Fungus Amongus

I hate spring. Brown, wet, cold, rainy, stormy, grey, ugly, litter, dirt, mud, yuk. There is no springy new feeling for me, not even with the buds on the trees because it's still chilly and dismal. I'd rather have snow all through spring and then jump right to summer.

I was driving home from work this week in the wet, cool weather and the smell in the air reminded me of the one thing I do get excited about in the spring in MN/WI...I texted my brother, "Are the morels out yet?!" He said that he found a nice bunch of them the other day. When I got home, Matt and Marek greeted me at the garage and before even giving them kisses, I ran into the yard to see if our lawn had any morels. Every year we find a few while mowing the lawn and we think it's because of some old elm trees that died and were cut down when Matt first moved in. Once Matt spotted one, we could see them all! We got a nice bowl full and fried them up for a midnight snack! Glorious!






I'll brave the mud and the rain and the ticks for these beauties any day! Thank God for spring in Wisconsin!

Sun City

Our trip to Arizona couldn't come fast enough for us! Both Matt and I were really looking forward to a break from our jobs and felt the need to spend quality time with family. We had a wonderful time! It felt SO GOOD to have the hot sun on our faces for a few days and it really was just what we needed. We wished we could have stayed for a few more days but we know that we'll be back soon, I'm sure just in time for another break from Wisconsin weather.

Marek did pretty good overall except that he has a hard time sleeping when he's not in his crib at home. Papa Jim calls him "Smiley" which he certainly is. No matter how tired or worn out he is, he is always smiling and "agreeable" as his doctor calls him. Jim picked us up at the airport in Phoenix and drove us to his house in Sun City where we rested for the afternoon and prepared for a nice BBQ with all his friends. It was so neat to see the house in real life after hearing all about it and seeing pictures over the past year of all the work that they have been doing.



We took a couple of day trips driving across the desert into the mountains. The red rocks in Sedona were beautiful and I wish we had time to take some hikes away from the commercial city strip. We also enjoyed a nice dinner on Lake Pleasant and next time we visit I'd love to go on a sailboat ride with my husband. Sun City was a great place to be as well! There is so much going on so close by. As a retirement community, Sun City has community centers where you can find everything from swimming pools to table tennis to bowling alleys and art studios of every kind. Another thing to think about for the next trip...exploring more of the art in the area! I am looking forward to our next trip to Arizona. The house is a great home-base for trips to other areas nearby including the Grand Canyon which I've always wanted to see. So much to do, so little time...but I really did enjoy just laying low, catching up on sleep and my book, and being with my family with no worries on my mind.

















Our week was overshadowed by the absence of Barb. You could see her touch everywhere in the house and it was difficult to see unfinished projects that she was so excited to get her hands on. I wish she could have been there with us to see our reaction to all the hard work they put into obtaining their dream home. She would have had so much fun playing with the babies, taking walks, showing off her family to all of her friends and cooking for all of us. I'd trade the extra five pounds I would have gained for just five minutes of her with us.