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I stirred my coffee with the butter knife this morning. I do that
because I found out it makes little fat globules that float on top. I
think it makes the drinking a richer experience. One day I’m going to
drop a whole little hunk of butter in while I’m stirring.
Can you hear the fat and caffeine critics murmuring?
Adding the butter was a coincidence this morning. The coffee just
happened to need stirring at the moment my eyes came to rest on the
butter knife. I’m on automatic pilot in the morning, and I’m not so
thoughtful about my soulful pleasures these days, but with
retirement next week I will enter a “window” of a few years when I
will be able to do the special, nourishing, and even extravagant things
in the morning, the little pleasure rituals that add to the dimension of
the moment.
I call it a “window” because soon the forgetting will not be because of
the hectic work-a-day demands of the morning, but because of the
fog of dotage. I hope my mind doesn’t go, but experience has taught
me we don’t get to call those shots, even given our youthful vows and
well-intentioned, healthful ways. Not to say one shouldn’t try to
create optimistic outcomes, but for me, it is far better to cultivate and
earnestly pray for a smile to remain on my lips, no matter what.
Soulful moments to all!
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Ahhhh what a wonderful thing to read this mid-morning, as I take a sip of my own cup of joe.
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Jim H - try adding mustard to your sandwiches,,,,and tumeric, which is in mustard, but not too much.......those things will help keep the memory perking,,,,as well as Gingko,,,,,,,,
As "alert" as you are now, I don't think YOU will ever have to worry about really losing it :-)
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Hi Jim, you just stirred some memories in me; my mother always put butter in her coffee. Just the tip of a teaspoonful.
I don't think my parents gave their health or rather their lifestyle a second thought and I think WE have that going for us. May your braincells always multiply:)
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Hey Jim:
What a pleasant little glimpse into your morning routine. Reminds me of the time I ran out of honey and had to sweeten my tea with strawberry jam.
But, not to worry. I say may the "fog of dotage" never find you as it searches for new candidates to induct into its club of "The Aged and the Forgetful". Besides, you are too sharp to ever get caught:-)
As you detox, nourish, and rebuild your mind and body, the brain cells will not let you down. Then when you find yourself, 40 years from now, with a smile upon your face, you will know exactly why you are smiling.
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Jim,
Are we to assume you are not a morning person?
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
"I do that because I found out it makes little fat globules that float on top"
This ability to experience wonder in the little things is going to be great fodder not only for taking pleasure in this new chapter of your life, but for any writing you do. It's strange that we live out so much of our lives before we allow ourselves to return to that childlike amazement at things. It's what keeps us fresh and alive!
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Try dippin buttered toast or bread into the coffee. If you want to live past 100, put the bread In the coffee with a beaten egg.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Vince F [4572.9] on June 01, 2006 at 14:51:51:
What, Vince, no habanero or cayenne?!
How about the egg SHELLS?
I thought I remembered something about putting the shells into the
grounds, so I Googled it and came up with a discussion group about
it. Amidst all the solid info on the eggshells, I came across the
following story:
...let seep for a while, then put the top on the pot and hold it in place
while you swing the pot by its handle up and around a couple times.
The centrifuge effect forces all the grounds to the bottom of the pot.
Tastes great with any old coffee.
A less energetic alternative is to add eggshells to settle the grounds.
I don't know why this works; it's folklore. This is a good alternative if
you have a missing (or weak) wire bail (look, ma, it's a coffee-a-pult!).
I find an even easier alternative is to slap on your walkman, hike
down to Starbucks, and order an iced triple latte. Sip it there, read
the local paper, and meet the man or woman of your dreams. Then
sneak into the local theatre for a classic movie, and it will have begun
raining. Run laughing through the rain with your newfound love, and
duck into a little family-owned Italian restaurant for some pasta and
a bottle of Chianti. Discover that you both lived on the same block
when you were growing up, but had never meet each other. You will
find that not only are they the only person you've met who's funnier
than you are, but they are also extremely sexy and smart, with
piercing blue eyes that make you feel naked yet alive, excited but
safe. Get a room at a Bed & Breakfast, have the best sex of your life,
and sprawl across each other's naked, entwined limbs as you split a
pint of Haagen-Dazs. Better yet, get two pints because the only thing
you don't agree on yet is which is better--Cappuccino Commotion or
Deep Chocolate Peanut Butter.
