Rain brought in some mushrooms :)

There are two important factors to having good mushrooms growing in the forests. One factor is having it rain, and the other is for the weather to be warm enough with some sun. Now we had it rain for a few days and a little bit of warmth, but now it is pretty cold outside all day and night. So for the one day that it was good enough conditions, we went out into the forest and found some mushrooms. It was really quite odd though, and only by accident that we even went looking. you see it has been very cold here and we haven't been seeing even many of the bad mushrooms outside, let alone the good edible ones. I was out in the forest the other day and while throwing some old bread under one of the pine trees for the birds, I noticed a large Birch Bolete, so we went hunting :) As we wandered through the woods we found some more Birch Boletes and some Orange Birch Boletes and one or two Chanterelles. Here is a picture of an Orange Birch Bolete that we found.

As you can see from the picture above, the Orange Birch Bolete has an orangeish-redish kind of cap as opposed to the tan or brown cap for the regular Birch Bolete. Magda made an awesome mushroom soup out of what we found as usual :) *Correction Magda sauteed mushrooms, it wasn't a soup because she didn't add any water. I have different tastes than her in mushrooms, and when it comes to mushroom soup I just tend to like the mushrooms that make the soup more crunchy, and the Birch Boletes do that. When we are out mushroom hunting we will often find many inedible mushrooms, and some that are edible that we will have to identify, so we walk past them. We might pick one on occasion to bring home and identify, and we might just take a picture because a mushroom looks cool. The following little mushroom we find sometimes when we are out hunting. It is small, and white, and translucent, and pretty cool. I doubt it is edible but we always like seeing them in the woods. 

This was probably the last time we will go out mushroom hunting this year. The rain has moved in, and the ground is wet, but it is just too cold outside to allow for any good mushroom growth. Magda went out looking today and did not find anything to be proud of. I will definitely be missing the edible bounty when I am out on my walks, but the change in scenery always allows for some good photography. I am looking forward to taking some pictures of birch trees without their leaves and the snow when it starts to fall. Lydia loves the snow and is always asking "When will the snow come, and my birthday?!" Her birthday is December 23rd. Lydia's school is not very far from our house, maybe a mile or a mile and a half. We have promised her that when the snow starts to fall and the ground gets covered a little bit I will take her to school on her sled. This will be a lot of fun for her, and a little bit of a 'Rocky 4' kind of workout for me :) Well off to bed now so good night :) or of course good morning :).

IKEA is the Arch Nemesis for Mila The Destroyer

I explained in a past blog that we are always searching for that perfect piece of furniture, but that sometimes we just have to settle for what will help us out at the moment, and this is it. Mila The Destroyer is full of mischief and just cannot be watched and yelled at 24/7, so you just have to pick your battles. We settled for this piece from IKEA because it allows for her to get to some of the stuff on the bottom levels and still allows for us to keep some things out of her reach and path of destruction. If you look closely at the the small stack ontop of the structure in the upper left hand corner you can see a stack of wood block puzzles. Now the puzzles are/will be fun to play with her as she develops a little bit more, but for now they are fun for her to dump on the ground and run away. In about the middle of the picture you can also see a pink basket full of foam puzzle pieces which she would also normally dump and run, or break apart if together and run away, but she has not been messing with this basket at all :) We also picked up a few other items for her to play with/on. 

The table which is next to Tickle Me Elmo has two chairs to go with it, but we decided to put them away for now because Mila was using them as her own personal house stools. Mila is of course an excellent climber, but she is also resourceful and will use other objects to boost her height and we just weren't thinking at the time we got the chairs. Now the storage box to the right is where we keep most of the plush toys and teddy bears out of sight. But The storage box rolls out and is definitely one of Mila's favorite things to empty and climb inside of. One thing that we have gained around the house by having more furniture, is a little more time delay before a mess happens, by forcing Mila to take the time and open a drawer or a cabinet before trashing the area. We are also pretty good at using our ears around the house listening to particular noises, the metal handles on some drawers and cabinets make heavy metal sounds and the scraping of a drawer opening are pretty pronounced. So when we hear something about to get trashed we can jump to action and tell Mila no, which sometimes works. :) Putting things out of reach and out of sight doesn't work as well as it used to, as Mila can climb well, and now she has a tendency to ask to be picked up so she can see what is not in view. Mila The Destroyer is pretty good at telling you she is upset or tired, as I mentioned her attacks before, but she is also pretty good at throwing tantrums. One of my favorite tantrums is what I have labeled 'The floor protest' in which she will drop to the floor screaming and pounding and thrashing for about a minute. Magda and I just laugh because we will take something away from her, and she will drop to the ground and we say "oh a floor protest" :). Well the little destroyer is taking a well deserved nap right now and I have to get back to some things, so good morning :)

