WaMu has trademarked "Whoo hoo"

I had to give it a second look. It was a banner on top of Calculated Risk, a website I read about economics and finance.

An ad from WaMu, short for Washington Mutual Bank, advertised their WaMu Free Checking (trademarked). As I glanced at the ad I thought I saw a trademark symbol after the word "Whoo hoo!" but wasn't sure. I clicked on the ad which became large enough for this reader to see while wearing glasses with an outdated prescription.

Sure enough, at the far right of the ad (the green area) it appears they have trademarked the word "Whoo hoo!"

This can not be. It's not right.

Trademark or no, I'm going to keep saying my own style of "Whoo hoo!" whenever it feels appropriate to me.

Writing Alone...

I'm reading Writing Alone and With Others by Pat Schneider. I'm on page 33 but it is the best book I've read thus far on the subject. The first chapter, "Feeling and Facing Fear," contains three exercises, one of which I did today during a long soak in our claw foot bathtub.

I ran into a friend at Emerson's soccer game this past Saturday. He mentioned that he read my blog and, while I'd be less than honest if I didn't admit a tiny thrill, I immediately felt like I had to apologize--and did--for not posting in two months. He "noticed" and asked if I "lacked initiative." Ouch.

I explained that I need a chunk of uninterrupted time to clear my head and 'process', it's a struggle for me. I lamented that the 'Floyd bloggers' are people that regularly post (as bloggers tend to do). Shoot, most are published authors and/or former professional journalists. If the 'club' doesn't intimidate me, then posting daily certainly does.

The thing is, I just want to do my own thing. I struggle to keep my teeter-totter balanced, but don't we all? Some days are better than others. Like today.

Getting back to the writing exercise, it was fruitful and will be posted soon. I have two more exercises to go before I'll allow myself to start the next chapter--which I'm dying to read. Ms. Schneider understands my dual fears of success and failure pertaining to writing.

Almost Spring Cleaning

Yes, indeed. It's almost Spring, wahoo! We have tackled major house cleaning for a visit by my Dad, not for the return of Spring. A relative is coming to visit!

There are various levels of cleaning:

1. Cleaning for Everyday - vacuuming downstairs & putting stuff away and/or stowing it somewhere to put away later.

2. Cleaning on Sunday - add bathrooms, putting away stuff on the stairway, seasonal yard work, and vacuuming upstairs every other weekend.

3. Cleaning for a Job-related Visit or Friends - add bathrooms the day of the meeting, put on a fresh tablecloth on the kitchen table, double-check the downstairs is 'tidy,' make the boys' put away belongings, maybe even light a candle or make a pot of tea, and last...

4. Cleaning for a visit from family - add dusting (my favorite!), wipe down woodwork & kitchen cabinets, clean the fridge, mop the kitchen floor, eliminate leftover dust bunnies & cobwebs from under beds and high on the ceiling--including standing on tiptoes on the bed or at the top of the stairs to dust ceiling fans, put away 'stuff' scattered about the farm, and in general give the place the illusion of a clean and clutter-free home....

Cleaning for relatives is a killer.

My Dad isn't getting the full treatment that was given for a visit by my Sister last July, my Aunt & Uncle last August and for my Mom & Step-Dad last November. We cleaned for five days before my sister & mom got here. "We" was mostly me, with assistance from The Guys. Scott always cleans the fridge for which I am grateful.

This time we cleaned for two days. Maybe it was because of those visits that we didn't need to clean as much, or it could be that we weren't such filthy people this winter.

The house almost looks good enough to sell, in an 'as is,' this is Floyd kind of way.

Scott's parents are coming late May. We'll add 'pressure clean the outside' to #4. There'll be colorful flowers and the grass and trees will be green. The illusion of the bucolic farmhouse in the country will be in full force, and as it is said, may the force be with you.

Summer of 44 to 45

[Note: This was a draft post written 7/13/07. Today I decided "What the h*ll, why not?!" That statement reflects my current frame of mind and is apropos.]

I spent the month of June wearing lavender, or at least I tried. In July, it's red. Today it's red with hot pink--with purple eye pencil to boot. And I think I look good!

I'm too young for the purple and red hat ladies, but I'm getting there. I eyed my dark pink pants in my closet and this funky red sweater I recently picked up at Goodwill (my favorite store), and thought, "Hey, how about wearing that new cool sweater with them?"