Leave the B&B (where the blushing old lady has given you a free
room, thanked you for reminding her of the potential and godliness
of true love, and closed the Inn so she could spend the night alone
with her husband of 49 years), and stop back at Starbucks for a decaf
grande. Reminisce about your day, and express your utter and
complete devotion to each other for the rest of eternity. Exchange
rings that you both have—family heirlooms passed down for
generations--kiss passionately, and have your picture taken by an
amateur photographer who was just passing through town, and
whose picture of your kiss will win him a Pulitzer prize and the cover
of Life magazine. Order a carafe of espresso for your friends, and
hike back up the mountain with your soul mate. You will find your
friends, soaking wet from the rain and huddled around a campfire.
Pass out the espresso to your fellow campers, and introduce your
new love.
The warmth of your love will fill their hearts and dry their clothes,
and they will think he/she is the ideal person for you. After a couple
hours of talking and laughing and writing poetry and singing with
your friends, both of you curl up in your sleeping bag, wrap your
arms around each other, and fall asleep under a breathtakingly bright
Milky Way.
I don't know, that's just me. I've heard the eggshell thing works also.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by 2065 [180.890] on June 01, 2006 at 13:57:58:
"It's strange that we live out so much of our lives before we allow
ourselves to return to that childlike amazement at things."
Sad but true, 2065. Stranger, are all the things we do to substitute
for the lack of peace in the moment: drugs, alcohol, binging of all
sorts, illicit affairs, and a whole lot of other temporarily satisfying,
self-destructive pastimes.
We don’t like to listen to moralizing, so we experiment. Then, you
know, with luck, we fall into the “sadder but wiser” group. The young
ones do not want to hear us moralize about what we’ve learned, so
we try to move them with meaningful stories, but ultimately we are
just forced to continue to love them as they are and watch them learn
the hard way…as Walt has said so many times.
In Reply to: Re: Murmuring, NO, calling for your head on a plater.. posted by Steve [3019.1399] on June 01, 2006 at 10:11:44:
Au contraire, ancient but spry, silver haired one. I personally greet
the sun each day. It is a holy moment. Evening too. They must be,
just look at the splendid colors.
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
...for the comments that have sweetened my morning brew. Dawn is
at the deep purple/procelain blue stage here. My heart is warmed.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Michele [6.829] on June 01, 2006 at 09:26:12:
Thanks for saying so, Michele. And congratulations on your recent
decision-making. May your boldness find the fulfillment you seek!
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Thanks, Jim.
You are much too old to be worring about something like this :o).
Walt
In Reply to: eggshells or... posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 02, 2006 at 06:28:41:
just passing on something I started seeing my grandfather do with the egg, bread, and coffee. Season to taste with cayenne if you like. I would try it when I get brave enough to give it a try. I didn't see gramps start doing it till he was 90, but I didn't see him at breakfast before that. I figure I'll wait till I reach his age. Maybe my taste buds will be numbed.
He drank expresso that he made himself, and I think he used way too much coffee. It was the strongest stuff I could imagine. Made cayenne seem mild.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Walt Stoll [93.1889] on June 02, 2006 at 07:05:01:
Yeah, I know...or pretty much anything else either. That's the good
part of fossilization. :)
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 02, 2006 at 06:50:00:
Is by example. You lead and they will follow or sometimes ask questions.
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: eggshells or... posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 02, 2006 at 06:28:41:
Jim:
My, we're in a mood this morning. You should retire more often. It seems to stir up the muse in you.
