Toast

Bill at Starbucks in the Pearl.

TOASTY is the challenge topic.

There's nothing that makes me feel toastier on a chilly morning than a cup of java - fresh brewed from beans I grind every morning.

Yesterday my wonderful, cleverly designed, simple and efficient Braun coffee grinder suddenly quit working. It's toast! I had a cup of jasmine tea - delicious in the afternoon, but not my morning drink of choice - and determined to fix or replace the Braun that very day.

I phoned a shop near the Lloyd Center (America's oldest shopping mall) that repairs small appliances. No answer. Tried again later. Still no answer.

Okay, I'm willing to buy a new coffee grinder. A glance at amazon.com, where Braun grinders are being sold used tells me that this excellent, reasonably priced product has been retired in favor of flimsy made-in-China substitutes.

After the pool, I went to the Stadium Fred Meyer - a big-box store about to become twice as big with half the parking - to look at their made-in-China coffee grinders. One had no place to rewind the power cord. Another was full of electronic settings and many parts, but the label said "Built-In Cord Storage: Cord tucks away when not in use" so I bought it. When I got it home I discovered that the untucked cord is fully four inches in length! Drat and tarnation. Another errand: return this shoddy product.

It's the time of year when days can be quite warm but nights are cold. I awoke to face a second morning without coffee. Then I remembered there's a Starbucks on the corner. So here's Bill, who has just poured me a delicious cup of brewed decaf. (I hate to admit it, but it turned out to be better than the coffee I make at home.) Then I ordered a half pound of ground coffee to take the pressure off my coffee grinder search. Bill asked what kind of coffee I like and how I make it. He seemed knowledgeable and confident. I felt I was in good hands.

I rushed home to get ready for yoga with Jennifer. That is always wonderful, but today was especially so because she led me in a series of poses focused on Ishvara pranidhana (surrender to a Higher Power) centered on the breath. When we were done we sat and sipped jasmine tea and drew my lilies, which are amazingly still quite lovely.

When Jennifer left, I couldn't resist making myself a cup of my new Starbucks coffee. Decaf, dark roast Sumatra, ground for drip. It was delightful. I'm a convert. Bill's expertise (reflected in his serious demeanor, but he also has a brilliant smile) has won me over.

I think I'll switch coffee grinders - from Braun to Bill.


(Cropped, definition and contrast adjusted, iPhoto Fade #2)