Vice Requires Constant Practice

I've never liked coffee much.  I love the smell of coffee.   With lots of whole milk, or better  half-and-half, or best, cream and a little sugar, coffee's not bad.  But I've never needed coffee in the morning or much wanted it at other times of the day.

I remember as a child helping my father in the summer when he taught science workshops to other science teachers at a local college.  He'd ask me if I could go get him a cup of coffee when we arrived each morning.  This wasn't like today, there were no coffee machines in kitchenettes, there was no Starbucks on campus.  There were also no large cups, not even medium-sized cups.  And there were no lids.  No lids? Yes, this was back in the dark ages of coffee consumption.

So, in order to get my father some coffee—a task I was thrilled to perform for him—I would trek buildings away across campus.  I would get the only size styrofoam coffee cup available, fill it with coffee as full as I could and then head back towards the building in which he was teaching.  Young children move quickly and don't have a lot of paitence.  "Hyper-active" was a term adults regularly used to describing me. 

Also, coffee sloshes.  I tried to walk as slowly as quickly as I could.  I would imagine ladies carrying pots on their head and I would try to have poise and float across the quadrangle.  His coffee usually arrived only two-thirds full and my hands would be red from the hot coffee spilling on them.  He was always very gracious and never seemed to mind there was coffee spilled down the sides.  I was happy for being able to be a help.

Recently, I thought I'd try to acquire a taste for coffee.  On this vacation, a large pot of coffee was made for anyone interested each morning.  They had some smooth blend and it turns out I I liked it quite a lot.  I looked forward to coffee each morning.  In part, I was drinking coffee in place of the hot tea I usually drink, but I have to admit I looked forward to the coffee when I woke up.

We're travelling home tonight.  I'm not in need of coffee every morning—that's a vice I'd have to work harder on to make permanent.  Especially, since this morning after three cups, I was dancing outside in my bathing suit at the side of the pool.   So maybe a bit too much coffee, yeah.

The Big Boy Update:  Uh oh.  He is very clearly saying "uh oh" and using it in the proper situations.  Mostly when he drops something.  And on the going outside front, he still loves bring outdoors.  My father-in-law is a good source of information, as he had four children.  He agreed he loves being outside more than most kids. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles: Pale as snow.  She is so pale.  She would blend in with a bag of marshmallows.  When she goes out in the sun on vacation here, we put this water babies sunscreen on her that's white.  When it's first put on, she looks positively ghost-like with her white hair and light skin.

Right-size Countdown:  3.0 pounds to go