I don't know about using peanut butter as an aphrodisiac or as a lubricant; I'll leave that up to you. In regard to eggshells and coffee I have a book to recommend. It is out of print but I think you could find it used on Amazon.com. The title is "The Cowboy and the Cossack". It is a story written from the perspective of a young cowboy who is part of adventure delivering a herd of cattle to some Cossacks in Siberia who have declared themselves independent of the Czar. It is set in the 1880's or 90's, I think. And one of the best books I have ever read; certainly the best book I have ever read that no one else has ever heard of. Anyway it includes a vivid description of brewing coffee on an open fire using eggshells to settle the grounds. According to "Mushy" who is the barista a good pot of coffee will dissolve a horseshoe. I commend the book it to you.
Maybe you could open a Cattle Drive Coffee Emporium in a B & B and keep those fantasies going.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 02, 2006 at 06:50:00:
You hit it on the nose Jim. People are so busy substituting dsyfunction and/or searching for answers when most of the time these simple solutions are right in front of their face. That segueways (sp?) nicely into your next point about the sadder but wiser group. I guess the drive for people to have their own experiences is so much stronger than the desire for appropriate and timely knowledge. As you said, all you can do is love them and then just wait with crossed fingers and baited breath. While you do, keep that imagination boiling on the front burner!
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 02, 2006 at 06:50:00:
Jim I thought you might like to see this oldy but goody again:
Do not go gentle into that good night
by Dylan Thomas:
"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Jim, your lyrical musings are always a breath of fresh air.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by 2065 [180.890] on June 04, 2006 at 02:05:21:
Thanks 2065. (You don’t mind if I address you by your first name, do
you?...lame joke).
This is a most extraordinary poem. It strikes a note with people. I
understand why that is, since my father just recently died. I have
experienced the emotion of that, though my feelings were quite
considerably different than Dylan’s.
“Rave” and “rage” are not words I would choose, but the living, the
vibrantly alive, especially eloquent ones like Dylan, hate to see wimpy
surrender to demise. For myself, I imagine maintaining a glow
against the dying of the light (earthly light) and go peacefully into
that other light.
This poem is about deathbed stuff, 2065, but I think your message to
me is about the rest of my life until that time. Right? Perhaps I won’t
“blaze like a meteor” in the next few years, but I will loose that inner
light upon the world, in my own way, as best as I can in the time that
is left. Walt is my hero.
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Zarin [709.350] on June 04, 2006 at 18:02:44:
And the thought of you, Moonflower, in your verdant Malaysian
garden, and the extraordinary path of your life your life has taken is a
breath of fresh air to me!
Consider your Vedantic, Indian cheek kissed.
In Reply to: Re: eggshells or... posted by Tim [641.340] on June 02, 2006 at 11:47:32:
Thanks, you old reprobate. That book should go well with a
hammock.
In Reply to: Re: The best way to teach young ones.. posted by Steve [3019.1399] on June 02, 2006 at 10:45:16:
By example?...True, but what the children see, and what we think we
demonstrate are often very different things...as in The Emperor's New
Clothes.
In Reply to: stirring moment posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 01, 2006 at 09:18:49:
Hi Jim,
I appreciate all your writings -- this one was sweet! I have been so busy with the book during the last year I haven't been able to write any meaningful responses to your posts, but please know that I think your writing is wonderful!
I hope you enjoy your forthcoming, new adventure in living.
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: that good night posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 05, 2006 at 06:44:00:
"Thanks 2065. (You don’t mind if I address you by your first name, do you?...lame joke)."
I'm flattered [Master Scribe], and I will always be 2065 to you!
What I meant to say about this poem is that one of it's interpretations to me is that we should fight to hold on to and savor every last drop of life. Yes, I see your gentle soul as a beautiful flame, not raving and raging, but burning strong and still, a guiding light for others, harmonious with life.
In Reply to: that good night posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 05, 2006 at 06:44:00:
Thanks, Jim.
I am not sure I know how to be a "hero" but thanks for the thought.
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Re: stirring moment posted by Happygal [2062.2736] on June 05, 2006 at 08:11:39:
...Friday at around noon I will turn in the keys. Every June it has been
a joyous event to drive out of the parking lot for the summer. This
time will be momentous.
