Dorothy Brush "Random Thoughts" Published May 14, 2003

I like the small, odd stories

Good news, bad news and some say too much news. As for me I look for the unusual stories that often get very few inches. As a public service to you, I like to share some of that news you may have missed.

Did you know there is a small company in the Dunlap community that manufactures a special parachute called EscapeChute? It is designed to be used to jump from a building in case of a disaster such as a fire or earthquake.

Precision Aerodynamics Inc. is owned by George Galloway who has produced parachutes for over 20 years. About 10 years ago he designed this specific chute. After the horrors on 9/11 when people leaped from the towers, these personal survival kits seem well worth the $900 to $1,400 cost. If you weigh more than 220 pounds this little life saver is not for you. Otherwise, if you are on a floor 120 feet or above in height it could be your salvation in an emergency.

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Storage is uppermost in the minds of election officials in sunny Florida. After their stormy role in the 2000 presidential election, all those six million ballots are stacked in boxes. Oh yes, there are hanging chads, but to the folks in charge of elections there is only a question hanging over their heads. Do those ballots have historical significance or should they be destroyed?

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That lowly, earthy mushroom, the morel, is enjoying a public relations bonanza this year. There have been an unusual number of stories about this eagerly hunted spring treat. By early June the morel season ends. Because of the forest fires followed by generous rainfall, this promises to be an especially good year for morel seekers. Mycologists, those who know all there is to know about the fungus, say those two conditions leave "disturbed earth" which sets the stage for morels to pop up.

My aunt and uncle were part of that large group of morel hunters lured into the wilds to hunt for the tasty delicacies. They lived in southern Ohio, but come spring, they were on the road in search of mushrooms. One year they traveled to northern Michigan. At that time we lived in the Great Lakes state, and they spent a night with us on their way home. They left a bag of morels for us to enjoy. The morel is easy to identify with its cap that has the look of an exposed brain. Mushrooms of many varieties are good eating, but unless the hunter really knows the poisonous from the edible, it is better to get your mushrooms in a can or from your grocer's fresh fruits and vegetables sections.

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Locally the best news I can pass on is that Tennessee strawberries are here. California or Florida strawberries fill the hankering for the taste of the juicy red fruit until the real thing comes along. Now is the time to eat our homegrown berries.

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Dorothy Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident and Crossville Chronicle staffwriter whose column is published each Wednesday.