Give Me Coffee Or Give Me Death! - 16 December 2021 - Plague Journal Day 644

Micah 6:8
1 Corinthians 10:21
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today marks one of the main reasons Americans drink so much more coffee than tea. Yes, it's the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. (I know my pseudo-quote in the title is not from that event, but feel free to berate me in the comments if you wish.)
When Parliament decided to tax their countrymen's tea - but only those in the colonies! - it was the tax that broke the camel's back (to mix some metaphors).

We (the colonists, soon to be Americans) decided that if they were going to charge us extra to drink tea, we'd just switch to coffee and let them have that Eastern swill. And so here we are, lo these many years later, drinking our fill of Jamaican Blue Mountain or Tanzanian Peaberry or Ethiopian Hararar or whatever type we like best, happily keeping our pinkies right there with the rest of our fingers as we raise a mug rather than a teacup. Serves you right, you tax and spend Parliamentarians! Fie on thee and thy house!

I think I'll have another cup. Cheers.

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

Feeling Like Tommy Roe - 01 October 2021 - Plague Journal Day 568

Micah 6:8
Isaiah 22:17-18
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is International Coffee Day. (Didn't we just have National Coffee Day a few days ago?) Here's my big coffee tale.
I was in grad school and having some health issues. I had cold hands, ringing in my ears, and bouts of vertigo. I remember sitting in a lecture hall and holding tightly to the desk as the room rotated around an axis that seemed to go through my navel. It was, shall we say, an uncomfortable experience.
So ... I finally actually went to see my doctor back home, getting an early morning appointment, no less. I went in, described my symptoms, and was asked how much gin I drank. "None," was my truthful answer, but I asked why he asked that. Apparently juniper berries are bad for the inner ear, so excessive gin drinking can lead to vertigo, dizziness, and the like.
That being cleared up, he moved on to the next candidate, asking how much coffee I drank. "Oh, only one and a half or two pots a day," was my again-truthful reply. "OK," he replied, "no more coffee for three months, and then you can start drinking decaf." He added a vaso-dilator medication to the mix and sent me on my way.
I remember thinking as I walked to my car, "But I didn't even get a cup yet today." I would say that I was well and truly addicted.

01 October 1968 marked the premiere of the original “Night of the Living Dead.” I first saw it at a free screening at a science fiction convention (probably in 1977?), and I know I enjoyed it; but my strongest memory of that film was its dubbed version we caught on an old program called "Mad Movies with the LA Connection" on USA Network (or at least I think that's where it was). This was a great show where they dubbed movies to make them into comedies. The (originally) horrifying scene where the zombies are storming the house where the young woman is cowering was morphed into something very different. As the zombies approached, they were all chanting, "Party! Party!" while the poor blonde woman inside was berating herself: "I forgot to buy the chips!" What a fun show that was.

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

I Like the Java Jive - 29 September 2021 - Plague Journal Day 566

Micah 6:8
Proverbs 23:35
Yes, your life matters.

Some of you are still sheltering in place, but fear not: I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is National Coffee Day! This holiday is to me as Christmas is to Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of "A Christmas Carol" - a day that I keep in my heart all through the year.
I just got a CD of classical music for the Coffee Lover, so I may have to drop that in the player. Bach's Coffee Cantata is no doubt a big part of the repertoire.

In addition, today is Michaelmas, which is also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael. That list makes me think of the chorus from Haydn's "Creation" where the choir and three soloists sing that "the Heavens are telling the glory of God," with the soloists being Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Heidi, Fred, and I have sung those parts many times with the church choir, and it is a favourite piece of mine, and of the choir's.

So ... have a nice cup of Java (or even better, Jamaican Blue Mountain! Yum!) and realize that the Heavens really are telling the glory of God. After all, He made coffee beans!

Keep Calm and Don't Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

I Need Some Coffee - 08 March 2021 - Plague Journal Day 361

Micah 6:8
Colossians 3:15-17
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

I think being alone all the time is getting to me.
I seem to be more emotional about little things than I ever was before. Maybe it's just getting older, but I don't think so. Anyway, we added back a responsive reading in worship yesterday. It's really very simple - responsively reading a psalm, the liturgist alternating with the congregation.
I choked up in the middle of our first response.
Hearing my church family speaking together out loud - masked and distanced, but together and out loud - was obviously something I had missed more than I realized. I really did choke up and couldn't finish that first line, simply because it was so wonderful to hear everyone around me. It may seem silly, but that's how it hit me.
Now it's on to some singing! (One of these days, the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.)


