Most know my love of coffee. Here are some funny memes I have picked up in my….um….research! (Yeah, research, that’s it…)
A Place of Refuge for Mind and Soul
Most know my love of coffee. Here are some funny memes I have picked up in my….um….research! (Yeah, research, that’s it…)
Hello, People!
Welcome to the first ever….Wednesday Whatever! I wanted to start something new on the blog this year. So I came up with this.
Wednesday Whatever will be blog posts on Wednesdays that will be about whatever I come up with. LOL Yeah, kind of silly. I decided 2016 will be the year of silly around here. I needed to seriously lighten up and thought writing about fun, silly, and maybe a few absurd things once a week would be fun. Well actually I have Silly Sundays too, but that’s just comics and memes, so I didn’t really count that.
So for today’s first edition of Wednesday Whatever! I, of course, came up with COFFEE!!! Or weird, awesome, strange facts about coffee. As many of you know it’s my favorite beverage. Let’s see what I found out searching the internet.
Coffee can help you become healthier!
Coffee contains lots of antioxidants. Which of course is a good thing. Coffee drinking helps fight chemicals in the body called “free radicals”. As a result, coffee drinkers are at a lower risk of diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, Type II Diabetes, and Heart Disease. BUT….isn’t there always a but? But, just drinking coffee, of course, is not going to stop all these things from happening if you don’t have moderation in eating red meat, drinking alcohol, or smoking.
Caffeine is actually crystals!
The buzz you feel after drinking coffee is actually from ingesting tiny 0.0016-inch crystals of caffeine. Zoom! Zoom!
Coffee Had Been Banned in the Past!
It’s true! Coffee has been banned at least three times in the past that I could find. Mecca in the 16th century, by Charles the second in Europe in 1675 and Fredrick the Great in Germany in 1677. Oh my! I bet people still drank it when they could get away with it.
Coffee Was Made into Energy Bars!
Way before energy bars was even a thing, they were a thing. Ethiopian Oromo nomads made energy bars out of crushed coffee beans and animal fat in the first Millenium. Here we thought we invented it!
Who Drinks the Most Coffee in the World?
According to my research…Finland does! Go Finland!
Even Bach Got in the Coffee Groove!
Johan Sebastian Bach wrote a comic opera about a woman who was addicted to coffee in the 1730’s.
There is a lot of Coffee Drinkers Out There!
The world consumes close to 1.6 Billion cups of coffee every day! You would think with that much coffee swirling around, people would be much more calm than they are.
Are you a coffee drinker, too?
Now those of you who have followed this blog for any length of time know how much I love coffee. So, here is my annual post about coffee. Ah, enjoy while I sip my cup of joe. 😉
Coffee is commonly referred to as a cup of Joe and though many theories are circulated on the origin of this phrase, it is unclear as to exactly when it was coined as well as why.
One theory is that Joe came about as a misunderstanding of the French word chaud, meaning hot which is pronounced similar to Joe.
Another theory is the belief that it came from Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels who banned alcohol on ships, making coffee a popular beverage of choice, but some believe that the coffee reference was in place long before he held office.
Some believe that the word was derived from the word Java, which is a place in Indonesia where coffee was exported from, or it may have come from the shortening of the word jamoke, another term for coffee.
Regardless of where the term came from, it is a fun and interesting way to say you’re having a cup of coffee.
The little jewel above is sold for a whopping 18,000 dollars or so. Looks high-tech and all shiny! Also, look at those tiny cups! Why I would be making millions of them every day. Those aren’t my size of cups at all!
I’m pretty useless until I have my first cup of coffee. I can get things done, but it’s not a pretty sight. haha!
Did you know that coffee was the first food that was freeze-dried? True!
Now for the best coffee cake recipe!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Do you like coffee? Love it? Hate it? Meh?
Hello, people!
Hope this will be the start of a wonderful weekend! I’d also like to take this opportunity to say how happy I am with SCOTUS for passing the same-sex marriage law.
