Outside it's very cold and murkily grey, and everything is covered in a sheet of ice. Doing chores last night, I had to punch my boot heel into the ice crust every time I took a step, in order to stay on my feet. The cleated boots came out this morning for the first time all Winter.
There's been a lot of this lately:
For a person who has enjoyed - well, let's say "reluctantly swallowed" - coffee about once every two years over a long lifetime, I am making up for it now with a taste for Turkish coffee. I started out making an occasional traditional serving, in a traditional cezve, and drinking it in a tiny cup, unfiltered. A bit of a pleasant ritual. Only one "local" shop carries this coffee. It's in the same town as Faraway Feedstore, so an 8-ounce can of Mehmet Efendi has been on the list for that every-few-months trip.
Well. There's been a gradual uptick in indulgence over a couple of years, and this Winter I've been brewing an entire quart, filtering it, then refrigerating and doling out daily for iced coffee with lots of milk. I recently made the feedstore trip and now the cupboard holds two cans of coffee. 16-ounce cans. Felt very much like getting in a load of hay.
It's so refreshing to the eye to see green, isn't it? I'm trying to keep a few little spearmint plants alive until they can go forth and multiply in the Spring. There hasn't been spearmint growing here in many years, but I am going to try very hard to reintroduce it in 2023.
And speaking of refreshing colors and reintroductions:
awww, Della looks so cosy! Wish I could join her because it's cold here and yet another dull miserable day. I think the sun is trying to forget about us.
ReplyDeleteNow you have me curious about Turkish coffee so I will have to have a consult with Mr. Google on that one. I like coffee and usually enjoy two cups a day. Yesterday we were passing a McDonald's so the car steered itself (what can I say) so we could indulge in one of their iced coffees. It's rare that we are near a McD's so it's a treat. We do have one here but their iced coffees are slop for some reason.
You are so lucky to have bluebirds. I have never seen one in person despite watching for them. There's an area not too far north of here that's designated as a bluebird sanctuary and not once have I seen one there.
I'm glad I'm not the only one drinking iced coffee in the Winter!
DeleteWe have bluebirds, mostly at the Preserve. So exciting to see. They seem to prefer open country rather than townhouse developments, so I don't see them at home.
ReplyDeleteI've been schooled about Turkish coffee by Kurdish friends, who insist that about a thimbleful is plenty. I guess it's strong.
Bluebirds like meadows and fields, I think, which is why I was so surprised and excited to see one here a few years ago. Of course the goats are doing their very best to create fields and meadows wherever they have a chance.
DeleteYour post made my cheap coffee taste so much better! You are right, we do seem to indulge ourselves a bit more these days. I am jealous of your bluebirds...we used to have some but have stopped feeding the birds to reduce the problems we were having ing with mice, chipmunks and squirrels, all of which were overrunning the place and wreaking havoc in gardens. Maybe soon I can start back to feeding at least a little.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the not-birds! One reason I pay for the hulled sunflower seed is to keep from getting mice around the feeders - there is literally nothing left on the ground under the feeders after the birds have been through. And if I have a problem with raccoons (or bears) I have to take the feeders down for a while and just scatter seed by hand in small amounts when I go out to do chores - the birds catch on pretty quickly!
DeleteDella has the right idea!
ReplyDeleteThis year we got rose breasted nuthatches and carolina wrens! I've seen a flock of bluebirds in my front bush once a couple of years ago, so I keep an eye out for them!
I haven't seen a Carolina wren this year, and was wondering about that! I guess they are all at your place ;)
DeleteA bluebird winter for you, and a bluebird day for the rest of us! Be still my heart!
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
I'll have to post more pictures :)
DeleteI do like Turkish coffee but only drink it if someone else makes it for me. :) Right now having my first brewed cup of coffee for the day. Been awake since 4:45 a.m. A flash of lighting and a bit of rain with a dark sky at the moment. Birds outside chirping. Your little bluebird sure is cute. Take care.
ReplyDeleteIt does taste better if someone else makes it! But then, I think that about everything :)
DeleteDella definitely has the right idea.
ReplyDeleteI've drunk coffee for many, many years, but never tried Turkish coffee. I'm going to have to look that one up. Good idea to have a stash of the things you enjoy!
I agree - little treats are the sugar and salt of life :)
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