Red and pink usually go together only on Valentine's cards. Not today. So simple that wearing something like red and pink together makes me feel like George in that semi-famous line from Seinfeld, "I'm out there, Jerry, and I'm loving it!!"
[Photo courtesy of freelancebloke at Flickr]

Whoopee Do

Is that how you spell it? I don't know. I haven't said that in years, and yet, it just came out of my head and I KNOW it shows my age. Who cares.

I like my age, mostly. Actually, I do like my age--being 45 is so much better than being 35 (for me), but it's the sagging jaw line and the rest that I can do without. I heard on NPR recently--of all places--that Botox did $1B in sales last year. I told my husband that one of my two railroad track furrows, the lovely twin parallel marks between eyebrows, is named "Spencer."

Spencer is a good kid, really, but not a kid so much anymore. He's been a great son. Parenting this stage when he's nearly 18 and most decisions are biggies while trying to nudge him towards life without pushing too hard, well, my left furrow is deeper and more furrow-like than it used to be.

Whoopee do.

[Photo: http://flickr.com/photos/nicklawes/]

Down, Up and In-between

A new year can feel exhilarating and so full of promise.

We're barely into 2008 but we've had enough 'life experience' that it seems the first month should be over. Bring on February, please.

We knew this month would prove challenging; our new individual "L" (male, age 37) moved in 12/29 and we're knee deep in adapting to new schedules, meds, and appointments, our oldest son began attending Virginia Western Community College two days a week (we are his sole transportation), and my husband is juggling giving guitar lessons (a newly condensed schedule) with helping with the new guy (and counting inventory at his music store). Simply put, we have a lot going on.

The year lost its zing and fresh appeal on the second day. I received one of those crappy phone calls, my Uncle had passed that morning. His death, at 54, was unexpected. In fact, when I heard the tone of my Mom's voice I thought she called to say my 89 year old Grandma had passed and braced myself (as I have been for a few years).

Instead of reorganizing my office (which we pulled apart New Year's Eve - Scott encouraged me to empty the room of every pile of paper and stack of 'stuff' to purge, file and organize), the first weekend of the year was spent driving 1000 miles to attend the viewing, funeral and burial of my Uncle. Spencer came along to share the driving and doubled his previous highway driving mileage (with noticeable improvement).

We returned home Sunday feeling physically and emotionally drained. Spencer's first day of college and a dr's appointment for the new guy were the next day.

The last two weeks have been a blur and the few dreams I've had have been weird.

We're getting better at the new routines and I'm keeping up with double paperwork. We've lined up regular respite care two days each week for the new guy (with his previous Providers). Emerson (youngest son) has been a trooper. I'm slogging through stacks of my jun--stuff wondering why I keep so darn much and doing my level best to listen to my sweet husband who was born Naturally Organized. We've watched some football (understatement), whoo-hoo Patriots! I talked to my Aunt last Thursday, she feels numb but is surrounded by caring friends and family. Thank heavens. Spencer takes the road test for his license this Friday and inventory is complete at The Pickin' Porch and the store is up for sale. Fingers crossed!

Getting ready for next year

A baker's dozen of unpublished posts rambling in my head and two months later, we're fast approaching the end of the year. This seems to happen with increasing regularity.

The Christmas rush and pressure is over--all except thank-you notes, which will be written and mailed within a week. We don't usually put away Christmas decorations and take down our tree until we're knee deep into January (three years ago we left the tree up with the lights on it until Valentine's Day), though my husband and I had a discussion just yesterday about doing it earlier and getting on with our lives.
Heck, yesterday when we were shopping for items needed for our new 'individual' moving in Saturday 12/29, I bought a drawer organizer for my perpetually sloppy sock and underwear drawer. I 'organize' it every January and it lasts for two weeks. I must mean business if I'm buying gadgets to help me be--and stay--more organized. Shoot, it's not even 2008 yet.

It crossed my mind that I should post before and after photos, but I'll stick with the tiny photo borrowed from Creative Commons. You get the idea.

Here's a post on sorting your socks (or not) by a professional organizer with a good tip for people with ADD.

