Coffee Girls: Confession #12

My grandmother passed away a few days ago. She was 82. Such a sweet, mellow, dear old lady. She didn’t live close by, but family would go visit every few months. When she allowed it. We always had to give her advance notice… boy did she insist on having advance notice. Even though she sometimes seemed a little off, she was always interested in everything we did.

What I remember most about her is how much she loved pizza. And dancing. And scented candles. She would have scented candles all over the house. And large fans in the windows. I never could understand why she had such an affinity for window fans… until she passed. She was using them to clear the air. Seems sweet Nana was growing marijuana in the vegetable garden. Growing, harvesting and smoking it. I guess, that explains a lot of things. Way to go Nana! I’m both shocked and kind of proud.

Coffee Girls: Confession #11

Of course I like coffee! Just not the way YOU probably do. I often brew several types, one right after the other and then set them aside to cool down for an hour or two. Dark roasts, medium roasts, instant, not instant. I don’t care where they come from or what brand they are, I just care about the color they make. No, I’m not a weirdo. (My fourteen year old might think I am, but I’m not asking for her opinion, especially not at this time of the month… if you get what I mean. Or it might be a moon phase thing. Teenage girls, who really knows.)

Anyway, I’m a painter. I paint with coffee! No, I didn’t make it up, coffee (and tea) painting has been around for centuries. You use it like watercolor… only no pigments, just lovely shades of brown. Think of tonalism with a twist (and a smell). There’s a learning curve for sure. How much water, how much coffee, things like that. Also, if you let it sit too long, it molds. I once let one sit, covered, for about four weeks thinking it would age, you, know, like a fine wine. Sweet baby Jesus! The smell ’bout knocked me out. It also looked like something from a sci-fi movie crawling around in there. Wasn’t sure if I needed to call ghostbusters or an exorcist. Also, the dark roasts really stain, so be careful with them. I now have a “coffee painted” shirt, pants, and right shoe.