DON’T FORGET THE COFFEE SERIES – DAY 2

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

For Day 2 of my new coffee series, I had intended to post something in prose, but I found myself reading through another coffee poem that I wrote several  years ago. As I read it, I was tempted to add some more thoughts to it, so I did. And since it is now a new poem — sort of — I decided to go with verse again today.

NO NEED FOR FALDEROL

I joined the queue outside the door,
Just after 6:00 a.m.
The morning sun had chased the fog,
But warmth was pretty thin.

My breath formed steam each time I spoke,
And pockets warmed my hands.
I yearned for coffee, hot and strong,
A large cup was my plan.

We inched along with moderate speed,
And soon I stood inside.
The fresh aroma brought a smile;
It’s tantalizing tide
Mingled with the cozy sounds
Of orders glorified:

Venti Frappucino – Tall
Mocha Latte – Grande.
Americano, Cappucinno,
Really, there’s no end.

At last, I stood before the bar;
The young barista frowned.
He know I’d order coffee – plain.
No whip, no froth — just brown.

I hate to disappoint him so;
He’s quite sweet after all.
But coffee is its own reward;
No need for folderol.

I’m all for staying true to form — 
A purist through and through.
The best coffee experience:
Unadulterated brew.

DON’T FORGET THE COFFEE

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

I got to thinking this week that it has been a very long time since I published a post about coffee. Now, for a dyed-in-the-wool coffee lover like me, that should be considered a sin. So I have decided it’s time to do a new little coffee series. I think I’ll call it “DON’T FORGET THE COFFEE.”  And I decided to begin this new series with a brand new poem by the same title.

DON’T FORGET THE COFFEE!

Whether rushing off to church on Sunday morning,
Or heading out to work from day to day,
I have one specific task that’s mandatory,
I must make a pot of coffee, come what may.

Now, it’s not that I can’t function without java,
I have jumped from bed and tackled urgent tasks
Without the soothing and uplifting beverage,
But why should I? That’s the thing to ask.

I require so very little to appease me,
And I gladly do my work and extra too.
I don’t ask for extra pay or laud and honor.
All I ask is to enjoy my daily brew.

It’s about the only thing that I indulge in — 
Well, there’s chocolate — I admit I love that too.
But if I forgot to make my pot of coffee,
Why, I just don’t think I’d know quite what to do.

For no matter what the new day has in store,
I am quite convinced that all will turn out fine
As long as I do not forget my coffee — 
Nature’s tonic with a touch of the Divine.

DAILY WRITING PROMPT 1867: WHAT’S THE OPENING SENTENCE TO YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner
Photo Courtesy of Clker.com

If I were to write my autobiography, my opening sentence would have to be the following:

“I have always been a rebel at heart.”

Now, I know that sounds as though I have been a trouble-maker all my life. I haven’t been — honestly. And basically, I tend to follow rules of orderly and peaceful living. But I have always had a serious problem following any rules that don’t make sense — or that are unfair. I realize that judging whether something makes sense or is fair can be a very subjective act. And personal opinion can play a part. But when I come face-to-face with any rules that cause me to back up or bristle a little, I stop and carefully consider them. I honestly try to see them from various angles and points of view. But if, after that consideration, the rules still seem to be senseless — or even stupid — or they seem to take advantage of certain people or put them in an awkward or extremely difficult position — I balk at obeying those rules.

I have been known to fight huge companies — sometimes for months — over rules and regulations that are unjust or that cause customers or clients to have to go our to their way and do extra work in order to use those companies’ services. Phone companies, grocery store chains, and department store chains are a few of the types of organizations I have taken on. I do the same with civic organizations that take unfair advantage of local citizens or mistreat them in some way.

Unfortunately, as I get older, I desire less and less confrontation. There was a time when I gladly made my stand against all rules and regulations that I felt were wrong, but over the past decade, I find that I tend to wait a bit and think things over before I jump into the fray. I guess I’m learning to choose my battles a little more than I did in my younger years. Sometimes now I just sigh and comply — but only sometimes. I do still stand up and fight for things that are really crucial or that can affect a very large number of people. And, even when I don’t take up the fight, I am still rebelling in my heart. So — yes — I think one of the most accurate ways I could begin my autobiography would be acknowledging that I have always been a rebel.

But that’s all the details I’m going to cover. I think I’ll save all the rest of them for that autobiography — you know — the one that prompted this article — the one I will most likely never sit down and write. 🙂 🙂 🙂

STEPPING STONES TO HEAVEN

| Sandra Pavloff Conner


Today I got to thinking about the Smoky Mountains and how much I wish I were there. I love being in the Smokies, and if I had my way, I would live there for the rest of my days on this earth. Unfortunately, I can’t make that work, so I have to settle for visiting there and only very occasionally at that. A few years ago I wrote a poem — a cinquain — about my love for those mountains, and I thought I’d repost it today just because I felt like it. Some of you may remember it, and some of you have never seen it previously.  Either way, I hope you enjoy it today.

STEPPING STONES TO HEAVEN

Heaven
Is a little
Closer in the mountains.
My heart’s at rest there, and I can
See God.