Struggling 'blogger' surfaces...

to write another day. That would be me. I start, get on a roll and stop. Repeat. Why? I don't know. Part of it is my frenetic life but I'll spare you the details (some of which make it into a post here and there), yet don't we all have crazy lives? Some are crazier than others.

Part of my lack of blogging is that I expect too much of myself. Yes, darn high expectations get me every time. I think I need to write a wonderful essay for each and every post. Some bloggers do, some don't. Some write a thought in a few sentences, perhaps add a photo and that is a daily post. That doesn't seem right for me. If you've read any of my previous posts you'll see that I struggle with brevity. Some writers get their point across in a sentence whereas I take a paragraph--or two. I wanted 'to learn brevity' in '07 and have exactly 71 days left. No rush, no pressure. As farmers say, maybe next year.

Another 'issue' I have with blogging is that it's called a blog, for Pete's sake (where did that expression come from and who was Pete?). What is a blog? You probably know that it's a hybrid blend of the words web and log, but to say you're a 'blogger' means what, really? Every time I've said 'I blog,' what I would rather say is, "I write short essays that I post online even if only twenty-nine people--on a good day--read it." But that sounds pretentious and it's a mouthful.

Every time I get on a roll and start to think that I might be a blogger, that I have potential, I allow my crazy wife-mom-of-two-sons-full-time-foster-care-provider life to take over. The Critic in my head stands up and crankily shouts, "What the hell are you doing trying to write?" The critic continues, though I wish it would shut up, "You should clean the house, make dinner, do your paperwork or drive A to Z." Writing usually takes last priority, thus I can't possibly be a writer. Writers make writing a top priority and always find time to write. Whole books have been written on that subject.

My last issue with blogging (I really don't like that word), is I've come to believe that I need to do it under my own name instead of hiding behind my vices. Dark Chocolate and Red Wine is a title I like, but I don't write exclusively about either of them. The Lisa Kae Van Meter Perry site is too long to say, search or find even if it is my full name. Lisa Perry doesn't fully describe me. LisaKVPerry might work. Scott's Wife might even work, since half of Floyd knows me as such. Imagine finally 'making it' one day and being introduced at a conference or on a talk show...and our next presenter/guest is Scott's Wife!

Stay tuned.

Wisdom from Tea

What is it with some tea companies? They smartly impart snippets of wisdom, or just darn good quotes or thoughts on tea bag labels (Yogi Tea) and underneath bottle caps. It always gives me something to ponder and sometimes makes me smile which is probably the point. In the last two weeks, thanks to Honest Tea, I've enjoyed the refreshing Sublime Mate (pronounced mah' tay). It is organic yerba mate flavored with organic lime juice and organic ginger syrup. As the label says it's just "a tad sweet". It tastes oh, so good on an oh, so hot day. Recent quotes gleaned from the bottle caps:

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"He who wonders discovers that this in itself is wonder." - M.C. Escher

"The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one." - Elvis Presley

Honest Tea comes in several delightful flavors, and is sure to please while giving you something to consider. An added bonus, the company is committed to social responsibility and is Fair Trade Certified. Nice. Sure beats Lipton, owned by "multi-local multinational" Unilever. I'm sure Unilever does some good in this day and age where it's "PC" to do so, but they also have a page on their site that addresses chemicals found in everyday products. No thanks.

[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]

On a hot day...

...it's good to think about snow for a couple minutes, but this isn't a meditation exercise. This was taken just down the road from our farm in Floyd County on Sunday, April 15. The day was crisp and innocent (although it was usually "Tax Day", so not entirely easy on the mind), and none us knew then what would happen the next day. But on this one day, we celebrated what was most likely the last snowfall since we were then knee-deep into Spring.

[Emerson took the picture of the cows, I took the top one.]

A 'B' or Not a 'B', That's the Question

A new blog fan said he "appreciated my commentary on political issues" and encouraged me to continue. They had home schooled four kids all the way through (hear my wild applause), so I had to reply. I thanked him for his kind words and said that he was right, I do wonder if anyone reads my "blatherings" (borrowed from Scott) and worse, it ticks me off that it matters to me. They now have three kids in college. Kudos to them. He said I should run for the School Board. My first thought was "That's a good one," followed by "Hmmm."

