I Don't Do Mornings

Anyone who knows Grams even a little bit knows that Grams is not a morning person. Seriously, I don't like to get out of bed before 9 a.m. When I have to wake up earlier than that I'm cranky and I don't sleep well the night before.

When I do finally roll out of bed, I just don't function well for a while. I want to sit on the sofa, drink coffee and stare into space without being disturbed except possibly by Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer giving me my morning dose of soft news.


This is a long-standing problem for me. I've always been this way. I think I was actually born this way. My mother used to wake me up quoting Isaiah chapter 60, verse 1, "Arise and shine for the light has come" or something that included the words "morning glory." I loathed being awakened this way and would have snarled something smart ass to her if I weren't afraid of being slapped into next week.

This morning malfunction didn't go away as I got older. Case in point, on the second day after our wedding some 35 years ago, Grams awakened in the hotel room basking in the glow of being a newlywed. As I stayed in bed admiring my new wedding band, I heard my new husband humming in the bathroom. I thought to myself, "Oh God, I've made a horrible mistake. I've married a morning person." I'm happy to report that he learned to tone it down in the mornings and I learned to tolerate his cheerfulness before noon. I think the marriage thing is going to work out for us.

As previously established, Grams resides in South Texas where the climate is similar to that on the face of the sun. It gets hot early and stays hot until late in the evening. While my on-line friends are already talking about cooler weather and complaining about being cold, we here on the coastal plains are still dealing with temperatures in the nineties most days.

Anyway, you may recall that Grams has committed to hiking Enchanted Rock later this month. In order to do that I need to build up my stamina which means, I've got to get off the sofa and move my bloomin' arse. This morning I awoke at 7:30 a.m. intending to get up and get moving. However, I turned over and slept another hour, making it 8:30 when I finally got out of bed. With determination I made my bed, pulled on my walking shoes, downed my vitamins, grabbed a bottle of water, turned on my MP3 player to listen to a good book and headed out the door to walk.

I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't blazing hot. There was a nice breeze and, as long as I stayed on the shady side of the street, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't a fast walk, but I walked for a full hour, covering about two miles. As I walked I began to notice how much difference the recent rain has made. Everything is green again and there are flowers blooming. I've always loved the little wildflowers (okay weeds) that bloom early in the morning and they were abundant this morning. The breeze was gentle, the neighborhood was quiet and I actually enjoyed my morning walk.

So Grams made it ... on her first walk in months. But it won't be my last. I've only got 17 days to get in shape for hiking Enchanted Rock. Cross your fingers and hope the weather stays cooler. Otherwise, I might have to get up even earlier and we all know that's not a pretty thing to see.

You Can't Wear Your Pajamas to Starbucks

Grams is a Starbucks junkie. I'm addicted to the "nectar of the gods" that they serve hot in a paper cup with a plastic lid. When we travel, I have an uncanny sense that will locate a store anytime there is one nearby. I've been known to drive many miles out of the way just to get my fix.

Not only do I love the way their coffee tastes, I enjoy the whole Starbucks experience. I usually opt to go inside rather than use the drive through. Given the time in my schedule, I sit down and drink my coffee right there. I like the communal coffee experience. It's fun to check out the other customers as they rush through or linger over a newspaper or book. All in all it's enjoyable. I love the way it smells ... I enjoy the friendly interaction with the baristas ... I like the music they play ... I like to look at their retail items ... I even like to peer through the glass case at their pastries, although I rarely eat them since they recently dropped their "no sugar added" banana bread. Now, all their pastries have too much sugar. But I can suffer through the lack of pastries that fit my eating plan, because that's not really what I'm there for anyway.

The only problem I have is that it's approximately 22 miles from my house to the nearest Starbucks. Try as I may, I just can't justify a 44 mile round trip just to get my daily Grande Nonfat-2 Splenda Latte. So, unless I have a reason to head across town, I have to either make coffee at home or go to McDonalds or a gas station for a coffee fix. Both of those are sadly inadequate substitutes for the Starbucks experience.

I'm thinking of beginning a campaign to lobby for a Starbucks outlet in Northwest Corpus Christi. I know that it seems like there's a Starbucks on every corner, but sadly, not in my neighborhood.

Enter the Keurig One Cup Coffee Brewing System. My darling husband got this little jewel for me as a Mother's Day gift a couple of years ago. I don't know how I ever lived without it.

It's a coffee maker that uses K-cups that are available in many different brews and flavors. You just drop in the K-cup, close the lid and push a button. Like magic you get a perfectly brewed cup of coffee every time in less than 3 minutes. It's not Starbucks and there's no communal coffee experience, but it's a good substitute and a good cup of coffee. And did I mention it's significantly less expensive than most gourmet coffee. Each cup is less than a dollar.

Thanks to this little jewel, I can now stumble into the kitchen and make myself a cup of coffee while wearing my pajamas, something I'm pretty sure even the friendly people at Starbucks would frown on.

So, when you're in the neighborhood, drop in for a cup of coffee. Grams made it!