I thought I would bring back a little bitty story I did some time ago. It was for the WordPress Weekly Writing Challenge. It’s always been one of my favorites. Hope you enjoy my flash of the past.
For that week’s WordPress weekly writing challenge, we were to write a fifty-word story. Not five thousand, not five hundred, but precisely fifty words. Here’s mine…
My palm is sweaty where I grasp you, my hand against your firmness. My breath quickens when I think of what is to come. A long-term affair continues. My eyes close, lips purse. First your smell hits my nose. Ah, so seductive, you are. Coffee, how I love thee.
If we were having coffee, I would invite you in for your favorite beverage, be it coffee, tea, coke, water, etc. We would sit down at the kitchen table and have a nice visit.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you I may be getting new neighbors soon, as the one place next to us is up for sale and the place across from us is being cleaned up and fixed up. I don’t know if it will be for sale or not as the place has been empty for the nearly two years I’ve been living here. From what I understand the old man who lived there had died in there and his only child was in jail for ‘white collar crime’.
The last few weekends someone has been there fixing the place up and today there is a U-haul there being filled with the stuff that was inside. Sam and I were just ‘observing’ these things when I took him out to do his business. We aren’t the nosey type, really. 😉
If we were having coffee, I would mention Spring has come, although today it doesn’t seem like it, as it’s pretty cool out. Officially though, Spring is here. Even the birds know it as they are busy building nests and the trees are budding out. Despite us having a bit of a snow storm earlier this week where it dumped about 8 inches (20cm) on us. It’s all gone now thank goodness.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you how excited I am about the A to Z Challenge reveal tomorrow. It will be great to see everyone’s reveal posts and what they are doing for the challenge. I will be having a post of my own tomorrow, so please watch for that as I’m doing the challenge this year too.
If we were having coffee, I would confide that I am determined to have something published this year. I will probably go the self-publish route, but I’m not ruling out sending out something to agents or/and publishers. I am done with procrastinating out of fear. I am going to do it! I have a best friend who has confidence in me and she is pushing me to do this (in a nice way, of course). I’m not getting any younger, so now is the time to just shove my fears aside and get it done. Wish me luck!
If we were having coffee, I would want to know what is going on with your life. What exciting things do you have planned or hope to accomplish this year? I would refill my coffee mug and whatever you are drinking and I’d listen to you tell me all about things. That is what a good hostess and friend does.
So until next time, have a wonderful week and don’t be a stranger!
The #WeekendCoffeeShare is the brainchild of Part Time Monster. Please go visit and click on the linky to see other posts being done with beverages. Thanks!
Hello people!
Friday again! How the time passes quickly. The first week of February already done! Hope your weekend is extra special.
I’m in a good mood today, so for Flash Back Friday I thought I would bring back a ‘feel good’ story I did almost 2 years ago. I did some editing, as usual, so I do hope you enjoy and come away feeling good too.
She was new to town and found this quaint little coffee shop a block from her new house. So every morning the past few weeks, she took a leisurely stroll to stop in and have her first cup of the day. She sat at the big picture window to watch the town come to life slowly, enjoying the friendliness of the owner of the shop as she stopped by her table with a cheery hello.
She had moved from the big city a year after her divorce. That was 6 months ago. She did freelance writing work for the local newspaper and for a few top magazines. She might not have been able to save her 5-year marriage, but she was able to save her sanity by moving here. A small friendly town. Lots of nice helpful people. Strangers, all of them. It was sad that she felt more at home now with these strangers then with the “friends” she had left behind in the big city.
She had gotten tired of the awkward conversations. The pitying looks. The fake “I’m so sorry things didn’t work out” from people she knew weren’t sorry at all. When you divorced a rich, high-powered lawyer, who turned out to be a rich, high-powered scumbag, things got a bit messy. And ugly. So she left. Goodbye scumbag, goodbye fake friends, goodbye ugly.
She smiled and took a sip from her rapidly cooling cup of coffee. Debating whether to have another to indulge herself or head back towards home, she noticed the man come into the shop.
