Sounds like a Christmas Carol, right?  That’s not what I’m going for here.  Afterall, we just celebrated The Resurrection.  It will be a few months before we celebrate His birth again.  Let’s enjoy this season and the wonders it entails, such as…

Can the pursuit of Morel Mushrooms in Michigan inspire one to answer some of life’s thought-provoking questions?  I’d like to think that indeed it can.

While I enjoy a few mushrooms in various foods, the real draw is the challenge of the hunt and the feeling of satisfaction when success is finally achieved.  The interpretation of said success will vary greatly depending on the pursuers experience and expectations.  For one who has had little success, the bar is set quite low.  I’m referring to myself here.  For clarity, two years ago I got lost while searching for the elusive Morel, and in the end, only returned with one battered mushroom.  I learned a few important lessons in the process, such as, look at the position of the sun when you start.  This works if the clouds don’t occlude the sun upon your attempted return to the starting point.  I also learned that sound bounces all over the place between hills and valleys amidst the many trees and uneven ground and is not a reliable source for orientation.  (Yes, I texted my husband to lay on the horn of his truck to guide me in finding my way back, to no avail.  It only caused me to experience a few moments of panic as I thought the sound was coming from one direction, only to hear it from the opposite direction with further honking.)  Thank goodness I had my cell phone on me and was able to google my location and reach out to my husband for guidance.  Obviously, I made my way out and tread a little more carefully these days.

This spring, we have gone out a couple of times in search of Morels, traveling considerable miles on local two tracks without success.  Despite fighting off numerous mosquitoes and black flies, we at least got some fresh air and a little exercise as I strive to seek the positive in this adventure.  We even brought home a few ticks, warranting the notorious naked tick dance in the end.

So, you may ask, what inspiration was achieved by this experience?  We affirmed the premise that the grass is indeed not always greener on the other side when after our lengthy Morel hunting expeditions, we found a couple dozen or so Morels in our very own yard!    This also goes along with what Dorothy said repeatedly so many years ago… “There’s no place like home.”  And when I really thought about it, this reminder was validated on opening day of trout season this year when I caught a nice Brown Trout right in our creek.  (I only caught 1 Brown in our creek all last summer!)  It was a nice kick-off to Spring-Summer 2025.  Now for a little more warmth so I can get my garden in!