To be a member of the School Board it seems you need to be a Floyd native or highly credentialed. I am neither. It would be my hope that the board listens to parents and takes into consideration issues that they discuss. For instance: Why does Floyd County have a strict grading scale? I've heard the board wanted to set high standards and that parents have tried to address this question at board meetings for several years. The topic comes up often in local school discussions. Of the several people I've talked to, only one person likes the scale (her child is near perfect) and I won't print her name. The rest of us think it punishes students since it impacts their GPA. Others have accepted it. If you aren't familiar with the grading scale, here it is: A - 95-100, B - 88-94, C - 80-87 and so on. None of the surrounding counties have a similar scale. In Riner and Blacksburg, a 92 is an A and an 87 is a B.

The school administration will tell you that prospective colleges read the grading scale on the bottom of a graduate's transcript. Do they? On a Floyd County High School report card, you'll need high-powered reading glasses to see the grading scale at the very bottom of the page.

When Spencer graduates and receives his transcript, it will have numerous A's, a few B's and one C (to date). But if you read the fine print, you'll see the B's would have been A's and the C would have been a B in Montgomery County. When he applies to college, will his transcript be treated the same as someone from another county or do they set aside the Floyd County applicants and recalculate what their grades and GPA would have been had they gone to school elsewhere?

[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]

Ice Coffee-Tea

Probably not coming soon to a Starbucks or Republic of Tea near you...I bring you a new summer beverage. Perfect for a hot day, it is Ice Coffee-Tea. What? We've all had Ice Coffee or Ice Tea, but bet you haven't had Ice Coffee-Tea unless you made it yourself, by accident, like I did. It's easy. Simply make a pot of tea in your coffee maker. Pick out your favorite tea bags and pour in the water. Forget to empty the coffee beans from making coffee the day before. Turn the coffee maker on. Discover half-way through a full pot of tea what you did. Choose to be stubborn and not pour it down the sink and start over, but to drink it instead--over ice and with a bit of stevia or honey added for a touch of sweetness. Mmmm, delicious. Think I'll make it again, the next time I forget to check the coffee filter holder thingy.
[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]

Third-party Bloomberg?

The political highlight today was not Hillary Clinton's new campaign theme music, but that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, is now a former Republican and has officially declared himself to be an Independent. The scuttlebutt became how much money he has socked away in his piggy bank--$6 Billion Dollars--therefore it was reported he can afford to spend $1B (perhaps a bit less) on a presidential campaign. It was reported that Mayor Bloomberg wants to focus on being Mayor for the remainder of his term, an Independent Mayor mind you. Yet the Media went on trying to figure out if he ran, could he win? Or if he lost, from whom would he take votes?

Addressing the question of will he run, Bloomberg has name recognition from being Mayor of New York City since the election in 2001. Perhaps more people are familiar with the name Bloomberg from his financial business established twenty-six years ago, but it's more likely people recognize his name from the media. Like Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bloomberg is a media mogul with his own magazine, television program and radio show. He publishes books and has a very popular financial news website, Bloomberg.com. During my mortgage broker years, it was my favorite go-to site for daily financial news and still is.

As important as name recognition, it's vital that the candidate have very deep pockets and/or access to same. Suffice to say, Mr. Bloomberg will never worry if he can pay the mortgage or afford to take a vacation, $6 Billion should cover it. Most people with regular bank accounts could not run for the Oval Office. It doesn't matter that most of us with any sense would not care to run nor want the job.

So let's say that Bloomberg is going to run for President.

Taking a stroll down a painful memory lane, recall that Vice President Al Gore lost the 2000 election by 537 votes in Florida (one source checked said 543 votes). This was in spite of winning the popular vote with 537,179 more votes than the other guy. The irony is Gore lost the election by .10% of the very margin that he won the popular vote. For the record, I'm still not over it, but I somehow manage to get through the day.

Gore could have used another 544+ votes in Florida. Third party candidates in Florida, all 8 of them, received 138,027 total votes. The Socialist Workers party alone received 562 votes. As we learned, there were many extenuating circumstances; the significant number of disenfranchised voters, the fact that 12% of Florida Democrats voted for Bush, and the involvement of the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet the fact remains that third party candidates had an impact on the outcome of the election.

If Bloomberg runs he'll take votes from someone, though there is the off chance he could win. I certainly hope it's from the Republican candidate.

