“One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast.”
The air is crisp. Last night was cold. The morning sun is glinting through the trees and highlighting the thick branches of the oak trees, the ones by the deck. Nothing is moving. It is quiet. Even the leaves at the end of the branches are still. Everything is pretty in the sunlight.
The house is clean. The backyard is escape proof. The front lawn and deck are clear of leaves and debris. Fallen trunks from small, dead trees were hauled out of the backyard now made ready for winter.
The weather forecast is for a passing shower this afternoon. We’ll be in the 50’s today and the rest of the week. The nights will drop to the 40’s. Fall is giving way to colder days and nights.
When I was a kid, I resisted as long as I could, but as the mornings grew colder, my mother insisted I wear a sweater under my jacket on the walk to school.
I loved the first morning I could see my breath. The air was clean, clear. The sunlight was sharp but not so warm anymore. My footsteps echoed on the sidewalk. Fallen leaves filled the gutters. Fall was disappearing before my very eyes.
When we got home from school, we had to change into our play clothes. Back then, my wardrobe was divided into school clothes, play clothes and church clothes. My school clothes were a blue skirt, white blouse and a blue tie, our school uniform. My church clothes were a dress or skirt and a blouse. My play clothes were seasonal. In the warmer seasons I wore shorts, a sleeveless blouse and sneakers. When it got cold, I’d wear my dungarees, girly dungarees with a zipper in the side pocket, and long sleeve shirts. My favorites were flannel shirts, still are.
On school days, breakfasts changed with the seasons. On the warmer days it was cereal, dry cereal with milk, and on the colder days it was sometimes oatmeal with butter and brown sugar or eggs, mostly soft-boiled eggs in yellow chicken egg cups. I remember the breakfast table. A teapot filled with hot water sat in the middle. That was for the tea drinkers. I was a cocoa drinker. My mother made that cup by cup. I remember there were bubbles on the top of the cocoa. Once a while, we’d just have toast and our hot drink of choice. I remember the toast buttered then covered in cinnamon. That was a treat.
In Ghana my breakfasts didn’t change for the whole two years. I ate two eggs cooked in groundnut oil (peanut oil), two pieces of toast and a couple of mugs of instant coffee, the only coffee sold. I loved the fresh bread and the taste of those eggs. I never tired of that breakfast.
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November 2, 2021 at 4:51 pm
Hi Kat,
This morning the cold front brought slightly cooler temperatures. The high today will be in the 60s with some rain. More rain is forecast for tomorrow. I’m wearing my light jacket while working at my desk to ward off the cold. This building has no heat and at home my wife is not ready to switch from AC to Heat.
I’m not a fan of breakfast except for bacon and eggs over easy with toast. My better half has restricted my intake of bacon so I eat a package of Ritz crackers with peanut butter every work day. Of course I drink my coffee black without sugar. Why waste calories on coffee when I can have a couple of pieces of candy. 🙂
Today, my company mandated vaccines for all employees by December 8th. This complies with the President’s executive order. There are exceptions for religious and medical cases. The pissing and moaning hasn’t begun yet. I suspect that most of the unvaccinated will apply for an exemption. “Oh yes, I’ve been a Christian Scientist for 37 days”. 🙂
November 2, 2021 at 5:07 pm
HI Bob,
Rain was predicted for the afternoon, but it hasn’t started yet. The sky is now filling with dark clouds so I guess the rain is close.
Last night was chilly so my heat went on this morning to warm the house but hasn’t been on since then. The western part of the state had a frost, but we were spared.
I also like bacon and eggs, but I like sausage or ham and eggs just as much. I make breakfast more for dinner than in the morning. I use fake sugar, Equal, in my coffee. I’m not a fan of black coffee.
The mandates make perfect sense. The silent carriers of the Delta variant are the unvaccinated. They are silent spreaders. I don’t know what proof can be shown, but I think there should be proof of medical and religious exemptions.
November 2, 2021 at 7:59 pm
According to the email, they will have a committee determine the validity of the exemptions. This morning on NPR, a sanitation worker in New York City was angry because he was on unpaid leave because he refused to be vaccinated. One would think a garbage man would want to get as many vaccines as possible. 🙂
One of the FAA Air Safety Inspectors told us yesterday that he’s retiring. He said he has been with the agency 44 years and he didn’t like being told what to do. I said, that’s weird, you have been telling other pilots what to do for 44 years. 🙂
November 2, 2021 at 8:44 pm
I wonder how many committees must there have to be. Does each state have one? The whole thing sounds quite complicated.
I agree about the garbage man. I can’t understand his anger. He knew what would happen if he remained unvaccinated.
Everybody has a boss!
November 2, 2021 at 9:12 pm
I think the committee is for our company only and I assume HR and medical professionals will serve. There may be rules that they have to follow. I don’t really know.
November 2, 2021 at 9:23 pm
That makes me wonder what other places are doing. I hope police, fire, state and federal workers aren’t taken at their word.
November 3, 2021 at 8:30 pm
Hi Kat,
Oatmeal was usually the breakfast in winter. Sometimes it was Cream of Wheat. I loathed them both but Cream of Wheat most of all. Nothing could improve the flavor or texture of that. French toast was a weekend treat. I love French toast and I don’t ever make it at home. Breakfast is usually cereal, fruit, nuts, with yogurt poured over all. And buttered toast, of course. Must have buttered toast. The dogs would be highly offended if I had a breakfast without toast crusts to give them. 🙂
One day when I was a kid, I fell into the brook on a chilly fall day. By the time I got home I was shivering. My mother got my soaking clothes off, dried me with a rough towel, and handed me dry clothes. A sweater and a pair of flannel lined dungarees. I think I have never felt so warm and cozy as I did that time.
My summer clothes have been put away and most of the winter clothes are out. The heavy winter coats are still away. I hope there is plenty of time left before I need to pull those out.
Have a great day.
November 3, 2021 at 8:58 pm
Hi Caryn,
I haven’t ever tasted Cream of Wheat. I wonder why my mother never bought it. Maybe because my father was an oatmeal fan.
French toast is a favorite of mine too. When I used to go out for breakfast with my friend, I often ordered French toast with a side of bacon, crispy bacon. Buttered toast and eggs are the tastiest combination. I like to pick a different bread for toast depending on my mood.
Nothing better than flannel lined dungarees for that wonderful feeling of coziness. I used to love how great the cuffs looked in flannel.
My flannel shirts and corduroy pants are out and ready. Given how cold it will get tonight that’s probably a good thing.
Stay warm and cozy!
November 4, 2021 at 9:15 am
Breakfast out was French toast, sausages, home fries, and English muffin. With jelly. Nothing like carbo loading to start the day. 😀
November 4, 2021 at 9:31 am
Now you have me wanting to go out for breakfast! Yum, home fries!