Coffee or not, hard to stick to the simple things

As far as I’m concerned the best part of waking up is Folgers in my cup.

I mostly like my coffee pretty plain. Black with sweetener in it works for me. As far as my wife’s cup is concerned, the sweeter and milkier the better.

We went 20 years without making coffee in the morning. But the breakfast table became our refuge and rehab as she was recovering from health concerns. The drip coffee maker I only used when my parents stayed with us got pressed into service every morning and I began to get a taste for coffee.

Growing up I had always loved the way it smelled in the morning but I never had the time for it. It was the same way in my early working life. I just grabbed a quick breakfast and got to it. I got more out of a cold glass of milk.

I grew up in the days 25 cents would buy a cup of coffee with all the refills you wanted. My dad regularly got his 25 cents worth at the café. I went with him on occasion and understood what he really got out of it but I never really put the art of doing business at the coffee shop in my repertoire.

My father-in-law did the coffee shop thing too and he always brought my wife her coffee at the office, so she was used to having a cup every morning, just not with me.

Sometime after we started to imbibe at the breakfast table coffee became specialized. Starbucks opened and proved with a good marketing plan and enough sugar and cream that 25-cent cup of coffee can fetch $6 — or more.

My wife will order the fancy coffee piled high with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles every chance she gets. She’s a sucker for a fabulous drink photo on a menu or signboard in front of a restaurant. I don’t even avail myself of the fresh cream in the little stainless pitcher.

She hasn’t figured out yet that the stuff labeled as cold brew is strong and just because it’s daubed with cream doesn’t make it drinkable. She bought a carton once with fancy labeling for the refrigerator but still hasn’t finished it. But she was taken in with another fancy sign last week, even with me reminding her she didn’t like cold brew.

We went to the car without her getting any sweetener in the cold drink. I got a sip and it was really strong. I feel guilty for telling her she needed to finish it all at that price.

Whether it’s coffee or something else in our life we all have a hard time sticking to the simple things. We want things we don’t really have to have like $6 coffee.

On the other hand I sure like spoiling the one I love.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

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