The Short Leash

Our little town has just finished a week-end full of festivities.

The annual Mushroom Festival.

It fills the town square with booths overflowing with arts and crafts, yard art and furniture, plants, purses and clothing. You can find candles, essential oils and soap of every scent. You can eat fajitas and funnel cakes, tacos and turkey legs, grilled shrimp or sausage...on a stick, of course.

For the kids, there is face painting, joy jumps, train rides and cake walks.

There's the shitake 5K run/walk, the classic car show and the photo contest.

If you venture just a little off the town square, toward the historic Woodbine Hotel, you find yourself in the actual heart of the Mushroom festival. There are chefs from all around the Brazos Valley, preparing mushrooms every way imaginable. There are canopies lining the grounds, filled with wines from wineries from all over Texas.

This would be where the adult fun really is.

A $10 ticket buys a wine glass and the opportunity to sample the various wines and learn about the wineries.

And then...

When night falls, there is a dance.....and all of this just on Saturday.

As a general rule, at this point in my life, I'm fairly calm in public settings.....at least that's what I think. Other people may have a different opinion. But throw some wine on the situation, add a few old friends and, VIOLA....some part of me that has been suppressed for the last 15-20 years rises to the occasion. Oh, I get relaxed...I say things I wouldn't ordinarily say; sometimes do things I wouldn't ordinarily do.

Lesson learned.........

Travel with friends that have a lot of self control. They will keep you on the leash and keep you out of trouble. They will see that you don't get lost in the crowd and that you make it home safe.

Thank the Lord for friends who have matured better than I and who don't have a problem attaching the short leash and protecting me from myself.