I have much to share with you on the health front.
Jim
In Reply to: Re: that good night posted by Walt Stoll [93.1889] on June 06, 2006 at 06:16:50:
You are right, Walt, that was a nice thought. I like having it. But your
comment made me wonder just what I did mean…besides a
compliment directed your way.
It isn’t hero worship. I know you recognize that when it occurs. And
when you say you’re not sure how to be a hero, that’s precisely right,
because I don’t think it works to set out to be one, or to maintain the
status on purpose.
We all know you’ve sacrificed and fought the good fight against the
Evil Empire (smiling) and dedicated your life to higher principals. That
is enough right there to engender the sort of admiration that qualifies
you for “herodom” in the eyes of many, though it is obvious enough
that you are plenty human and screw up as often as the rest of us
mortal folk.
I found it enlightening and amusing to look up the definitions of hero
in my Word dictionary to see how they convey my meaning. Those
meanings are listed below.
To start, we can dispense with number five. I do not think you are a
sandwich, though if you were, you’d be a whole food one…and you’d
have a little “ham” in you.
You have not yet reached mythological proportions, and despite your
MD degree, you are probably not the son of a god either, though there
are poly-theists who would claim that, as a physician, you are the son
of Apollo, I suppose. Even so I think we can dispense with number
one and certainly “superhero”.
Number four is interesting, but not really valid unless, metaphorically,
the board is considered a “play”. If so, you are the “principal man…
around whom the (board) is structured.
But let’s be real and go with numbers two and three, which should be
enough make you blush a little…but I’m pretty confident most would
agree with this, though, and I don’t want to sing faint praise by
belaboring the point, you are clearly human with all the flaws that
come with that classification. (smiling again, with twinkle in eye)
Finally the Word thesaurus gives us some synonyms, and though they
seem a bit lofty, I can see grounded ways in which each could apply
to you…with qualifications and stipulations of certain kinds that
would keep your ego in tact, and keep you this side of the
mythological realm.
In the end, I guess you could say that if you admire a person enough,
it is proper to call them your hero, without fanfare or explanation…
and you could also say I enjoy entertaining you.
Jim
* * * * * * * *
First - in classical mythology, a man, especially the son of a god and
a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift, for
example, superhuman strength
See also, superhero
Second - somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or
who has shown great courage, strength of character, or another
admirable quality
Third - somebody who is admired and looked up to for outstanding
qualities or achievements
Fourth - the principal man or boy character in a movie, novel, or play,
especially one who plays a vital role in plot development or around
whom the plot is structured
Fifth - a sandwich made from along roll or loaf of bread, typically
with a filling of meat and cheese with lettuce and tomato
brave man
superman
champion
conqueror
idol
In Reply to: Re: that good night posted by 2065 [2065.890] on June 05, 2006 at 14:23:13:
Let's have no more talk of flames and burning. The LOW here is 94,
even in the "good night", and it has been 117 in the daytime. The
humidity is at minus 40, at which range urine evaporates before it
hits the water in the toilet bowl, hyperbolically speaking.
In Reply to: Worship a sandwich? posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 06, 2006 at 08:46:12:
Thanks, Jim.
GRIN!
You are my hero too!
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Thanks, Jan... posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 06, 2006 at 07:54:05:
Hi Jim,
Let me know! Hope it is positive.
Enjoy the transition...
Best wishes,
Jan
In Reply to: Re: that good night...temperature posted by Jim H. [1652.2562] on June 07, 2006 at 06:33:48:
Point taken.
Do you still plan to roast there even though you are about to retire in two days? Any plans for a temporary or permanent escape so that at least you can have the satisfaction of seeing your flame-colored urine flush successfully down the toilet again in this lifetime?
Well, I hope you can find a way to 'Chill out' and 'stay cool' brotha. Crank that AC way up and I'll be sending you good vibes -- chilly on the outside and warm on the inside.
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