Shaggy Manes and Morrels

Main Steet and Morals.

Two words that are changing the finance backdrop of America.

I don't have the heart to incorporate the two into my blogging, the news stations are all over it right now.

So let's get our minds off the troubling realities for a moment and think...MUSHROOMS!

No, I'm not suggesting 60's and 70's counterculture revolution, I'm talking grab a frying pan, some crackers, a whole stick of butter and fry-these-babies-up-kind-of-mushrooms!

Back where I come from Morrels means "Mushrooming". Wet, wooded areas breath life to this particular delicacy. Springtime in Illinois means folks are up early battling the sting nettles for their fungi!

All around, stories about mushrooming are told in coffee shops and local watering holes. The stories of mushrooming in the Heartland are big as fish stories being told in Wisconsin! Just like a good fishing spot, not a soul will reveal thier caches of wild, edible mushrooms.

In the West, the word "Shaggy Mane" is substituted for "Morrel". And they really aren't a secret either, they are growing right in the middle of my backyard! Never seeing them before, I carelessly yanked them from the ground thinking I was warding off a vet bill or a dead dog. However, my neighbor stopped me and said, "Those mushrooms are delicious, have you ever had them?"

Well, no I haven't, but I guess it is high time to do so. So, I brought them into the house and scrubbed them up in the sink and left them on the counter to dry, and off I went to get Whitley from school.

Out of sight, out of mind is how my brain seems to function these days. I was on to another night of battling my pre-teen daughter about responsibility, smart mouthing her mother and homework. Agghhh...Whitley exasperates me! Then, John stops me. He is holding something in his hand and is half laughing.

"So this is how you're gonna fix her!"

I see that he thinks I've brought in poisonous mushrooms. We both start laughing.

No, it won't fix Whitley or Wall Street, but it very well may fix me for one evening as I salivate in the rich, deep fried butteriness of Shaggy Mane Mushrooms!

Study, Study, Study!

Seems like there is no time to post these days. I see beautiful things with my eyes as I'm racing here and there and would love to take a picture and post it, but there never seems to be enough time to pause and do so. The leaves are just gorgeous this year (and turning earlier than usual too).

It seems that I study all the time. I am looking forward to mid December when I will get a break. Next semester should not be as hard, so there should be a little breathing room. How I wish I was smart enough to have done this when I was much younger.

Please forgive me for not having anything interesting to post; I'll try to do better. Talk to you later!

99, 94 and 4

99, 94 & 4

Hmmm.....

The nunbers above are not the quick pick numbers for Powerball. They are not the highs and lows for Denver weather. They for sure are not my weight, but they do have some special meaning.

I received a 99% on my first History exam, a 94% on my first Anatomy & Physiology Practical and in just 4 hours, my husband returns home after being gone several weeks!!!!

These numbers are the makings of answered prayer and a really great week! Thanks for thinking of us! You are numeral uno - ONE!!!!!

Update

Since I am without a camera I decided to scan the letter I received from Phi Theta Kappa today! Today's blog entry will explain a little bit more about it. You can click on the letter and it will enlarge!

John has been gone for one week now; only seven days remain until he is home. Despite one or two phone calls a day, I miss him greatly. His absence has caused me to pause and ponder many things. In so doing, I can't imagine what our military families go through for year-long deployments while their loved one is in harms way, or the pain of a widow(er)'s heart when they lose a spouse, or the thought of me still being single at 36. Marriage is truly a wonderful thing!

John's Mom was thrilled to see her entire family and he said there was definately a "sparkle" in her eye. She is in good Spirit and comfortable at this time. We are thankful that all her children could make it back to see her and enjoy her.

Whitey has had a good week in school. A lot of her friends asked her to run for student council president, but we concluded that it would take a lot of her time and rob her of her studies. For now, she is still taking dance:Jazz, Hip-Hop, Ballet and Poms. She is as limber as a noodle and is having a lot of fun with the classes. The top of her head is now up to my eyes now and I keep wondering where she will "top-out" at? When we doubled her height at 2 years, it came out to exactly my height 5'11''. She seems very comfortable with her height and it seems like girls are much taller these days, than in the years of my "gigantisism".

I am doing okay. I haven't posted any new pictures because John has the digital camera, so I had to use some "archives''. Sorry. Maybe he'll have some neat photos to post when he returns.

I think I will start to relax a bit after this week as I took my first history exam this past Monday and I have my first Anatomy and Physiology Practical this Friday. I feel very comfortable with the anatomical terminolgy, gross anatomy, mitosis and the 55 slides of tissue idenitfication. The last section I need to solidify in my mind is the Integumentary System (skin)....a very complex and fascinating system!!! I know I will start to relax after I learn how the professor's test and get a feeling how to better prepare for the exams.

