cheese and the Penny Bun tasted  squishy and meaty.  I would describe it like bacon fat... both in texture and a little bit like the flavor.  Not very chewy or smokey... Just my opinion.

Very pretty. 

Small Orange mushroom. 

There were other mushrooms that were not toxic, poisonous, or edible.   But still really facinating to find.   I think I find this small orange mushroom at least once each outing. 

Very cute. 

Small Purple mushroom.

And then there is this tiny purple one that I have yet to ID as well.   Very cute, but I have no idea what they are.

Some species of meadow Mushroom. 

And Black spore Print.  Bruises Yellow.  Might be toxic. 

Check out those black gills. 

A small cluser of some type of Meadow Mushroom.  Check out the black gills and black spore print.   Some of these are edible, but I would need a better key to figure them out.   Three out of the four species found in this area are lightly toxic and will cause similar ailments to the Jack-O-Lanterns... And I would not want that.   Best to play it safe for now.

With a little luck,  the Jack-O-Lanterns will give off a glow later this evening, when the world is dark.  I'm not sure if we can make it happen or if the conditions will be right.  I attempted this once before, but had no luck...  as the article suggests,  sometimes you have to get a little lucky...  we shall see.

Pealing the Mushrooms for drying

Quite a few this time...

As for now,  I have a LOT of Chanterelles to dry and prep for future food items.   I discovered that they tasted better after several days of drying.   Cheryl thinks the same about Shitake mushrooms.   Drying them seems to make the flavore more concentrated.

 So,  My plan is to clean and dry these guys and add them into my eggs and omelettes each night.  They also taste the best with those cherry tomatoes we have been gathering from the garden.   What could be better!    

Looks like the weight of the World is
not on her shoulders...

If you ever feel the weight of the world on your shoulders,   give a little nature walk and mushroom hunting a try.   You may feel better and lighter in the precess.  Unless you manage to score 5 lbs of Chanterelles on our search.    Then...  it might be the good kind of  burden that you don't mind so much.   Thanks for stopping in and I hope everyone is having a gread weekend so far.

Another Rainy Day In Muscatine.

On our last day of freedom, we chose to visit Muscatine again.  Tomorrow we begin another project and it is scheduled to last an entire month.   No more morning runs or evening bike rides...  (Sniff!)   Well,  a least until the weekends.   Still,  Cheryl and I have been anxious about beginning work again.   It seems being activly lazy and unemployed agrees with us.   It just does not pay the bills very much.


So the air was very heavy and hot this morning.   A thick fog steadily appeared as we neared the mighty Mississippi.  By the time we enetered Muscatine,  the sun was blocked and the mist was everywhere. 

This did not making running any easier, as the heavy air is difficult to breath.  And the temps were still in the 80's.   Cheryl managed to squeak out 7 miles, but it was just as difficult as it has been all summer this year. 

The nice thing about Muscatine is the fountain.   That fountain may not seem like much more than a play thing for little kids... But to Hot and Sweaty runners,  it is a godsend!    Cheryl makes sure to visit it every time we finish up a run.   I enjoy the cool mist and occasionally bike through the light parts.   I know in previous years, after long runs,  we used to run right through the thick parts and get soaked!  It didn't matter much back then, since we were already soaked from the heat of the day. 

After cooling off,  a small side note:   A train came through the down town area.   There is a "no Horn" ordinance ever since they finished this new hotel near the waterfront/tracks.  There are many reasons I dislike this little "rule" because it affects my ability to cross the tracks with my bike in a reasonable manner ( another story for a longer blog post) 

TODAY,  the Train let out a short, piercing horn blow right as they passed the Hotel!   Poetic?  Yes!   Rebelious?  Possibly...  I'm sure the engineer would rather be safe and warn Traffic of his approach rather than be "polite" and allow the hotel people a comfortable sleep in.  I was pleased.   

Back home now and the rain continues to trickle down.  Good for the Mushrooms and Tomatoes.   I will be finishing up the last of the Chanterelles tonight, leaving room for another round of Mushroom hunting.  I can hardly wait.   Thanks for stopping in.