Last night was a return of great sleeping weather. High 50's, low 60's, little humidity. Kind of like Tahoe, although those low temps get a little lower up there.
I know that everyone enjoyed 3's extended comment Friday about the costs/benefits/future value of SB's coffee. I find it interesting that SB's is one of the few cross/generational intersection points on our life curves. When you are talking about people with as much as 30 or more years of age differences, specific points in common are fairly scarce. Of course, the more "big picture" the point, the easier to find common ground.
People may enjoy reading, but they probably enjoy different writers. They may enjoy travel, but probably to different places. Leisure/fitness activities. Food/drink/cooking. Clothing. Etc. Etc. Etc.
But if you take a multi generational group, analyzing those intersection points is a worthy mental exercise. SB's is one of those anywhere/anytime commonalities that makes me feel a connection with the fam. On any given day, I know that it is likely that one or more of my girls, probably my sister, and certainly a couple of other close personal friends will be going through a similar line at a similar store somewhere in the country (or world, at times), for their daily dose of coffee and culture. And when they leave that store, their curve takes them off on their own path for the day.
Tahoe is a little like that for us too. Different in that we all physically get to the same location for decidedly leisure activities. But there is enough there that we can occupy ourselves a bit differently. And when we are not there, a casual conversation (among ourselves or with others) about a previous or future visit brings instant appreciation for a shared experience.
The concept here is that it's not about memories. Everyone has warm places in our hearts about the good times, with families and/or friends, like at a wedding or a reunion. There is an "interactive" element to this idea. That the connectivity item is current and/or future oriented. There is the anticipation that more good things will come because the story is not fully written. More chapters are to come.
Dare I say, 4000 Days?
Enough of the thoughtful stuff. I'm off in Margret for my monthly trip to my favorite store (not!) to stock up on consumables. 2 is over later for a cookout. Domestic chores and a workout later. It's gonna be a great day!
BCOT
Philosophy, History and Commentary from Lt. PC
5 comments:
Martha:
Your coffee bit reminded me of how much coffee the folks drank…especially Daddy and how much he enjoyed going to his favorite places for it in addition to the couple of pots a day they drank at home. I think I have their old coffee pot somewhere.
However, I didn’t learn to drink it until in the dorm at Iowa State and I became an addict. Drank a lot until about 1983 or 84 when I went to visit Julie in San Francisco and she was worrying about how she wasn’t going to have coffee for me since she didn’t have a pot. Since Doyle had already switched to tea, I made the switch then.
When we moved to Sun City we got started walking to some nice coffee shops in the neighborhood. Then in 1997 when my students ran The Rattler Café, a coffee shop at school, I got hooked on good coffee…we served Illy. And now there’s a Starbucks that makes a good walk.
Learned that the keys to good coffee are : a good blend, the water, and a very clean coffee pot.
Recently McDonald’s and other fast food places have upgraded the quality of their coffee. It’s not bad and the price is certainly right; for seniors it’s 53 cents. I occasionally stop when the location for a stop makes sense.
The only coffee drinker in the younger generation in our family is Alison and occasionally John has an Americano, which he learned to drink in Paris.
Saw where Ottumwa was having water problems. Someday I'll tell about the real water problems... of 1947
i always enjoy hearing martha's comments. i was talking with a friend about 3's comment the other day, and the course of the conversation led me to bring up how my dad had been drinking coffee for as long as i could remember. then, it was the mcdonald's coffee martha mentioned. i haven't tried the new brews at mcd's, but they seem to have put a lot of dollars into advertising them. i suppose 'gourmet coffee' is a market where people spend money. i know i do.
I am alive.
Just a note about McD's coffee- my old roommate Meredith's mom- who is endlessly trendy, swears Micky D's makes better coffee than the 'bux. I think it's all in the marketing - it's hard to feel like you're drinking high-quality stuff from a fast food chain, regardless of the actual taste.
I've had 'Macs. It ain't 'Buck's.
And it is hard for me to make it right at home because the proportions they put on the coffee doesn't match the proportions of the measuring tools I use. They tell me what ounces to use and I measure in cups. Teaspoons and scoops. These are not easy conversions to make BEFORE you've had the coffee... Hence, this makes my enjoyment factor in buying it much higher than the enjoyment I would get in saving money and thus, over a lifetime buying 3000 pairs of shoes on sale with the money I am saving (because really, that is what I would spend it on). Actually, when you look like it like that, Starbucks is actually saving me money, because if I had those 3000 pairs of shoes I would have to buy a big house and have closet designed to hold them...
Post a Comment