Today, I received a letter from my school and invitation to join Phi Theta Kappa. Apparently after so many credit hours and semester of academic success, they invite you to join. The next step is to have a professor write a referral. My Human Growth and Development teacher told me she would be happy to write something for me. If I am inducted, then I must not fall below a 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) at any time. From there, it my understanding that the top three would then graduate with Honors and could qualify for additional scholarship opportunitites. It's a lofty long term goal and it is very competitive so I am just taking it one day at a time and asking God to give me the strength to do this. As long as I have my health and my family's blessing and support, then I hope to see it through. If the BIG plan works, I will still have another 6 years of schooling. If at any time, it seems like it too much for the family than I still have a great launching point in the medical field. So far though, I am just absoutely in awe of God's miraculaous creation of LIFE!!!!

THE FOG

Today it is foggy again. It came in quickly from the valley below and in minutes, the house was enveloped in a haze. It's a good day to stay inside and enjoy a strong cup of coffee. Ahhhhh.....cheers; let's blog!

*Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground. Fog is defined as cloud which reduces visibility to less than 1 km, whereas mist is that which reduces visibility to less than 2 km.
The foggiest place in the world is the Grand Banks off the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Fog is frequent there as the Grand Banks is the meeting place of the cold Laborador Current from the north and the much warmer Gulf Stream from the south. The foggiest land areas in the world are Point Reyes, CA and Newfoundland, both with over 200 foggy days a year.

*Fog forms when the difference between temperature and depoint is 5 °F (2.8 °C) or less.
Fog begins to form when water vapor(a colorless gas) condenses into tiny liquid water droplets in the air. Conversely, water vapor is formed by the evaporation of liquid water or by the sublimation of ice. Since water vapor is colorless, it is actually the small liquid water droplets that are condensed from it that make water suspended in the atmosphere visible in the form of fog or any other type of cloud.

*Fog normally occurs at a relative humidity near 100%. This can be achieved by either adding moisture to the air or dropping the ambient air temperature. Fog can form at lower humidities, and fog can sometimes not form with relative humidity at 100%. A reading of 100% relative humidity means that the air can hold no additional moisture and the air will then become supersaturated if additional moisture is added.

*Fog formation does require all of the elements that normal cloud formation requires with the most important being condensation nuclei. When the air is saturated, additional moisture tends to condense rather than stay in the air as vapor. Condensation nuclei must be present in the form of dust, aeresols, pollutants, etc. for the water to condense upon. When there are exceptional amounts of condensation nuclei present, especially hydroscopic (water seeking such as salt) then the water vapor may condense below 100% relative humidity.

*Fog reduces visibility and thus contributes to accidents, particularly with modes of transportation. Today, I had less thatn two car link of visibility. Notable examples of accidents due to fog include the July 28, 1945 crash of a B-25 Mitchell into the empire State Building, and the July 25, 1956 collision of the ocean liners: SS andrea Doria and the MS Stockholm.

*taken from WIKIPEDIA

A POEM: (I found this poem online; beautiful)

The Breathing - by Denise Levertrov

An absolute patience.

Trees stand up to their knees in fog.

The fog slowly flows uphill.

White cobwebs, the grass leaning where deer have looked for apples.

The woods from brook to where the top of the hill looks over the fog,

send up not one bird.

So absolute,

it is no other than happiness itself,

a breathing too quiet to hear.

VACATIONS

Cruises are great ways to have fun for all the family; mom and dad time and play areas for kids. Food, entertainment, lodging and excursion were GREAT! Vactions do not have to be far or budget buster. The Gateway Arch in St. Loius is fantastic!

Enjoy other people's art on vacation. This Chihuley glass chandalier is owned by Steve Wynn, owner and designer of the BELLAGIO.

You do not have to "SIN" in Las Vegas. We stayed at the beautiful Bellagio Hotel and had a fatastic family vacation. The drive through Utah is gorgeous, for starts. In Vegas, we enjoyed the fountains and pools at the Bellagio, as well as their Cirque de Soile' show entitled "O".

Other family stops included the Hoover Dam, Maddame Tussaud's Wax Museum, a gondola ride at the Venetian hotel, IMAX 3-D at the Luxor and amusement rides and sculpting at Circus Circus.

Vacations are good. They create lasting memories, enrich our minds, broaden friendships, give us rest, and somehow make us appreciate home more than ever, after we return.

Vaction seemed like a fitting word to blog about today. My parents just returned from a 10 day trip that started in Spokane, Washington, continued down Hwy 101 into the Redwood Forest, back to Spokane and commenced in Illinois. It has been neat hearing their stories, the memories they made and the explicit beauty that beheld from each destination.

No sooner than I could say EXPEDIA.COM, I found myself leafing through old photos (when I should have been studying) and dreaming of my next travel destination. Hmmm...what sounds good? Maui? Turkey? Greece? At this point anything; anything to escape the flood of medical terms and history dates spinning in my head. The Carribbean? Greenland? Ireland?

The next thing I know, Whitley is asking me an Algebra problem.

"Huh? What day is it?", I said.

"Mom are you alright?", Whitley asked.

The truth is, I'm not sure I am. Twenty three minutes had just ticked by and I can not account for one second of it.

I sighed heavily and took a glance at the calendar; only 13 weeks of school left until break.

I exhaled, again.

"I can do this, " I said to myself.

"I know," I said back, "these old photos will have to suffice for now".

