It's that time of year when I sit at my computer to compose a message to our dear and loyal readers and fellow mushroomers. Hopefully, they'll find something in it that inspires them, because it is always my purpose to do so in these pieces. The pursuit of wild mushrooming is, in itself, inspiring; the forests in which we seek them, the beauty in those forests, the things we learn about them by researching what we've found and by what we learn all on our own, all of these are inspiring and are good reasons to get out there and look for these jewels of the forest floor.
Setting goals, like mushrooming on Wind Mountain,
keeps our hobby fresh and invigorates us year after year!
We're getting older. Both of us are now in our 70's, and we don't get around as well as we used to - particularly yours truly. Yet, throwing in the towel in an activity we've loved and been fascinated by for so many years is simply not an option. We won't explore and search for new spots as aggressively as we once did, perhaps, but we'll still do it, and will be especially thrilled when our explorations - guided by what we've learned over the years - meet with some notable amount of success.
The forest floor always delights - imagine mushrooming in
a land where wild cranberries form a carpet beneath our feet!
So, to those of you who are still in your primes, we tip our hats and offer congratulations. Enjoy it and milk it for all you can. Take care of yourselves and preserve your physical health for as long as possible; it's not a given, and can change at any time. Know that eventually, it will change and when it does, try to make the best of it.
Even when there are no edible mushrooms in the refuge,
Douglas iris beckon us into the woods to share in its beauty!
And for those of you who are more like us, don't give up. The more sedentary you are, the more sedentary you will be. Keep at it to whatever degree you can; persevere against the aging process and continue as long as you possibly can. It may be difficult, but the alternative is worse. Look back on the wonderful memories you've created, but make some new ones, too!
Thanks for the memories, dear readers, and here's to the multitude of memories we'll all collect in the years to come!
Foraging draws us into the landscape
where we become lost in the magic of the moment!
If you'd like to keep up with what's happening in our fungal world, please visit the category ALL THE LATEST MUSHROOM NEWS from time to time. Look forward to meeting you there!