Poland's interest in Halloween is growing

10 years ago any mention of Halloween in Poland would have been strongly condemned as Paganism, and would not go very far in conversation other than scoffing at the children having fun. I am very glad to see that today we are met with the same outrage but we also have a lot more people celebrating Halloween :) Religious extremism pops up at times here in Poland, this time it is for Halloween, which is largely just a day for kids to have fun. The reality is that this world has many different people from many different religious and geographical backgrounds, and by condemning holidays and beliefs we are not bringing this world any closer to peace. Now I am not saying that you should like Halloween or even participate in it if you are living in Poland but for us parents and grandparents we should not teach our children to hate it. You see, this world could actually be a Utopian society, if as parents and leaders, and respected members of society we did not teach hatred. Children will absorb everything that you do and say in life, and if you preach about hatred of certain individuals, or groups, or ideals then those children will do the same when they are older. If you go into a diverse kindergarten or preschool environment, with kids from different backgrounds and countries the kids will not care about the color of other kids' skin. All kids know is how to have fun and that maybe some of their friends look a little bit different than they do. Take a high school sports team, for example, the players don't care about where people come from, they just want to get out there and win as a team. So as more people in Poland learn how to check their passions at the gate and welcome a little fun for the kids, this country can open up a little bit and be a little more peaceful. My family still plans on celebrating All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day this year, as well. I do enjoy the positive side of religion, which in my mind is about bringing people together to live life in an honest and peaceful way. So when we talk about holidays, why should we have the right to tell people which ones they can celebrate and which ones they cannot while still believing this is right? Who are we to say that because you are not a part of our religion that you cannot celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? I chose to promote peace, prosperity, and respect among people I meet, and I hope that their beliefs do the same without looking down upon other groups of people, or individuals, who were not born into a good life. I often ponder what was my past life, was it in poverty or abundance, and how did I chose to live? And if you ask my wife what do I ask for as gift for my birthday, or Christmas, she would roll her eyes and repeat for you "peace on Earth, and goodwill towards man." So lighten up a little bit, laugh at the kids costumes or pretend to have as much enthusiasm and imagination as they did putting them together, and throw some candy at them if they come :) And most of all just choose to be happy and don't just promote more hatred through Facebook posts.

This is by the way my pumpkin, which is supposed to by inside of an American football helmet :). Well goodnight everyone or to some good morning :)

Warsaw Eagles holding tryouts this weekend!

