Tapping Maple Trees

I woke up today thinking about the smile that would hit my face as soon as I smelled that first whiff of morning coffee. I am definitely of the opinion, that coffee is most enjoyed in the morning, and although, also enjoyable in the afternoon, or late evening, if I’m drinking it then, it most likely means I have to stay awake for some reason. Which I’m not a huge fan of.

Smelling coffee is nearly as good as drinking it in my book. So, I sat in front of my bay window upstairs, drank my coffee and slipped into contentment. The sun was coming in at just the correct angle that I could lay my head against my chair back and have to shut my eyes because of brightness. The sun is rising earlier every morning. It’s beginning to smell like Spring outside, although, I’ve lived through the February thaw ruse too many times to believe it. It’s difficult to ignore the smells of the season though. I have that odd sense that I should be walking through the woods tapping maple trees.
I lost the morning like that.

I’ve been a bit lonely lately. Not, I’m so depressed I don’t know what to do lonely, just that nagging sense of wanting something that isn’t here. I suppose it makes me more introspective than usual. Normally, I spend the sunny part of the morning spoiling my pepper plants and whispering them sweet nothings. Today, I spoiled, well, me.

I sat in the sun with the window open. I smelled the not-quite-Spring air, and wondered what blustery weather it still had in store. I stoked the fire in the stove, and listened to the wind travel through the pines. For the first time in my life, I didn’t think. About anything. I reveled in the moment that stretched into an hour.

I came out of it when I realized I had to pee. But, it was nice, that hour. It’s amazing sometimes what can recharge you, and make you think about the things that you have to fill you, and not the things you have lost that threaten to sweep you away.

Bad News and Good News

Bad News

Taxes. What a horrible time of year. I really don’t know anyone that doesn’t hate them. Rob from the poor, give to the rich, good job George W. In recent years, I haven’t been affected so much, I take my W-4’s down to H&R, they calculate it for me, and then I get a check in the mail. Easy right?Wrong. Not this year. This year, on top of over ten-thousand dollars I’ve already given to the government, they want to take more, because I, number one, am not actively populating the country, and number two, am not legally wed. So, basically, I just give the government all of my money, because I obviously have no husband or children to spend it on. And what the hell is FICA anyway. Damnit.
I won’t even go into having to pay state taxes to states that I have never lived in, nor will ever live in. It makes me a bit angry. And you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. I’m not sure the particular type of green I turn, because I don’t often look in the mirror at such times, but I’m pretty sure it’s an ugly puce type color. I also like to think I start talking like Rambo, the gutteral, I can only understand 4 words out of 10 type of delusional psycho. I even have a red bandana.

Anyways, enough of my temper. In good news, George W. has also proposed to cut forestry spending by quite a large sum of money. To fund his war. Oh wait, that’s not good news. It just means most of my state will be out of work, and or forced to retire early. Sorry, Montana, you get screwed because you like your trees. The good news is, that the wild land fire budget is actually 48% of the budget. That’s good news. We won’t die in fires, but by wintertime, we have no money to pay snowplow drivers. So, we’ve been given death by ice instead of fire. Thanks for making that choice for us George.
I’m really not a government hater. I just hate this government. And really, if I were rich, I’d love it. So, I guess you can call me selfish. It’s ok, I don’t mind.

Good News

The real good news of the day though, is, I’ve finally gotten rid of the horrible, horrible
coffee that I took a gamble on buying. I lost that one. But boy, did I learn my lesson. Less is more people, less is more. When you’re a coffee addict… stay with what you like, and if you want to try something new, kudos to you! But, buy it in a little bag. Don’t go for the industrial sized Costco bag and have no backup. I guess we can’t be intelligent all the time.

My Goals….Everything’s Better with a Little Bacon

There are lots of things I wish I learned how to do in life. Number one, I suppose has to be learn to whistle. All I really want to do is be able to whistle the Andy Griffith Show theme song. I’m not really quite sure why, but I feel that it would enrich my life in ways I can’t even fathom.

• I also want to learn how to smoke a cigar. And enjoy it. For a person like me, pretty much the culmination of looking badass is relaxing with a cigar and a glass of scotch. I think you have to have the right stature for it though. I mean, me, standing at nearly six feet, liking flannel and packaged men’s white t-shirts would look pretty badass. But that look might look a little silly for a lady that’s a bit more sophisticated, demure and shops at places like Macy’s and likes to wear high heels. At first. I like to think that the cigar and glass of scotch is a look that anyone can perfect since I’m a badass even though I don’t own a motorcycle look.

• I really want to take a real cooking class, so I can say with educated knowledge that my way is better. Or at least think it.

• I am already a connoisseur of coffee flavored coffee. But, I’d like to have the time to sit and enjoy it properly in the morning. I’d like to promote our local coffee roasters and try every flavor they make. Then, mix my favorite two together, make a masterpiece, call them, and tell them to name it after me. It shall be forever known as Cutlass Liz’s Blend: Cures Even the Most Prominent Morning Bitchiness.

• Finally, I’d like to eat more bacon, without worrying about clogging my arteries. In fact, I would like to start a dinner series with the theme ‘wrapped in bacon’. Because lets face it, I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t like bacon. Someone even once tried to convince me that bacon beer would be a good thing. Or bacon in Mongolian barbecue. Hmm…

I guess I don’t really know about anyone else, but it’s time for me to get off my proverbial bum, turn off the television, and start learning to whistle.

In case you need more bacon info:

• The Bacon Show – One Bacon Recipe per Day, Every Day, Forever
• I Heart Bacon – the name says it all
• Bacon Gift Wrap -for the bacon lover in your life
• Even More Bacon Links – From the I Heart Bacon site; LOTS of links