An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

No matter where we roam when the Christmas decorations are put away again and the presents are all unwrapped The food all savored the hymns are all sung the church bells all rung the small talk all spoken. Family obligations all done for the year There is something to be said for the sight of your own driveway and your own place even as the rain falls and the sky is grey overhead: For so ever it be humble there's no place like home.

Gingerbread smell wafts through the house the oven is like a furnace pans of cookies come out little men decorated with colored frosting and googly eyes so Grandma can stare in horror and shout "they're looking at me!" Fudge with espresso powder and one batch with marshmallows several tries result in burnt black bottoms in the saucepans but the end result is worth it when it turns out just perfectly. Christmas carols from the TV defrosting Mariah Carey to the jazzy tunes and operatic orchestras as the coffee machine is kept forever warm hot water for cocoa and coffee as we wrap up cookie boxes for gifts. A tradition stretching back almost three decades some years just the basics: gingerbread, sugar, chocolate chip other years with cheese sticks, seafoam, crisp and chewy cookies always a hit with the families almost expected year after year but the kitchen is always warm with freshly baked goods.

Jolly pumpkin in August They already have Halloween on the shelves Ghosts and ghouls are there year round They don't wait for October. The next aisle over are red holly berries in green leaves stockings and figurines Might as well set up your winter wonderlands while it is a hundred degrees outside. And turkeys go gobble gobble on placeholder napkins and gravy boats for Grandma's evening dinner complete with cranberry jelly. I wonder if they all get confused: Spooky ghosts haunt Santa's elves while being pursued by a clueless turkey.

I took a break from the usual writing schedule over the Easter holidays. Kiddos had Good Friday through today off and will return to school tomorrow. Plenty of goodies, including chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps and a turkey dinner. I'm seeing a lot of turkey sandwiches in my immediate future. It was nice to relax and be able to catch up with things. We went out to the park for the first time this season, since the weather was actually warm enough to do it. It's about a 15 minute drive just down the road from our new house. The usual Greenway was temporarily closed, but there are still many walking trails in Reedy Creek Park. We took a short walk to the lake near the playground. The kids were able to get fresh air and sunshine and actually enjoy being outside. Slowly but surely, we'll take longer and longer walks. I need to build up my stamina for it. Of course, Reedy Creek was quite popular, with hikers, picnickers and kids at the playground and the basketball court...