Quote of the Week

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
- Irish Blessing

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Any celebrations planned for tomorrow?

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Golden Fungi

Not being a connoisseur of mushrooms and rarely cooking with anything more elaborate than the grocery store white buttons, I had no idea what had sprouted in my yard. I was taking the garbage to the street when they caught my eye, almost golden in the late afternoon sun. I grabbed my camera to photograph yet another fungal find. To identify them, I searched on gold mushrooms on logs. As best as I could determine from the pictures and descriptions, my golden fungi were oyster mushrooms.

Most mushrooms seem to have a short life and are withered and gone within a few days or a week.

January 20, 2015

These, although past their prime, are still hanging on nearly a month later.

February 17, 2015

Having survived through a vicious winter cold spell with snow, ice and single-digit temperatures, this is what is left nearly two months after I first spotted them.

March 11, 2015

These mushrooms, being edible goodies, bring people out in the Fall to forage for them. While they can be found at any time, they are most prevalent in the Fall, growing on dead hardwood trees or logs in temperate areas all around the world, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. 

The Oyster Mushroom is often used in Asian cooking, and sometimes made into a sauce similar to oyster sauce. They have a soft, chewy texture with somewhat of a seafood taste, making them perfect for seafood dishes and stock. They are best harvested when young because as they age they become tough and unpleasant tasting.  

Oyster mushroom trivia:

• Now cultivated around the world, they were first cultivated in Germany during WWI as subsistence food.
• They are one of the few carnivorous mushrooms; they actually devour the nematodes residing on the host log. They hit them with a toxin then suck out their juices.  
• Oyster refers to the shape of the cap which is similar to that of an oyster shell.

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Quote of the Week

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. - Abraham Lincoln

While there are many people and events that influence you, no one is going to be more instrumental to your success than you.  It is up to you to be your biggest champion, to come to terms with and resolve any issues that stand in the way of your goals.





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Quote of the Week

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. - William Arthur Ward

This is a variation on whether the glass is half full or half empty with one difference.  In addition to the half-empty pessimist and the half-full optimist, we have the realist. The realist is the one who views all the angles and adapts to the current situation.

This lake is particularly fickle, and the wind can be blowing one minute and dead the next. The boat next to you may catch the wind and leave you sitting still. The realist looks at the surrounding conditions and makes the appropriate adjustments.



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Quote of the Week

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax. - Abraham Lincoln.

Okay, who thinks this has anything to do with chopping down a tree? Maybe it's about always keeping your axes sharp?

I think it is about being prepared for the task ahead. If you have a project to complete or problem to solve and are running on a deadline, it pays to take some time to prepare so you are not working out the solution on the fly.

Bottom line... being prepared will help you accomplish your tasks more easily.



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