So, I uploaded and pasted and thought I would share a few old photos.....,

just in case,

you too,

were in need of a VACATION!

I LOVE QUILTS!!!

I just love quilts. The patterns, textures and color schemes are endless. I especially value each stitch of love that goes into them or the wonderful circles of conversation and laughter that occur around them while they are being created. The Amish are masters of this craft as they usually use 8-12 stitches per inch! Recently, I have been looking at a quilt with a fall color scheme in it. I thought I would share a few that I found and you will notice a resemblence in each of the color schemes.

So far in my search, my favorite is called PRAIRE STAR APPLIQUE. You may have noticed it on our blog header.

This is so wintery looking. It is called EDGE STAR MEDALLION

This is my second most "fave" one on my wish list. It is called, BLUE AND GOLD BLOOMING STAR

This quilt is called the AMISH PAPER BAG

The Grumbling Blogger

If this blog was like a paid subscription to a newspaper, you'd be saying, "I want a refund!" I'm afraid my frequent posts will exist on a subsistant level. I am totally overwhelmed by the new semester. For the first time in 20 years, I'm having "breakouts" on my face. As I look in the mirror, blemishes are everywhere like a dot-to-dot. So I took my eyeliner pencil and tried to connect all those red dots and here is what it spelled: S-T-R-E-S-S!!!

In two weeks I've read about 700 pages worth of information, of which about 400 is committed to memory. Maybe in my next life I'll be an actress, since I'm becoming so good at memorizing...or atleast after my complexion clears up!

My history class content is easy but the quantity of work is gruelling. In two weeks we have had 8 tests, our normal reading, a supplemental book from a booklist with a 5 page report due later, A 7 page paper on the relations between natives and Europeans as it relates to the 1600's, attended the "Ancient Voices" exhibit (on my own time) at the Colorado History Museum, followed by a 6 page report on that!

The next class is Anatomy and Physiology...more memorization! My short term memory is on OVERLOAD!! It too has a generous amount of reading and for the first practical I've done 90 pages worth of written labs and have had my head under a microscope for hours on end memorizing tissues, muscles, blood, bone and all the minute parts!

Yes, I'm grumbling...what did you want for free???? (smile)

So, I will keep trying and try to modify my work strategies to get more efficient so I can ummm.....post positive blogs;that's the ticket!

I take John to the airport tomorrow at a time when you should be sleeping instead watching tarmacks speed by your side window. Whitley is staying at a friend's tonight, becaue there is no way I could get to three different places on oppposite ends of the world in two hours. John will be gone for two weeks visiting his Mom.

It has been cold here. As my dear friend Marlene says, "We are in the Brrrrr-Months: SeptemBrrrrr, OctoBrrrr, NovemBrrr..etc". The autumn fog rolls in and out. The heater has been running for the last few days. Today, the sun is supposed to break out with temps. in the low 70's. Autumn is my favorite time of year but I think I'm still in post-seasonal denial.

Well, that's it for the Rocky Mtn. Ramblers. Hope things are great on your end of the fiber optic connection! Talk to you later!

Lessons in History

To round out my associates degree, I needed one history course to complete all my electives. Thinking it would be a piece of cake, I signed up for AMERICAN HISTORY 202. My preconceived ideas was that it was going to be about memorizing amendments and various battles and peoples of importance. However, as I course the pages of history once again, in my late thirties, I am starting see more than just the bits and pieces, but the sum total, the "big picture" of all these little dates and facts.

I was particulary overwhelmed by a passage from the 1500's. I wanted to share a section of the book I'm reading called THE AMERICAN PROMISE-A History of the United States-4th Edition, James L. Roaork, Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, Alan Lawson, Susan M. Hartman, Copyright 2009.

"Both Charles V and Phillip II fought wars through out the world during the 16th century. Mexican silver funneled throught the royal treasury into the hands of military suppliers, soldiers and sailors wherever in the world Spanish forces fought. New World treasure was dissipated in military adventures that served the goals of the monarchy but did little to benefit most Spaniards.

In a sense, American wealth made the Spanish monarchy too rich and too powerful among the states of Europe since it fueled grandiose Spanish ambitions. The ambitions of Charles V and Phillip II were so great that the expenses of constant warfare far outstripped the revenues arriving from New Spain. To help meet military expenditures, both kings raised taxes in Spain more than fivefold during the 16th century. Since the nobility, by far the wealthiest class, was exempt from taxation, the burdensome new taxes fell mostly on poor peasants. The ambitions of the monarchy impovershed the vast majority of Spain's population and brought the nation to the brink of bankruptcy. When taxes failed to produce enough revenue to fight its wars, the monarchy borrowed heavily from European bankers. By the end of the 16th century, interest payemnts on royal debts swallowed two-thirds of the crown's annual revenues. In retrospect, the riches from New Spain proved a short-term blessing but a long term curse."

Wow! I could not get over the similarities between our present day situation. I thought our country taught history to avoid making the same mistakes!?! As King Solomon said, "There is nothing new under the sun." He was so right having only few years of history to reflect on.

May we ponder these painful lessons as we vote and make choices for the future of America. May God have mercy on us.