Thankful Thursday: Hunting Season
It's Thankful Thursday.
Gratitude. Appreciation. Praise.
Please join me in a weekly pause
to appreciate people, places & things.
What are you thankful for today?
This land is lush. In August, blackberries. In September, tuna. And now, it's mushroom season.
I live in mushroom country — 70 inches of rain each year makes rich, damp, mushroom earth — and I've turned forager. And like most things in life, it's not the goal but the process that satisfies.
Here, where the forest meets the sea, the woods are thick, immediate. The other evening, at the end of a long day at work, we hike in. For chanterelles — the craggly, coveted fungi with a golden hue.
In just minutes we are surrounded by towering fir and cedar, by old-growth and new moss. Autumn's low-angle sun slices through silhouetted limbs. Hiking up the bank, the air rustles low and slow. My boots crack twigs, thighs brush fern, bird wings flap in the distance. It's this green, this reverent hush, this serene suspension — it is all this I wish to harvest and hold.
I like mushrooms okay, but mostly I like the hunt.
Mushrooms
And God so pleased with their silence
He grants them teeth and tongues.
Like us.
How long have you been gone?
A child’s hot tears on my bare arms.
Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 8:03AM
Reader Comments (4)
Such beautiful writing today, I should be thankful for deeper things, but right this minute, I am thankful for the delicious In n Out protein style cheeseburger I just ate, and thankful that I have lost 13 pounds and was able to afford to eat it! I am thankful I have the rest of the week to myself and that my favorite TV show is on tonight, and that I found sugar-free black licorice. But I'm not *only* shallow, I am thankful that I have a family member that cares enough to always give me ( and my kids) the help we need when we need it, I am thankful that no matter how bad things get, we are always taken care of in the end. I am thankful as I am everyday, for the heath and happiness of my children and my friends, and I am thankful for this cooler day.
So so many things to be thankful for. I appreciate this post every week! :-)
Thank you Val. You're not shallow at all. The pool is big and wide, and has plenty of room for quick dips and deep dives. Nice to have you here!
So fun to learn about your foraging, and wow, Laura Kasischke, wow.
I know, Molly. I can't wait to read more of her work.
Thanks for reading, and responding. Nice to have you here.