The Ignorant Angler

Hunger motivated a trip to the garage this afternoon. While rummaging around in the freezer I found a bag.   I unzipped it, and out wafted the aroma of early autumn.  Damp and earthy.  A heavenly paradox, considering that we're barely one hundred eighty degrees seasonally from that other equinox.
Flashback to last autumn.  It was late afternoon, we were bumping our way out of the mountains on a dirt and gravel road.  I despise road hunting.  That day I made an exception.  Jo drove slowly, we scanned the road edge for our quarry.
A ha!  There!  And then, a couple more. White.  Egg shaped.   Shaggy mane mushrooms. Finding them is almost like finding presents under the tree at Christmas.
In our neck of the woods they usually appear in early fall, usually after the first rainy or snowy cold snap in September.  Years ago I found some along the Cassiar Highway in Northern British Columbia in late July.  But then, that's cooler, wetter country.
These mushrooms don't last long, e…

What would you do if you had planned an elaborate dinner and the guest of honor failed to show up? It happened just the other day.  I got up early, real early, o.k. ridiculously early, say before 3 a.m., just to make a special trip to pick up said guest of honor.   I drove a couple of hours in the dark, first on pavement, then on several miles of bumpy, pothole infested "road".  Then, it was boot sole time. Down one hill and up another, to our appointed meeting place.  Did I mention that it was steep? Along the way, I slipped, fell, and bruised my…."ego". Square edged rocks leave peculiar, persistent marks on ones butt.  My "ego" is still sore.

I had even offered to make it easy.   I offered to carry said guest all the way back to the vehicle. On my back. But he failed to show.  Bastard.

Maybe he didn't like wild turkey picatta.  Or a nice white sauce that included morels and fresh chives.  Perhaps it was the wild rice?  Surely it couldn't have be…