Coffee--one of God's Gifts

Charming wrote a poem a couple of days ago:

Morning Coffee Prayer

Magic potion, elixir of life,
Morning offering from my wife.
Do your work on mind and head,
Drag me living from the dead.

Amen.

Now, it's funny, I like to go to Starbucks, but I only get a Mocha-with-whipped-cream when I go. Otherwise, I am what you would call a Reverse Coffee Snob. All of the regular coffee at those coffee places is too Robust, even the medium stuff. Just give me Folgers. And not the Columbian or French roast or anything. Just the meek, mild-mannered Classic stuff.

Maybe it's because I didn't drink coffee until I was forty. Then, for about seven years, I took *lots* of sugar and *lots* of half-and-half. My dear mother-in-love called it Baby Bear coffee: as in, Papa Bear, Mama Bear...or she would say, "would you like some coffee with your cream and sugar?"

Then it happened.

(when we do read-alouds as a family, we absolutely LOVE those words. Suddenly....! Then it happened....! Now they were in for it...!)

We were away for the weekend at a sort of retreat, miles from any store, and nobody (including me) brought sugar. So I have "grown up" and learned to drink mine with just cream. Lots of cream. My coffee is almost the color of my skin. Porcelain, you know...

So, maybe that explains how I am the only person in the known universe who Prefers mild to "bold!" "robust!" Give me my two cups a day. One in the morning, and one at three pm.

At least I'm a cheap date. I get the giant can of Folger's for about five bucks at Wally-world.

What's that? About *two* Starbucks?

Now, don't get jealous, but my son Joe Hardy works at Starbucks, and he gets a free pound a week. Every week. Any kind he wants. I only wish I liked it better.