For two weeks, she watched the same handsome man do exactly the same thing. He would walk in, glance around briefly, walk to the counter to order his cup of coffee. One cream, no sugar. Just how she liked hers. Then he would sit at a table next to the wall, open his morning paper and read it while sipping his cup of joe. After exactly half an hour, no more, no less, he would fold up his paper. Reach in his pocket for change that he left near the empty cup, smile at the owner and leave.
It was fascinating to her that he did this every morning, without fail. Never once changing his actions. Obviously a man of habit. She gave a small self-deprecating laugh. She shouldn’t be noticing handsome strangers. For all she knew, he could be married with five kids. Or be another scumbag. And one in her lifetime was enough! Feeling satisfied with her reasoning she left, waving goodbye to the owner.
The next morning arrived in a blustery, dreary, looking like rain, fall light. She debated going for her usual walk to get her cup of coffee. She had a brand new coffee pot at home she could use. It was sitting on her kitchen counter just waiting to be filled with fresh hot brew. Instead, she found herself locking up her house as she set off towards the coffee shop. She smiled as she walked briskly down the sidewalk. The fall wind at her back, pushing her onwards. The dry crackling leaves swirling around her feet.
As she came closer to her now favorite coffee shop she noticed a familiar tall handsome figure just walking through the door ahead of her. He was early today, she thought to herself. For some reason, she felt a flicker of anxiety. Every morning since she first noticed him he never deviated from his routine. Always the same time he arrived, always the same time he left. She wondered if something was wrong today.
She opened up the door and was greeted with the smell of freshly ground coffee. The shop was gratefully warm and cozy. She saw the handsome man standing at the counter. As she approached to give her usual order she noticed the owner on the phone. The woman gave a small friendly wave and mouthed, ‘be right there’.
She waited, wondering if she should attempt some small talk when she heard a deep soft voice state, “I notice you’re here every morning”. Nodding her head she looked up into hazel eyes, darkly fringed.
“So are you” she stated as she smiled into a wide-set face with a slight dusting of freckles. The face went well with the reddish-brown hair falling over his forehead.
“I enjoy the walk before work. And I enjoy good coffee. So I get both every morning.”
She watched his lips turn up into a smile and found herself drawn to the man. She liked how he looked. Friendly, interesting, open, just like the small town she has come to love. She felt the beginnings of interest flicker in her mind as he introduced himself as the local hardware store owner. He engulfed her smaller hand in a warm handshake that lingered just a bit.
She told him she was new to town and was a freelance writer for the local paper.
When they heard a cheerful ‘hello’, they both slowly faced the woman behind the counter as she stood waiting for them to order. The man then said in his deep soft voice, “Two coffee’s, please. One cream, no sugar”.
Hello people! Hope your weekend was super special. Getting ready for the holiday season? Or are you dreading it?
Regular readers and people who know me, know I love coffee. I do. I have had a love affair with coffee since my late 20’s. I never could stand the taste of coffee till then. Strange as it seems. My mom and dad always had coffee in the morning. I loved the smell of it. Divine! But the taste? Ugh, tasted like I always thought dirt would taste.
Now? Oh wow, I love the smell, the taste, it’s all good in my book! I sometimes drink coffee all day long. It never makes me jittery like it does some people. It wakes me up in the morning and relaxes me at night. Yeah, I love me some coffee.
Piping hot, steam rising above my favorite cup. Just a dash of milk, no sugar. Total brown heaven. I also like my coffee on the strong side. Don’t give me any of that weak, watery stuff! I want it strong, I want it hot, and I want it every day.
So today I thought I would post all things coffee. Sit back with a good hot cup of joe and enjoy!
Now first off we need a good coffee maker. How about one of the most expensive ones for the home? You like bling? I got bling for you!
It’s adorned with 3,100 of Swarovski crystals. For a measly $4000 this could be yours or mine!