[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]

Rambling, Rambling, Rambling...

I went ahead and put a title in the space, knowing full well this may not be the one that I keep. David St. Lawrence and Colleen Redman's voices were in my head (at the same time--an interesting combination), telling me not to worry. "Just write and the title will form as you go," they said. But as I typed, after David and Colleen were gracious enough to quiet down, the lyrics to "Rawhide" popped into my brain. You know this song, sing along with me (just part of it, be a sport).

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them dogies rollin'
Rawhide!
Rain and wind and weather
Hell-bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride

CHORUS
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Rawhide
Count 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, count 'em out,
Count 'em out, ride 'em in
Rawhide!

Okay. I feel better, you?

What the Hail?!

It is a beautiful late spring day in Floyd County and though it feels like summer, the Summer Solstice is still ten days away. A storm cloud approached, the trees swayed and leaves blew in the wind. The storm blew over so we continued with our outside chores; Scott mulching an asparagus bed and red raspberry patch, while I removed all traces of bindweed from a long row of flowers. We finished our chores just in time to come in before the next storm cloud approached.
This one meant business. The trees swayed, the sky darkened and...what the hail?! Yes, for the second time in a week, Floyd County received hail. For two or three minutes it hailed like a son of a gun, larger than pea-size hail bouncing off the deck and accumulating in corners. Then it was over. Like nothing ever happened.

The sun is back out and I need to stake a forlorn hollyhock lying on the ground.

Last Night's Dreams

My dreams usually don't make sense. As I've become older, I occasionally have a dream that isn't weird, but that's not the norm.

Last night Scott and I watched the movie The Field (1991) starring Richard Harris, who gives a superb performance. We saw the movie before but forgot that it has some disturbing scenes. It's a good movie so I won't ruin it if you want to see it again or for the first time.

Because of the movie, I went to bed with strange images floating through my brain. I told myself to forget them and have a good night's sleep. Sometimes it works.

These were the dreams I recall from last night.

Dream #1 - My family and some unidentified people were in a large room and were expecting an earthquake at any moment. Emerson was strapped to me with a belt--in front so I could hold on to him. Scott and Spencer were several feet away and others were milling about. We all got down on the floor, for some reason, when the quake began. The floor shook and rolled and we could see buildings move outside a window. Furniture slid back and forth but it wasn't disastrous. There was a break for thirty seconds when everything stopped. Then the quake began again, but this time it was the real deal. The floor buckled and cracked into a few large pieces and seemed to be falling into the floor below. Emerson and I were thrown across the room. I could see a building falling over outside the window. Then the dream ended.

Dream #2 - It was pouring rain and I was driving in what seemed to be slow motion on a divided four-lane highway. Coming in the other direction at top speed was a fire engine with lights flashing and sirens blaring, but it was an extra long engine, like tractor trailers you see on the highway that are basically two trucks. I could clearly read Philadelphia Fire Department on the door. Behind the engine was another extra long fire truck. They were approaching a corner in the highway but I knew that they didn't know about it and weren't going to make the turn. As the fire engine entered the corner it hydroplaned and the back slid out. I watched the driver turn the wheel and try to regain control. The vehicle slid into a road and driveway of another fire station. The fire engine crashed and I saw the driver fall out of his door. The passenger was stuck inside. Then the dream was over and I woke up.

Now I ask you, what good comes from dreams like these? They don't help me with my life. I've long called them anxiety dreams. The last couple days were stressful with a problem we had with our live-in client, but not that stressful and the movie wasn't that disturbing. Not enough to warrant experiencing an earthquake with my family and watching fire trucks crash. Nobody died or was killed and sometimes that happens in my dreams, so it could have been worse.

Emerson will be gone at camp for three weeks this summer, perhaps that's why I wanted him connected to me. Hopefully tonight's dreams will be peaceful and shed insight on my life (ha!).

Do you have 'anxiety dreams'?

Stuck in Spin

It's been a month since I've posted. Some blogger I am.

I have this crazy idea that I have to come up with the title first and this often stops me in my tracks. I always have thoughts swirling around in my mind. It would be better to get them out than let them tumble in an endless loop like an ADD word-filled washing machine stuck on spin cycle.

