Morning Movements
PAUH! That was the sound I heard this morning as I flipped the switch to the kitchen light. The life of the bulb had ended. Standing in the darkness, I was faced with the question of whether to first change the bulb or make a pot of coffee. The voice of caffeine spoke, so I began spooning the grounds into the filter of Mr. Coffee.
The basic thing to remember when making a pot of coffee is the number of scoops one has already placed into the filter. Sounds easy enough. But for some reason, I tend to get lost in the counting. I ask myself whether the count began with the scooping of grounds or the pouring of grounds into the filter. Suddenly I have lost all count, and I am left to my ability to judge by sight the approximate scoop number I may actually be at.
Maybe I should have changed the bulb first.
I can’t see how much coffee I have put into the filter. So I open the refrigerator door and use the light coming from it to gauge my coffee level. I continue putting grounds into the filter until it looks about right, then add one more scoop just for luck. I leave the refrigerator door open so I can see how much water I am pouring and to make sure I don’t pour it all over the kitchen counter. Click on the Mr. Coffee, and I’m all set.
I turn around and walk right into the refrigerator door, knocking bottles of condiments and jars of jams and jellies to the floor. Fortunately, nothing is broken, but the box of baking soda has spilled its contents all over floor. I place the bottles and jars back into the door of the refrigerator, then grab the broom and sweep up the baking soda.
The coffee drips far too slowly.
I stand on my tip-toes to unscrew the light fixture. It’s an old glass fixture with three screws at the base. As I turn each screw, I can feel the blood draining down the veins of my arms. After the fixture has been removed, I walk over to feel the light switch to ensure it is in the off position. Considering how the morning has unfolded thus far, electrocution not only seems possible, but probable.
I remove the old bulb, which was 60 watts, and put in the new bulb, which is 100 watts. Wow, big difference. The kitchen is BRIGHT. I never realized how dark the kitchen was before. I might actually be able to see what my food looks like now.
Coffee is done. Ahhhhh, ready to start the day.