How about the world’s most expensive coffee? I’m not saying it’s the best, just the most expensive. I don’t think I have stumbled upon the ‘best’ yet. Also, my best cup of coffee won’t be yours. We all have different tastes and that includes coffee. I will keep seeking for that perfect cup of coffee though. Someone has to do it.
The world’s most expensive coffee is now being produced in Thailand’s Golden Triangle. I’m not sure I would drink it. But hey, to each their own. Black Ivory Coffee is made by passing coffee beans through the not insubstantial stomachs of elephants and then picking the beans out of, well to put it bluntly, the crap. I laughed too when I read that it was developed by a Canadian. You can read all about it here.
It’s similar to Kopi Luwak, the civet coffee that was all the rage a few years back; Dinkin (the entrepreneur) has just supersized the idea.
Now I like a coffee mug with a sense of humor. But, I also like beautiful coffee mugs. I have a whole shelf of different ones. Just depends on my mood that morning. 😉
Now this one I could use some mornings for sure!
Cee over at Cee’s photography puts up a post challenge every Monday. It’s called Share Your World. She asks 4 questions and you give answers in a post so we can all get to know our fellow bloggers a little better. Thanks Cee, it’s a wonderful idea. Why not come and join us?
So here is my answers to this week’s question.
Regarding animals would you prefer not having them around or having domestic pets, farm animals, or seeing them in nature or the zoo?
I love all animals. I have always had pets, usually dogs, but I love cats too. I’ve been on farms and around farm animals. I prefer seeing animals free and natural, but some zoo’s I know are getting better about the keeping of animals. I would love to have the money and acreage to have a place for abused animals come to and live their life out as free as possible and well taken care of. That’s always been a dream of mine. Come on lottery winnings!!
Are you a collector of anything?
I used to be. After losing my things so many times in my life, I have become less and less materialistic. That and I hate to dust LOL. I used to collect Santa’s, coke things, anything with wolves. Now all I collect is years and memories.
If you could know the answer to any question, besides “What is the meaning of life?”, what would it be?
Why can’t people just get along and accept each other’s differences as something good and not bad?
If you were to treat yourself to the “finer things” what would you treat yourself to?
Some really good expensive coffee beans. Mmmmm. Coffee…… Or, all the books I want and can’t afford. Or, all the painting supplies I want but can’t afford. And to go with that I would have a big studio with lots of natural light. Other than that, I’m good. I’m not one much for clothes or shoes or jewelry. So for me, those are the “finer things” in life.
For this week’s WordPress weekly writing challenge, you must write a fifty-word story. Not five thousand, not five hundred, but precisely fifty words.
My palm is sweaty where I grasp you, my hand against your firmness. My breath quickens when I think of what is to come. A long term affair continues. My eyes close, lips purse. First your smell hits my nose. Ah, so seductive, you are. Coffee, how I love thee.
She spotted him again this morning. Every morning for the past two weeks she has seen him come in and order his coffee. One cream, no sugar. Just like she drank hers. She was new to town and found this quaint little coffee shop a block from her new house. So every morning she took a leisurely stroll to stop in and have her first cup. She sat at the big picture window to watch the town come to life slowly, enjoying the friendliness of the owner of the shop as she stopped and said good morning.
She had moved from the big city a year after her divorce. That was 6 months ago. She did free-lance writing work for the local newspaper and for a few top magazines. She might not have been able to save her 5 year marriage, but she was able to save her sanity by moving here. A small friendly town. Lots of nice helpful people. Strangers, all of them. It was sad that she felt more at home now with these strangers then with the “friends” she had left behind in the big city.
She had gotten tired of the awkward conversations. The pitying looks. The fake “I’m so sorry things didn’t work out” from people she knew weren’t sorry at all. When you divorced a rich, high-powered lawyer, who turned out to be a rich, high-powered scum bag, things got a bit messy. And ugly. So she left. Good-by scum bag, good-by fake friends, good-by ugly.