Can you post without a title? I haven't tried.

[Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.]

Oh Relief, I'm off to LEAF!

Apologies for the Seussian post titles I've come up with lately, I'm so creative. More apologies for bad alliteration and heavy use of italics. I love the italic feature.

Scott & Emerson left for LEAF festival (Lake Eden Arts Festival) in Black Mountain, NC on Monday, May 7. I haven't seen my husband in three days, will be four when we get there. I'm aware that's not a vast expanse of time, but Scott and I are not good apart. We like being together. We're a real happily married couple, we're not faking. Now that's established, let's move on.
Scott has been teaching music workshops to kids ages K-6 all week and will perform at LEAF tomorrow night. Emerson, the boy in the hat, has hung out at the festival sight in the mornings and helped as needed while Scott taught. Last night Em spent the night with a new friend.

Spencer, who has promised to finish mowing the lawn before we leave (with a push mower--we're still old school at the Perry farm), will discreetly and overtly take notes on my driving habits on our way to join Scott and Emerson tomorrow before the performance. We'll then have LEAF festival weekend together, not to mention Mother's Day spent with my three guys.

Our client will spend the weekend with respite back-up worker and blogger extraordinaire, Colleen Redman, to whom we'll owe a debt of gratitude and greenbacks. Thank you, Colleen.

Golden 5th CD for Scott

Are you familiar with the term 'golden' birthday? I had never heard this term until we moved to Minnesota when I was in high school. It only happens during your first 28 to 31 years--this should give you a clue--as you celebrate the birthday age of your actual birth date. I was born on the 25th, so my golden birthday was when I turned 25.

My husband released his golden 5th CD on May 5 with a party at the Floyd Country Store. Just like you've heard stories that the best and most solid marriages often experience a slight 'snafu' during the wedding ceremony (ours did--Scott's mom lit our unity candle then quickly blew it out and my mom walked between us on her way back from lighting her candle--captured on video 18 years ago), CD release parties work the same way.

After a lengthy sound check and getting the mics to match the corresponding number on the sound board, guess what? No sound--right when Scott was ready to kick off the evening to the awaiting public. It was a full house--not quite like on Jamboree night, but close. Tom Ohmsen (owner of Flat 5 Studios in Salem) was present and saved the day. Thank you, Tom. He's used to multi-channel sound boards and fancy systems, he tweaked this and that, and took the levels to the max. He made it work so Scott and his crew of musicians could 'get by' and the evening began.

After a couple of frayed nerves (mine more than Scott's), it was a raging success. You missed a special evening if I didn't see you in attendance. Many people think they've heard Scott's repertoire a time or three before. You haven't heard what he played last night. He played new solo material off his new CD 8 Miles to Perryville as well as playing with two new groups that he now fronts. The first, Front Porch Swing (I love the word play, every time I say the name it makes me happy), features Bill Adams (dobro) and Bob Thomas (upright bass). They play country swing and old time rag, including songs like "Dream a Little Dream of Me." It turns out that my husband, the blues guy, can croon. The second group, New Dominion Ramblers, features Tom Ohmsen (mandolin) and Dylan Locke (upright bass) and they play an assortment of jazz and other good stuff. Scott is truly enjoying stretching himself and learning new material.

I may not be 100% accurate with the band genre, but I know what I like and my listening ears, dancing feet, swayin' hips and the rest of me had a heckuva time Saturday night.

Thank you to all the people who came out to support Scott. Thanks also to Amy Adams for videotaping the performances.

[Pictures were taken but haven't yet been uploaded. Soon!]

Oh Swell, Time for Morels!

A couple days ago, Emerson and I took a stroll down to the pond to check out spring peepers and see how many newts he could collect, a very boy thing to do. On our way, a morel mushroom caught my eye.

We had just entered the woods, there were two mushrooms a few feet from the walking & driving path. Walking over to the mushroom to examine it closer, I stepped on another morel by accident. I told Emerson,"Don't move!" We looked around to see that we were in the middle of a mushroom patch.

Later, after we had confirmed with a mycology site and local mushroom expert, Karl Holliday (who was a tad miffed that he was second choice to the internet), that the morels were indeed morels, we picked and dried them. Ours look just like the morels in the photo above. Included the funny photo below after I found it searching through Creative Commons images.