Conversations Over Coffee

Although I had planned to sit on the front porch and have coffee with you this morning, I find that the wind has driven me indoors to the dining room table.

I pour you a cup of coffee and set the carafe down on the table and go to fetch the cinnamon rolls. Hubby had been pestering me to try making cinnamon rolls: “They can’t be that difficult,” he kept saying. So, we found a recipe that lets you start the night before, let them sit in the fridge overnight, and bake them in the morning. Thank you, Alton Brown.

I should have taken a picture of the finished product. According to Hubby, they need a cream cheese frosting, not just a cream cheese icing. Secretly? I like the icing better, but I think I want more cinnamon filling.

If we were having coffee right now … I would tell you that I heard on the morning news that Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow. Then I would chuckle. You might look at me strangely until I explained myself. You see, it really doesn’t matter if Phil sees his shadow or not. It is only the 2nd of February and there will almost always be six more weeks of winter since the official first day of spring is March 20th. You might look at me again. March 20 is seven weeks away.

If we were having coffee right now … I would share with you the things I miss about the place I called home for 57 and a half years. Yes, I know my city has two of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods (Yes, I realize that this article is from 2014), and that crime is rampant, and that politicians are crooked and delusional (FBI investigation into spending, Illinois governors imprisoned, and building new housing projects with the idea that it will help those in poverty), and that people are moving out in record numbers.

BUT,

I miss my orchestra (Rock Valley College and Community Orchestra),

my writer groups (InPrint Professional Writers, Rockford Writers’ Guild, OWLS),

my Toastmasters’ group,

the Happiness Club,

and some of the special events.

If we were having coffee right now … I would tell you that I have what people in the north call cabin fever. Although it is definitely warmer here than back in Northern Illinois as well as less snowy and icy, I am still experiencing that stuck inside feeling because of the rain and dreariness of December and January.

If we were having coffee right now … I would tell you that I wish I was finished unpacking from our move because I am still missing things like my flour container and hardtack rolling pin.

If we were having coffee right now … I would ask you if you would be interested in a monthly crafting club or an adult pre-school experience. You see, I love exploring different types of crafts. As a kid, every Saturday during the school year, I would go to Church Choir School. One of the four components was in the wood shop or craft room. I’ve always thought it would be fun to get a group of people together, much like a knitting or quilting group, to learn a different craft that month. Interested?

“But,” you ask, “what do you mean by adult pre-school?” I would tell you I stumbled across a link to a program in New York where adults got together once a week for pre-school type activities: crafts, movement exploration (this would bring in my theater expertise), music, story time. 

PRESCHOOL MASTERMIND seems to mirror the Happiness Club activities I experienced with Kelly Epperson.

I wonder if a Happiness Club would be successful in Middle Tennessee?

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