The Warsaw Eagles are the oldest American Football club here in Poland. They had a club and a group of people playing football long before it was popular in Poland, at a time when if you said football it was related to kicking that black and white ball around on the ground. Well American football continues to grow every year in Poland expanding the group of players and fans that admire them, and the teams and organization of the Warsaw Eagles has seen the same huge jumps. Every year teams in the same regions tend to merge and forge better teams and new teams join the leagues bringing in new talent and new joy to the sport. Polish people are big and strong and when they really learn to embrace the kind of lifting they need for football the excitement will grow further. I have only been living in Poland full time since March but I have noticed the older learned methods of weightlifting are really geared towards bodybuilding or the national Olympic lifting team. I have seen this start to change and the players and starting to lift in a way to really improve their athletic ability with football specific training, which is really exciting. The gyms here in Poland need to get better too though so that they can provide the right environment for the athletes to train in. I really love American football, wasn't that obvious already? When I was a much younger kid playing HS football in the US all that I could think about was the NFL. I grew up watching movies like 'Rudy' which is ok, but later I discovered 'The Program'. 'The Program' IS football to anyone who knows the sport and for anyone interested in the sport should watch the movie. Great set of characters in the movie, great set of ideals and great head coach played by James Caan. I think that if you want to know what goes on in the head of an American football player you should watch how the movie plays out. For the hopeful kids wanting to make something out of themselves there is Alvin Mack played by Duane Davis, who is just an awesome and brutal defensive back. Steve Lattimer played by Andrew Bryniarski is a great representation of what can happen to you when taking steroids and how addicting that can be. And Darnell Jefferson played by Omar Epps, who is a troubled youth who turns his life around and gets some amazing opportunities in life largely because of his ability as a football player. I have already spoken about the life long friendships you build by playing football but I have not spoken much about the coaches. I just want to say that the coaches I have met in life in playing football or weightlifting have been the most encouraging and motivating people that I know. Coaches are teachers of their discipline and guide students and players with their knowledge and experience, and there is no way that I would be anywhere near the athlete or respectful individual I have been in the past or future without good help along the way. Coaches also sacrifice a lot in the way of personal time and often low pay to help guide the younger kids in the right path, so try to show some respect and listen when you are on the field or in the gym. I still stay in touch with my high school football coach, who is a mentor, continuing lifting and football coach, but more importantly he is a life-long friend and I think he would help me out in any way he could. Be passionate about whatever you choose to do in life, respect those who deserve it and for those trying to help you say thank you. Well friends good night or to some good morning :)

Weightlifting, country music and whiskey

So now that the football season is over I can dedicate much more time to my lifting. Weightlifting is a sport and an activity that I know a lot about, and take seriously. I may dedicate a separate blog to lifting so as to not bore my friends that could care less about it as a subject. Anyways for the not initiated lifting is great because it is a sport in itself and it can really play a positive role in your life making you healthier and reduce your risk of injury. Did I say country music? Hell Yeah, turn it up! Magda went to the US and when she came back she downloaded all of her favorite new country songs from the trip. I really don't need to be reminded how much I love my wife, but every so often I really do fall in love with her again :) Country music is something that really grows on you when you find the right songs. There is a huge range of what is even considered country music today, and if you are not familiar you really need to listen to a range of different songs to find out if you are interested. I would say country music is like POP music with an awesome accent and great songs spoken from the heart. Country music isn't about bragging about what you have or changing the world, Country music is about love, sadness, and having fun with big trucks, partying hard in the sticks with loud music, beer, whiskey or bourbon and fields and rivers to play in :) If you are someone who doesn't drink I respect that. Not everyone drinks due to personal choices, religious beliefs or recovery of enjoying alcohol without moderation and without responsibility. I hope the best for everyone and hope that everyone has the freedom to do what they enjoy and I do enjoy the occasional drink. One of my favorite mentions of whiskey is in a Willy Nelson song 'Whiskey river don't run dry'. Which is really just about drowning out the sadness of a lost love in alcohol. Someday I may play around with a still in the woods and try to make my own moonshine whiskey. I think I have somewhat fallen in love with the the TV series called Moonshiners, which is based in the Southern US and is about making moonshine. In Poland I have tried a number of different flavored liquors and have made a few myself. The problem is that for many of these drinks it requires either a certain amount of Vodka or pure spirit to make the drink and they are not exactly cheap. So I think if I can figure out how to use a still and make my own it will reduce the cost and maybe increase the ability to make something that I like more than just what is available. So yeah the still is going to be installed somewhere, someday but it will likely require a lot of negotiation with Magda. I even have a neighbor who is interested in putting a still together and making some moonshine so it is just inevitable :) Well good night for now or good morning :)

Reunited with my lovely wife finally :)