DAILY PROMPT 2146 — WHAT COULD YOU DO LESS OF?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

photo courtesy of Rawpixel @pixabay.com

 I did not have to think about this one for any length of time at all. The one thing that I could definitely do less of is eating sweets.  I love, love, love, love, LOVE candy, cookies, cakes, and pies. I just can’t seem to get enough of them.   And the fact that they are a major comfort food group for me adds to the problem.  I’m stressed just thinking about how I need to cut down my eating of these goodies. Oh, well … maybe if I eat me some chocolate, it will help me get over the stress …..

DAILY PROMPT 2138 – FAVORITE THINGS TO WEAR

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

The prompt asked about TWO favorite things to wear. But that doesn’t really make sense, because it doesn’t clarify whether it’s talking about upper garments, lower garments, coats, shoes, hair accessories, or a dozen other categories. So I had to do some thinking about this one. 

However, I did realize pretty quickly that all my “favorite” things to wear have one or two things in common. First of all, they are all COMFORTABLE.  I spelled that with capital letters because it is my primary decision maker. I used to be willing to be uncomfortable in order to be “in fashion” or to wear something that I thought was particularly flattering or would catch the “right person’s” eye.  Nowadays, I am much more sensible. I cater to my own comfort.

So in the category of favorites I have to include a powder blue sweatshirt, which is cozy and comfy, a red Christmas top  (also soft and comfy)  with lovely sculptured silver Christmas trees on the front — a gift from my sister — a necklace that is simply the name Jesus written in script, with a short silver chain.

The second thing many of my favorites have in common is that they have sentimental or nostalgic significance. And that’s why I have a pair of black flats and a pair of tan flats that are reminiscent of some I wore as a teenager. I loved that style, and when they came back into the stores a few years ago, I grabbed up a couple pair and always enjoy wearing them.

So, there you have it. Are there other things I could include on the list? Certainly. But these are enough to answer the question.  So  now if you’ll excuse me, I will just go slip into something comfortable.  🙂

DAILY WRITING PROMPT 2090 — WHAT PRINCIPLES DEFINE HOW YOU LIVE?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

photo courtesy of Romek @ pixabay.com

I’d probably say that the principles I try to base my life on are found in three main statements:

1:  Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me.”  I try, as much as I can, to act, react, and speak the way I believe Jesus would in my place. I don’t always manage it successfully, but my efforts are sincere.

2.In all my work as a writer, artist, and teacher, I follow this dictum:  Perfection is not a requirement in my life, but excellence is mandatory.

3. This bit of advice I got from my canine friends, and it seems a valid way to conduct myself most of the time:  Wag more; bark less.

DAILY WRITING PROMPT 2025 – WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO CARRY WITH YOU ALL THE TIME?

| Sandra Pavloff Conner
photo courtesy of Engin Akyurt @ pixabay.com

MY CUP OF COFFEE.

Now some folks out there may think I’m joking. And maybe I’m being just a little light-hearted about the prompt. I suppose I would have to say that my purse with some kind of money and my drivers license would be at the very top of the list.  But right after that comes my cup of coffee — no kidding.  If I’m home, it’s in a pretty cup — often one with my own original artwork on it. And if I’m not home, it’s in a travel cup that I can stick into any microwave for a warm-up. You might say a good hot cup of coffee is my version of a security blanket. 🙂

DAILY PROMPT 2020 – LIST 30 THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY

| Sandra Pavloff Conner

 

Wow! 30 Things That Make Me Happy!

I could probably list 30 things and then make sub-categories under each one. But I’ll try to stay within the limits of the assignment. Okay, here goes:

  1. Knowing Jesus Christ
  2. Teaching God’s Word
  3. Praying with and for others and helping them receive from the Lord
  4. Writing – fiction, non-fiction, & poetry
  5. Creating Book Covers
  6. Drinking Coffee
  7. Visiting with friends — especially when we drink coffee at the same time. 🙂
  8. Eating chocolate
  9. Eating bacon
  10. Eating mashed potatoes
  11. Christmas — decorating, gift buying, family get-to-gethers — everything
  12. Sunrises
  13. Sunsets
  14. Spending time at the ocean
  15. Spending time in the Smoky Mountains
  16. Painting & Sketching — watercolor, acrylics, ink
  17. Painting birds in particular — my imaginative versions of birds
  18. The stars when they seem bright & close
  19. Playing music – mainly keyboard
  20. Teaching writing
  21. Teaching people how to use and be comfortable with computers & the Internet
  22. Reading Miss Read books
  23. Reading A Redbird Christmas — over and over
  24. Reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series
  25. Reading a Good Cozy Mystery
  26. Playing with dogs
  27. Singing — mostly privately as worship
  28. Dancing
  29. Autumn — especially the whole month of October
  30. Remembering all the blessed times I’ve had with loved ones

This exercise has been fun. It really refreshes the soul to sit and think about things that make us happy.  I probably need to do this at least once a week.

MY NEW SWEEPER — A SAD POEM

| Sandra Pavloff Conner
Image courtesy of Wolfgang Eckert @ pixabay.com

I bought a new sweeper —  light-weight.
It sucks dirt up fine, and that’s great.
When dirt canister’s full,
From the unit I pull,
Empty dirt and return in clean state.

Now, I managed to pull the part free;
Emptied dirt and cleaned filter with glee.
But when all was replaced,
Sweeper did about-face,
And spewed out dirty air right at me.

Now, it no longer sucks dirt or lint.
And the owner’s book gives me no hint
Where the parts all belong,
So I can’t fix what’s wrong.
And I’ve wasted the money I spent!