A Good Cup of Coffee

It was a momentous occasion:  Today I put an almost-full bag of “boutique” coffee beans  in the composter.  No matter how I tried to adjust the amount of ground coffee in my scoops, the end result kept being  just plain bad…. tongue-searingly bitter.  It hurt my psyche to throw out all those beans – such a waste! - but on the other hand, it hurt more to drink the coffee.  Ultimately, I decided I deserved to have a morning cup of really good  java and I went to town and bought better beans.   How freeing!

This video makes me laugh, and I hope you get a giggle from it, too.  Let me know if you enjoy it. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSaikPnmhZc

The Long Good-bye

A couple of days ago, I watched my teenaged son go through airport security, then turn and wave good-bye to me.  I was proud of myself.  I didn’t cry even though this was the first time he’s ever flown by himself; I didn’t even get a lump in my throat.  But I will admit to a feeling of vague melancholy, a sense that this was only the beginning of the long good-bye.  That’s the parting which begins, really, the first time your child – who once thought the sun rose and set on you, his mother – rolls his eyes and says, “Oh, Mom, come on – everybody is (fill in the blank: airsofting, jumping off roofs, driving with their 16-year-old friends).  Why can’t I?”  or, “You’re not going to wear THAT outside the house, are you?!”   This is when it hits you that your beloved son is going to leave you one day; not just for a week’s visit to good friends in California, or for college, but really, truly leave you to make his own way in the world.  

Hmm… I’d better stop thinking about this. I believe I feel a lump forming in my throat.

How have you handled – or how do you think you’ll handle – letting your child go when the time comes?

Water

Turn on the tap and out gushes cool, fresh, safe water.  Simple, right?  It is for most of you reading this blog, but it’s not so easy for an astonishing number of people in the rest of the world.  I got to thinking about it as I crossed the Long Bridge to and from Sandpoint today, reveling as I drove in the sight of  the sparkling, dark-green water of Lake Pend Oreille.  Water… so basic a need, yet for too many, so hard to come by.  If you’re interested in the subject, check out this information:

In 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.

Since its inception in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised almost $2.5 million in the U.S. and has helped provide clean water for millions of children globally. Now in its fifth year, the award-winning UNICEF Tap Project, a nationwide campaign sponsored by the U.S. Fund for UNICEF – first program of its kind - has become a dynamic movement that affords everyone the opportunity to help provide the world’s children with safe, clean water.

www.tapproject.org

Enjoy your next glass of water.

Weathering the weather

Living in the inland northwest presents a former Californian with some real challenges, such as adjusting to four distinct seasons.  I’d always thought there were only two seasons, what I like to call sprummer (spring/summer) and fallter (fall/winter).  In north Idaho, spring means rain… and more rain…. and then yet more rain. And mud; that’s why locals call it the mud season.  Summer is gorgeous but only lasts about two months, and we hold our breaths hoping for for more than two consecutive days of sunshine and 80 degree weather so we can play in the lake, kayak, hike, and walk the dogs regularly.  Fall brings crisper, shorter days and the transformation of larches and maples  into living torches of gold and rust.  As for winter, well, the pale sun disappears very early in the day, and there’s snow and ice…  everywhere.  When I lived in the East Bay, if I wanted to experience ”real” winter I drove  three or four hours to the Lake Tahoe area.  And when I was finished with the experience, I came home.  I think I prefer the California method; it’s less up-close-and-personal.  Also, I have discovered that I need more sunshine than the inland northwest provides.  

Do you have any remedies for improving one’s spirits during the short, dark winter days?

Summer sounds

Back in the late ‘fifties and early ‘sixties one of my favorite summer sounds was that of my shiny, blue-green bicycle’s brakes squealing against the tires. My best friend and I went everywhere on our bikes, often bouncing through the southern California lemon tree orchards where the scent of sun-heated citrus filled the air, and, several times a week, pedaling the two miles to our area’s only “shopping center” ,which featured a Thrifty Drug Store with 25 cent ice cream cones. Now, whenever I hear a bicycle’s brakes, I’m instantly transported to the balmy days of summer when freedom came in the form of a sturdy three-speed.

Enjoy your summer.

Cruisin’

Cruise: Island Princess, Alaska Duration: 7 days Ports: Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan Scenery: Glaciers and fjords Participants: My husband and son, my sister’s family, my parents Ages of participants: 14 through 81
I’ve never been on a cruise before; never really wanted to. I love traveling but the idea of floating along on a small-city-sized ship didn’t do much for me. However, this year is my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary, my sister and brother-in-law’s 30th anniversary, and a niece’s 18th birthday as well as her high school graduation; a big year with lots to celebrate. A cruise seemed the best way for all ages and inclinations to have the most fun.  And, despite my misgivings, it really was wonderful. Lots to do: spa-ing, swimming and hot-tubbing, Zumba and yoga classes, free ice cream, way too much good food, movies on a giant screen, shore excursions, and on and on. Or, nothing to do - like lazing on a deck chair, beer or soft drink in hand, gazing at the unearthly-blue glaciers and jaggedly beautiful mountains.  Ah, yes…. cruisin’!
Grade: A