It is really nice to have the whole family back together again. Magda is already starting to notice some of the differences in how Mila the Destroyer acts compared to three weeks ago. For one The Destroyer is now fully aware of how to get a DVD playing. Mila also knows that the two remote controls are involved, so she brings them to you. Mila also knows the for the TV to work you must have a disk in the player so she will bring you a DVD case, walk you over to the player and open the DVD case for you. If she is bored with the current movie then she will walk you into her sisters room, motion for you to pick her up so she can be closer to the DVD rack hanging on the wall, and she will make a new selection :) The cats have also put on some weight while Magda was gone but I don't think I had anything to do with that, what I think is that they sense cold winter and their tiny bodies and brains say hey I need to get fat this time of year right? I am also probably responsible for putting away some clothing incorrectly in Lydia's room. Yes I still have a hard time figuring out the difference in some of the clothing for my girls, and will put some of the large t-shirts we have for Mila into Lydia's stuff. Our girls are currently going through a little bit of a growth spurt and we have been getting both of them some bigger clothes, which also doesn't help for my putting away of the clothes. Mila the Destroyer is also cutting some teeth right now which means more moodiness, changing of t-shirts more often from her constant zombie like drooling all over them, and her finding more toys and things to shove into her mouth to make the pain feel better. This is quite normal of course unless you are looking all over the house to see where her new teething toys have gone, you really never know where you might find a spatula, rubber basting brush, wooden spoon or any other soft handled or tipped object. So now that Magda is back from her trip mama Ewa is off the hook for feeding me. It is sad to know that I won't be forced to eat a bunch of food right now but I am happy to have my wife to cook for me again :) Magda is also remembering just how fun it is to deal with Lydia and her ability to ignore everything that you say because Lydia of course knows better than you. I love my daughters and really wish that Lydia would try a little harder to listen. Well Mila decided to tell us in her own special way last night that she was ready for bed by splashing around in the kitty water bowls, which is always fun to clean up. At the moment the Destroyer is asleep in her crib and Magda is out mushroom hunting :) Yes after being away for several weeks she has been itching to get out into the woods and try to find us some little friends for a soup later :) She just got back so here are some mushroom pictures :) Well friends good morning or to some a late good night :)

The Football season is over, now the serious weightlifting begins!

The PLFA 8 American football ball season has come to an end and our Warsaw Eagles ended up in fourth place. We started the day off in pouring rain and promise of a mud bowl wetting our appetite for destruction. In the championship tournament we played two different teams, and we lost to each team in tough battles that saw the winning team change hands several times. Football is a team sport filled with an immense level of strategy, and it is a group effort, and it comes down to every person out on the field giving it their all to try to outwit and out battle the opponent. Sometimes out on the field you might think that the smallest block and pass route on offense doesn't matter, and you might not be important in that play, but you actually end up being the difference between a gain of two yards and a 40 yard touchdown run. Football is a way of life, a passion, some people even call it their religion. Football is a sport that teaches leadership, self improvement, discipline, and comradery all in the guise of having fun. Football is also a sport that teaches you about loosing. The only way you can really learn to better yourself in life is if you learn how to deal with loosing and what you make of it. With the sudden reality of the end of a football season it is not uncommon to see a grown man cry and yes real men do cry. I cry as it is the end of something special, something shared with a great group of people. With the season over I hope to put a lot of time in the weight room, fields and woods and anywhere else I can train to make myself a better athlete. We are not all going to be recognized as winners and get our names posted in the papers and media. We are not all going to sign contracts with the NFL and manufacturers of sports drinks and protein powders. We are however going to better ourselves as human beings, and relish in the lasting friendships we have made doing battle out on the field. There is no better gift in life than friendship. Being an American and playing football here in Poland, I hope that some of my experience and advice and love for this game has rubbed off on some of the people here. I also hope that this sport continues to build in the country, much more than what it has already become. I also hope that all of the Polish players reading this translate it well and take my lessons to heart, and also take themselves into the weight room :) This week I will wash my gear, lick my wounds, and plan on how to better myself. What is on your to do list this week? Mila the Destroyer and Lydia are out playing in the yard with Mama, and tomorrow night is finally the arrival of my lovely wife after three weeks apart :) So to all have a good evening or good morning :) Oh and yes Mila is enjoying her new battle equipment since daddy won't be needing it for a while.