A Grateful Birthday.

A special thanks to all of my Facebook friends and family who have wished me a happy birthday today. Normally I joke about how my birthdays are just a countdown to my inevitable end. But this year I want to take a little more serious of a tact.  Life has been a little more harsh to me this year than it has been in the past.   And I have been forced to jump out of a comfort zone and rely on friends and God a little more than Usual ( Ok, A LOT! More than usual....) And for this I am Truly Grateful!

I often joke about death as if it is never going to happen.   My theory is if I can laugh at something.. it must not be that scary.   But every now and then, you discover that there are things that rival  the great unknown and it throws you.   And you struggle to find a joke or angle on dealing with this new situation.   And that is where I learned about the Navy SEALS theory of small bites.   Take  the task at hand in small controllable bites.  The more difficult the situation or task... the smaller the bites.  "One day at a time." They say.  And so... What better way to laugh at life's curve balls and drop kicks than to celebrate another birthday.   A Happy Birthday!   That will show life who is boss!   That I plan on sticking around for another year at least. Right?  

Is that a little dark?   It is supposed to be funny.  But perhaps I'm trying too hard.   So let us switch gears a bit.  

Dave ushered in my birthday Celebration with a 30 pack of HONEY BROWN!  Cheryl and I looked at several different stores in Kenosha this weekend for this beer,, and failed to find any. (Remember, Honey Brown does not exist in Iowa.... But this is Wisconsin!)   Dave goes out and finds it. Neh... Easy Peasy!  Perhaps the name change had something to do with it... but I assure you,   Cheryl and I looked all over and did not find even this new name.  

The first sip of Honey Brown after .... what?  Three years!   Honestly, I can't describe the flood of emotions experiencing that familiar taste.  I can't remember the last time a Honey Brown beer made me feel like that..  A flood of nostalgia and flavors that I had did not even know how much I had missed.  An absolutely wonderful surprise. 

He then sang happy birthday to me while videoing the entire awkward moment while I ate a pice of German Chocolate Cake.  Thus,  destroying the moment...  Good Job Dave!   But it was nice.   And fun...  And the thought was appreciated. ..just like all birthday songs.  (Plus, I would easily suffer through any awkward moment for Honey Brown Beer!)

So how did I spend the day... After Work, that is...  Why,  Hunting Mushrooms!  It has been raining for the last two days here so I figured I would take a look around to see if anything was popping up.  

A welcome distraction.   Mushroom Hunting keeps you in the "now" and gets you outside into the fresh air.   You also get to work a little exercise into the mix.  All pluses in my book.   And if you happen to find an edible mushroom or two,  all the better.  

Turns out,  the Chanterelles made a strong appearance. A few Brittle Gills.  No Boletes  or Corals at the moment.  But enough Chanterelles to make a to share.   So... Kind of a good day. 

The Chanterelles here are slightly more challenging with them popping up under the leaf litter. After I found one,  I had to move a few leaves  to uncover the others surrounding it.  A fun little search party.  

And finally,   I have been listening to Johnny Mathis lately.   I have always liked his voice and songs and recently have this one stuck in my head.   So I will share it with you Now.  Enjoy.

Thank you for stopping in.  And again,  to all those folks who read the blog  or come from Facebook,   thank you for your Birthday Wishes.  ( No more singing!  Unless you are Johnny...)  And a special thanks to Dave for the Beer.   Dave said he has a gift for "finding things".  And I believe that  is very true.