All of my coffee from the morning is gone. It's a happy memory. I woke early this morning in order to make one of my favorite, simple dishes- quiche. It's an old recipe from a long unseen friend and is not complicated.
I began to put together the ingredients. When I got to the mayo/Miracle Whip, I stopped. I had enough left for a small sandwich- not a quiche. My morning plan to bake and eat in the comfort of a warm home flew away like the geese in fall.
Begrudgingly, I dressed and drove to the store. I added to the list the few things left to buy for Christmas cooking. Were they even open at this hour, I asked myself as I rounded the walled parking lot of the grocery store? Yes. They were open. I bought the ingredients and returned home.
My coffee pot had turned itself off. Since I had only had one cup before leaving, this left a sinking feeling in my gut. I love my coffee- usually as dark as I can make it. It was still hot enough. I drank coffee, I baked the quiche and I ate a big piece of it.
What began as a simple trip to the kitchen ended as a simple trip to the store before I ever really got going in the kitchen. The ox- it's a noble animal. Perseverance and good humor saved my day today. I look forward to Christmas time as a time for slowing down after speeding up.
I see family more, friends in new places and I eat quite a bit at this time of year. And I sing a lot. And I look again backward to be reminded of good things which come in small packages. The news of M. de la Villehuche and his oh so final decision gave me pause. What is a trip to the store compared to the loss of more than a billion dollars? The coffee I sipped tasted so good after my trip out in the cold. And I felt peace in the moment.
I lift my cup to the oxen. 2009- the year of heavy loads carried, of fields prepared and of harvests brought in!
