CALIFORNIA POTBELLIED PIG ASSOCIATION, Inc.
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Pig Tales - Coffee
THE MORNING CUP OF COFFEE
by Pat Hines   
   
One of the nice things that my ex-husband did for me was bring me a cup of coffee in the morning as he was leaving for work.  I would take it and walk around the yard while my electric rollers heated.  It was a very relaxing way to start the morning.  I used to have 6 rabbits running loose in the yard and would bring them raisins, oats and various kinds of treats.  (Rabbits are very quiet and generally  don’t get in your face and are not demanding) - like some other animals.  One day when wearing only a "long" tee shirt I was feeding my rabbits and asked how my little buns were.  The neighbor over the back fence answered from his 2nd story deck that my buns were just fine.

After the divorce the ritual stopped and the mornings became to hectic to take the time.  Now I have dogs barking at the pig who starts banging on the doggy door whenever she gets up or if she hears me in the kitchen.  I no longer have any rabbits.  So, I bought a coffee pot with a timer.  I was still having a hard time getting my coffee out of the kitchen without waking all the animals so one morning I shut the dogs in the bedroom and tip-toed into the kitchen.  I poured the coffee in the dark thinking that I wouldn’t wake the pig if I didn’t turn on the light or have two dogs jumping around making noise.  I got sugar from the canister and then milk from the refrigerator, which at least provided enough light that I didn’t spill the milk.  I went to get ready for work.  The coffee was AWFUL.  It wasn’t sweet enough and tasted all gritty like there were grounds in it.  I went back to the kitchen, very quietly and dumped the coffee and poured another one (still in the dark) thru a strainer, added sugar and milk and went back to the other room.  It was still awful.

OK I gave up and went back to the kitchen turned on the light and found that the cannister I used for sugar actually had cornmeal in it.  I am now determined to have my coffee in quiet without animal help so the next night I put the pot, a pitcher of milk and sugar bowl in the sunroom where I get ready in the morning.

OOPS - the milk spoiled.  OK it was probably old anyway.  The next day I put the cream pitcher in the freezer and figure if I don’t take it out until bed the milk shouldn’t spoil.  I am not sure whether that worked or not.  One of my dogs, Nala, found it and lapped it up.

OK I will simply put everything on a higher shelf.  Now where do you suppose those ants came from?  Now all set coffee pot is in bedroom, the timer is set, the pitcher is frozen, I have Equal instead of sugar. and the timer is set for 10 minutes earlier than I need to get up.  I will simply have my coffee in bed.

The coffee starts brewing and my dog starts to bark from the noise.  Dog barks, wakes Pig, Pig bangs on door, dog barks at banging Pig.

Well, I suppose its not too much trouble to toss a carrot out for the pig, give the dogs milk bones, feed the quail in the front and the birds on the side deck before I sit down to have my coffee while I get ready for work.  After all, I wouldn’t trade any of them for a quiet cup of coffee.

"The paradise of my fancy is one where pigs have wings."  G. K. Chesterton