She smiled and took another sip from her rapidly cooling cup of coffee. Debating whether to have another cup to indulge herself, or head back towards home she noticed the man come into the shop. For two weeks she watched the same handsome man do exactly the same thing. He would walk in, glance around briefly, and walk to the counter to order his cup of coffee. One cream, no sugar. Then he would sit at a table next to the wall, open his morning paper and read it while sipping his cup of joe. After exactly half an hour, no more, no less, he would fold up his paper. Reach in his pocket for change that he left near the empty cup, smile at the owner and leave.
It was fascinating to her that he did this every morning, without fail. Never once changing his actions. Obviously a man of habit. A very good-looking man of habit. She gave a small self-deprecating laugh. She shouldn’t be noticing handsome strangers. For all she knew he could be married with five kids. Or be another scum bag. And one in her life time was enough! Feeling satisfied she left, waving good-bye to the owner.
The next morning came in a blustery, dreary, looking like rain, fall light. She debated going for her usual walk to get her cup of coffee. She had a brand new coffee pot at home she could use. It was sitting on her kitchen counter just waiting to be filled full of fresh hot brew. Instead she found herself locking up her house as she set off towards the coffee shop. She smiled as she walked briskly down the sidewalk. The fall wind at her back, pushing her on wards. The dry crackling leaves swirling around her feet.
As she came closer to the quaint coffee shop she noticed a tall handsome figure just walking through the door ahead of her. He was early today, she thought to herself. For some reason she felt a flicker of anxiety. In the two or more weeks when she had first noticed him he never deviated from his routine. Always the same time he arrived, always the same time he left. She wondered if something was wrong.
She opened up the door and was greeted with the smell of freshly ground coffee. The shop was gratefully warm and cosy. She saw the handsome man standing at the counter. As she approached to give her usual order she spotted the owner on the phone. The woman gave a small friendly wave and mouthed, “be right there”. She waited, almost made nervous by the man next to her. Then she heard a deep soft voice state, “I notice you’re here every morning”. She nodded, looking up into hazel eyes darkly fringed. The eyes were warm and curious.
“So are you” she stated. Looking at a wide-set face with a slight dusting of freckles. The face went well with the reddish/brown hair falling over his forehead.
“I enjoy the walk before work. And I enjoy good coffee. So I get both every morning” he laughed.
The laugh was infectious. She found herself drawn to the man. She felt the beginnings of interest flicker in her mind as he introduced himself as the local hardware store owner. He engulfed her hand in a warm handshake that lingered just a bit, as she told him she had moved to town six months ago and was a free-lance writer. She liked how he looked. Friendly, interesting, open, just like the small town she has come to love.
Slowly they both faced the woman behind the counter as she stood waiting for them to order. The man then said in his deep soft voice, “Two coffee’s please. One cream, no sugar”.
It was raining when I got up this morning. Outside was dark, the clouds rolling in with distant thunder, heard faintly. I fixed my first cup of coffee and settled in my favorite chair in front of the patio doors. The big old apple tree was drinking up the rain drops thirstily. The leaves fluttered slightly in the breeze. The red and green apples washed of dust in the dim morning light.
I sat back and took a sip of hot fragrant coffee. Sam, my little Shih Tzu buddy laying at my feet. The cats hiding under the couch because of the rumbling in the distance. They have always hated the thunder. The morning quiet, except for the plop- plop of fat rain drops landing on the patio doors. It was peaceful.
Then the hail came, small pea sized pellets bouncing off the wood planks of the patio floor. Not a lot. But enough to make me worry about my cucumber patch in the garden. I gave a little sigh, disliking the tiny disturbance in my perfect morning. I took another sip of coffee, settled more firmly in my chair and let the small worry pass.
Lost in thought I watched a small raindrop travel down the glass pane of the door. Slowly it zig zagged its way to the bottom. My thoughts jumped here and there and never settled on one thing. I had a lot to do, but was enjoying the rain and the peace too much to move. I was re-charging. Letting the silence settle into my soul. It felt good, sitting there and listening to the rain.
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