Simple Things
“I just won an Emmy, What’s going to be my Food Treat?”
Can you relate?
I can. I mean, not the Emmy part - but the rest is 100% me.
So, one of my favorite things to do is schedule ONE casual lazy morning into my week. After a long week of teaching 12-hour days, I rest my tired lump of a body into my bed and fantasize about never leaving. But that’s not much of a practical reality, so I settle for ONE lazy morning. When this morning lands on a Saturday and Michael is not on-duty, it’s golden - I mean GOLDEN!
When his shift ends Saturday morning, this is even better. You see, I begin by placing my coffee order when I know he’s just leaving the fire station and hopping into the car. I’m still in bed - most likely surrounded by dogs who are looking like this:
Flora- who likes to dominate the bed.
Buddy- who often sleeps 90% on his own bed.
(it’s his “Woe is me” look)
Anyway, back to the coffee.
When he arrives home, I have prepped the coffee cups and put water in the La Pavoni. (Newly restored by the man from “Don’t throw anything away - I can fix it!” Detroit)
This last restoration took 4 months as we were restoring another item simultaneously throughout our entire summer and into the autumn season. What simultaneous project you may ask? Well, we were painting the entire OUTSIDE of our house! On a schedule to complete the task before winter hit the Wasatch Front, we found ourselves keeping to the schedule with diligence.
Our days rotated between: powerwash, sand and scrape the outside shingles of the house - de-rust the base of the LaPavoni. Prime the wood sided panels of the house - order new LaPavoni Lever Grouphead Service Kit.
Being that the morning coffee is essential, especially when big projects scream from the to do list, I had to come up with an alternative way of brewing. So, since the LaPavoni was displayed in parts all over my kitchen counter, I settled for the AeroPress.
Do you know the story of an AeroPress? I’ve been told, bored Silicon Valley Engineers created this portable and powerless espresso maker to satisfy their need for a great cup of coffee. We’ve owned one since 2005 and travel with it wherever we go - camping, river trips, overseas (but then we realized that many parts of Europe already had perfected the perfect cup of coffee - so we don’t bring it overseas anymore), and in my mom’s house, it’s a must. (she’s a tea toddler and her version of coffee is BLAH!)
I digress.
Anyway, back to the coffee.
When Michael arrives home after a 48-hour or sometimes a 72-hour shift, he is often walking into our home in a fog. I mean, who could blame him but the kitchen is his sanctuary and he longs for a good (No, GREAT) latte. So he grinds the coffee beans in the Baratza Encore Burr Coffee Grinder which has freshly roasted coffee beans from Jack Mormon Coffee Company.
Jack Mormon Coffee Company used to individualize their roast for each customer with these adorable mini roasters within the store. I could call them up, order my specified beans and specified roast and then swing by before going home and pick up my perfectly roasted pound of coffee. It was a great system. We knew the owner, Cruiser, and loved to chat with him on my breaks from school when I taught in the Avenues a gazillion years ago. Often, Michael and I would meet there for a coffee date before afternoon classes commenced. It was lovely.
Oops, did it again.
Back to the coffee.
After pulling several perfect shots of espresso and foaming the milk exquisitely, Michael balances the cups and saucers with finesse and walks upstairs to our bedroom. Cued on the TV is Comedians in Cars getting Coffee- Tina Fey. In this particular episode, Tina talks about a Food Treat as a reward for doing something wonderful and/or challenging. We find this to be the perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday morning.
Cars for Michael.
Coffee for Me.
Laughter for Both of Us.
So, after 4 months of power-washing, sanding, scraping and painting the house, taking apart and restoring the LaPavoni, specifically roasting the beans at Jack Mormon, grinding them up in the Baratza, coming off of a 72-hour work shift, we have found the perfect cup of coffee.
You see, it’s the simple things that bring us the biggest joy.
What is your simple ritual for joy?
