EDITOR'S NOTES:...The Cadence of Coffee...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | It's true - mornings are a bit hot these days. My day usually starts at about 5:30 Ayem with my cold-water shower. After that, a quick looksee at my Email on my trusted HP laptop leads to looking for my cleanest jeans and shirt. I'm out of the apartment by 7:00 AM and at my neighborhood Starbucks a few minutes later.

But, boy, that first cup of Pike Blend hits me a bit rougher lately. And I blame the day's fast-arriving heat. I mean, 85 degrees at such an early time is just this side of cruel. I'm not alone on any of this, as conversation at the coffee shop tends to lead with the horribly hot weather.

I know. It's the Annual Texas Summer Scorch.

And, hey, weren't Brazilians complaining about 97 degrees in their country. Then you realize that it's winter down there and that, yes, 97 is damned hot for them, as well. Almost a-hunnered in the middle of winter. Can you say Global Grilling?

Anyway, I enjoy my early mornings, so the heat was something I just had to endure, like the stray dogs and cats and that one homeless guy I keep seeing outside my favorite breakfast restaurant. The other day, my friend Roy had one of the waitresses take him a few tacos and a cup of Joe. He was gone by the time I left the popular, always-noisy eatery.

One thing I did recently was suspend our Discussion Group's weekly meeting.

Yes, we tire of talking Trump and all that jazz. But, again, some of the guys were saying it's just too damned hot to roust out of bed for yet some more analysis of what ails this great country. We'll be back in Mid-September, was the consensus.

My comment to that went to a sincere belief that little will have changed in our national politics by then. It's just a feeling, like the one you get when you spot a pretty lady at the bar and she answers your initial smile with one of her own. Valley women should smile more, is what I say.

Life is daily.

I live it sort of quietly, all things considered.

But back to my coffee. It is without a doubt my only surviving vice. Once there were many more; today it is my beloved morning coffee that satisfies a lot inside my aging body.

I picked up a bag of the Pike Blend yesterday morning. It costs a bit more than $16, when pre-Covid-19 it was like $11.99. Time and expenses fly. No big deal. I may or may not brew some at my apartment on any given day, although I could. My four-cup Mr. Coffee is as reliable as, well, the day's freakin' heat.

The day's news and possible stories for this platform will take up some of the rest of my day.

I've got two-three new books I ordered online, so those'll likely grab me after lunch, between 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Then, it's a call-around to see what sweetheart wants to go get dinner. I'm feeling P.F. Chang's right now, although I always give-in to whatever they want.

By nightfall, my bent is toward easy relaxation. No politics, no arguing, no pontificating, no BS.

A stop at Starbucks for a post-dinner cup of coffee and a helping of pleasant conversation sets the stage for what's to come later on...

-30-