Where is Juan Valdez?

 I do not like coffee. It smells so good but all I can taste is better and oily. 

Coffee drinkers abound in my family. I remember my father's mother always drinking coffee, She poured the coffee from her stove-top percolator into her cup. Then she added a dollop of milk from her can of evaporated milk. Then a generous teaspoonful of sugar from her sugar bowl. After a vigorous stirring she enjoyed it with a cigarette. 

Mom would have a cup of coffee in the morning with Daddy. She would have another in the evening with him. That is all the coffee she drank.

When they were younger they also put milk and sugar in their coffee. Eventually both of them drank it black.

Among the seven of us siblings some were coffee drinkers and some are not. The same goes for our children.

I left Daddy for last. He loved his coffee. He drank it in the morning before he went to work. He drank it all day at work. Then he drank a lot if coffee at home.

Mom got tired of making several pots of coffee every night. One day she got the idea of buying a large 32 cup coffee pot. She made 32 cups of coffee every morning.

I already told you that Mom drank 2 cups of coffee each day. Daddy drank the rest. 30 cups of coffee a day! And that was only at home. I have no idea how much he drank at work.

I have no idea how a person can consume that much liquid a day.

Night Cometh

My front door looks directly west. I enjoy looking out a door or window at the weather. 

I watch sunny mornings when the animals are more likely to be sneaking around. Later a neighbor might mow the lawn or do small repairs on his house. 

Rain is my favorite weather. Watching the drops fall and hearing the drumming noise they make is soothing. I can see the air being so clean and clear.

In the spring I get to watch the trees bud then leaf. Some of them have pretty flowers. Dandelions begin to bloom in the grass. Shortly after that the violets show up. Lilacs bloom on their bushes. The whole world is waking up.

Snow is so pretty. In the winter the world is covered with snow. The weather is cold. A good book, a grilled cheese sandwich, a cup of tomato soup, and a warm blanket make a nice afternoon by the window.

Looking at the stars at night is a real treat. I lived in the big city for so many years and not seeing many stars that I forgot how glorious the night sky is.

Recently I was looking at the western sky through my front door. The sky was turning dark as night approached. There was a dark line almost straight across the sky. I could actually see night approaching. It was fascinating.

Success

I did not plan well for my advancing age. I do have a small pension and I receive Social Security payments. I live with my son so my life is much easier than it probably should be.

I worked and paid into both. There are those who believe these are "entitlements" and feel that I am "taking money from the government".  I began working and having deductions taken from my paycheck when I was 11 years old. I worked for 51 years. Yes these are entitlements because I am entitled to be repaid for the money I allowed the government to use for 51 years. But I digress.

One day I was lamenting the fact that I had not made better choices in my life. I really had nothing to show for all the work I had done. I was not a success.

I must confess that money means very little to me. You cannot wear it, eat it, live in it... you get the idea. I do understand that money helps to get those things. It is just that I do not need fancy. All my needs are basic.

I was a pretty child. I was intelligent. Most of all I was loved. I would say it is a good combination.

As a child I dreamed the fanciful dreams many children dream. I was going to be part of a singing group like the Lennon Sisters. Or a movie star like Hayley Mills. Or write a great detective story.

I also knew those dreams were not realistic. I could not sing. I enjoyed acting at school but that sort of thing is as much luck as anything else. I can write bit I have found that I am not a disciplined writer. 

My son asked me what I had always wanted to be. 

My answer was immediate. I had always wanted to be a mother. 

I never dreamt of a husband but I knew I would need one in order to have children.

 Eventually I married. I had four beautiful babies. 

I have loved being a mother. My children are so much alike and yet so different. 

And now they are all grown. I am so proud of each of them.

My son simply said, "Then you are a success."

Go To Work

My final job before I retired was as a laser operator. I worked in a factory that makes industrial shocks. 

We made shocks for carnival-type rides in amusement parks. We even made the shocks for Batman's cape in movies. They were used to make his cape stiff when he used it.

Our shocks raged from less than an inch long to about ten feet. All shocks less than three feet were lasered to print the company name, the size of the shock, and the type of shock. That was my job.

I worked in a room all by myself. People asked how I could work in there all alone all day. I loved it. Not even my boss could enter unless I allowed it. 

I tried to stay at least one run ahead of each of the departments I serviced. That way everyone had work to do.

Occasionally my machine would need servicing or even break down. Usually it only took a few hours to take care of the problem. One time it would be days before they could get the part needed to fix it.

We had a large order that was time sensitive. The manager of the company made arrangements for the use of another company to allow the use of their laser.

They wanted to send one of our engineers to do the job but he was busy. It had to be done on Saturday so as not to interrupt their business. And they needed someone with a pickup large enough to carry the shocks. I could fill all those requirements so I volunteered.

I drove to another suburb and the other company. The two men who worked there were so welcoming. They gave me a complete tour of their building.

There were approximately thirty work areas. Each had their own machines. Each had a refrigerator. It was kept full of bottled water for the workers of that area. They each had a coffee pot. Each had coffee, creamer, sweeteners, tea, and hot chocolate. They also had a microwave to heat lunches and snacks. 

There was a large patio where they could eat on nice days. They looked out at a small nature preserve the company owned. There were also two large cafeterias when staying inside. Both were equipped with several microwaves and two refrigerators.

There was a nicely kept locker room. Uniforms were supplied by the company. A service took worn ones out of the locker to launder them then returned them to the proper locker. Each locker had a safe for storing valuables and personal items.

A workout room with all the latest workout equipment was large. There were also showers for after exercise or if you just want to be clean at home.

The thing that amazed me the most was the floors. Everywhere I went everything including the shop floors was spotless... no grease and no dirt of any kind. And they used heavy machinery on it.

Then I was told that the company almost went out of business a few decades ago. The employees bought the company. Anyone who works there owns part of the company and are bought out when they leave. 

They have practically no turnover in their workforce. I can see why. 

All this and I was earning overtime!

Let's Take A Ride

My brother-in-law was used to having everything he said and did agreed to by his family. It could be aggravating at times for me. I tried to keep my mouth shut but there were times I just could not.

One day we were visiting his house. My sister-in-law and I were having a pleasant conversation. Then my brother-in-law looked up from the world map he had been studying.

He announced that he was trying to find the best way to drive to Australia. He was thinking of going there for vacation.

I told him there was no way.

He then proceeded to show me how he would drive from Michigan to Alaska. Okay. That can be done. Then see all those little islands? He was certain there were bridges he could drive across. 

I assured him there were not. After a prolonged discussion I allowed that there might be ferries in some cases but certainly not all.

He continued his imaginary drive along the coast of Asia. I asked him how he would handle the problem of passports and visas while passing through so many countries. He said it would be no different than driving to Canada. At that time US citizens did not need a passport to spend a day in Canada.

When he came to the end of Asia I pointed out that would be the end of his driving. No he would continue to drive into Australia.

I showed him the expanse of water on the map that would prevent him from driving any further. There was a bridge! He was adamant. That was when the argument started.

He insisted that he could drive all the way to Australia. I insisted he could not.

After a couple of hours my sister-in-law spoke up which was unusual for her. She told her husband that he knew I would not argue about it unless I knew I was right!

I do not know if he still believes he can drive to Australia. I will not ask in order to prevent another argument. I do know he has not tried.