Hot Tea and Buttered Bread.

A Lesson in Appreciation.

As I stepped onto my terrace and looked across the meadow this morning, a small breeze brought a reminder that was a chill in the air, and 74 degrees Fahrenheit is a chill when the daytime air temperatures have been in the upper 90s!  Last night, a bit of a cold front passed through, along with a heavy thunderstorm, as it sometimes does here.  Now, this morning, I inhaled the fresh air and watched as the rising sun brought the dew on the grass to sparkle and glisten.  The colors of the new sunrise shifted from a pink-apricot sky and settled into a mundane blue grey.  The clouds were just as grey, too.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it rains again later this day.  In the distance, a flock of birds chirped away.  A fresh new day is upon us!

Here we are, mid-summer.  The days are warm, the thunderstorms are strong, and every day is fresh with new life.  I took note that the trees are fully leafed out and green in their full summer regalia.  Even the fields are inviting.  I went back inside just as the breeze kicked up again.

Oh!  There it is!  The timer just went off on the stove.  You see, the bread I’m baking this morning is done.  It’s a pan de mie with oats.  It is a French sandwich bread with a tender crumb and baked in a Pullman load pan.  It’s among the best breads I bake.

It’s now time to bring out the butter and a hot cup of Earl Grey breakfast tea to get my day started!

What is familiar in my world is comfort, just as the changing seasons, jazz, and a slice of hot buttered bread and hot tea are.