I also wish a Happy Commonwealth Day to my commonwealthy brethren and sistern. A bit nasty for the former Prince (and soon to be former Duke?) and Duchess to badmouth the royals on this celebration of the Commonwealth. Bad form, you two.

This Day in History:
08 March 1913 – The Internal Revenue Service began collecting income taxes.
08 March 8 1999 Joe DiMaggio died.

Where did you go, Joe DiMaggio? The nation turns its sleepy eyes to you.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.

06 June 2020 - Plague Journal Day 86

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

If you know me, this probably comes as no surprise: I like coffee.
I like the way coffee tastes; I like the way coffee smells; I like the way coffee feels in my mouth.
I like coffee.

For several years, it was my practice to give up coffee for Lent. The big surprise, especially the first year, was to discover just how much of my time was spent making, drinking, pouring, cleaning up, or just walking to the pot to get: coffee. The reason for making a sacrifice at Lent is not just to give something up that I ought to avoid anyway. Rather it is to make real to me the Sacrifice made by my Lord on the Cross; to identify with Him through an act of self-denial, however small it might be.

I have found that this exercise has carried over for far longer than any season - long though Lent seems when I'm deprived of my coffee - right through the months and the years. In the second or  third year of this Lenten discipline, I changed to giving up the caffeine rather than the coffee. This meant that I still had the taste and so forth (at least as much as that decaffeinated stuff has to offer), so it might seem that it couldn't have been as meaningful to me. In fact, this was when it  really hit home.

Whenever I poured a cup of decaf (yuck) that Lent, I prayed over it: "Remember, Christ died for us when we were yet sinners. That is God's proof of His love for us." It's surprising how often that line comes to mind as I fill my cup.

I like coffee. I like the taste and smell and all of that, but I also like the fact that because of my Lenten ritual of years ago, coffee reminds me that Christ died for me.

So I pray: Father, thank you for Your Love which was demonstrated in Your Son's Life, Death, and Resurrection. May I make each everyday occurrence an opportunity to remember and thank You for it.  I ask this In Jesus' name.
Amen.

Remember, any act can be an occasion for prayer and thanksgiving; and pray for those who haven't accepted Christ's Sacrifice for themselves.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

RIP Ollie Fretter

You may not remember him, but Ollie Fretter was the king of appliances back before the "big box" stores took over.
Fretter v. Highland Appliance was the big time - I remember an RA in college walking back and forth between the two with competitive quotes for his stereo rig until one of them couldn't beat the other and sent him back across the street to make his purchase.

Thanks for the memories (and the first colour TV we bought to outfit the library at Bob).

In honour of the "I'll give you five pounds of coffee if I can't beat your best deal" tagline:

I Wonder How Many Others

noticed that National Coffee Day was the day after Drink Beer Day.

I have one thing to say to those who set up these days: "Well scheduled, well scheduled indeed."

Happy National Coffee Day!

That's it, really.

Happy National Coffee Day!

Carnage du Jour - 25 June 2011

from grandteuton.blogspot.com

You know, crock pots are wonderful things.
We had some spectacular pulled pork a week ago or so, made simply in the crock pot with a pork butt cooking down low and slow to tasty perfection.
Now, when there were some lamb chops to use up, a little light went on in my head.

Why not pulled lamb?
Why not indeed.

So, four chops nestled close together in a dry crock pot on high for a bit. The seasoning was simply salt and pepper on each side. A trip to the herbs growing on the back porch yielded some gorgeous rosemary - four large sprigs were dropped on top of the chops.
After they had gotten a bit of colour (and the kitchen began to smell wonderful), I flipped the chops and added a bit of braising liquid - in this case, some coffee - and dropped the temp to low.

Several hours later, the meat was falling off the bones (as expected) and shredded with a spoon, so that seemed like enough cooking. That was fortunate, as it was now time to eat.

Some nice whole wheat buns were loaded with the pulled lamb, which was enhanced with a bit of crumbled feta cheese, just because it's so good, and we tucked in to a most enjoyable sandwich.
On the side we had some beautiful ears of corn which had cooked in a bath of water with salt and sugar and some powdered chipotle.  All in all, an excellent meal - one I wouldn't mind repeating.