Quest For A Cuppa

Or, Ego enim occidit calicem capulus (I would kill for a cup of coffee)

I think I’ve made it pretty clear about my open love affair with the mighty coffee bean. As far back as I can remember I have loved coffee. As a small child I would sneak sips from the cups of my parents or grandparents whenever possible.

It’s not just for the caffeine, either. I love the taste, whether it’s real or decaf. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve had to cut back on the caffeine a bit, just so I can get some sleep at night. Right now, though, I’ve developed a new problem. All the new meds I’m taking seem to have aggravated my gastritis, to the point where I not only can’t handle caffeine, but can’t handle acid either. So decaf is out now as well.

One year I gave up coffee for Lent and used a product called Pero as a substitute for instant coffee. You’d never mistake it for real coffee, but it was an acceptable temporary replacement. Afterward, the jar sat on the counter for years. I dusted it off and started using it again. Since I already put a lot of cream and sugar in my coffee, I do the same with Pero and it’s fine. I decided I better get some more, since this regime with the meds is going to go on for some time. Thus began my quest.

At first I could not find Pero anywhere. The Walmart website said they had it, but I couldn’t find it and didn’t want to pay shipping to order it. None of the other stores in Oroville carried it either. I went online to see what my other options were. The one that got the best reviews was the Teeccino brand ground coffee substitute. The next one was Cafix instant. At S&S Produce in Chico I found both Teeccino (several flavors) and Cafix. I later did find Pero at Walmart and got one of those as well. Here’s the breakdown of the three.

Pero. Instant. 11oz container. $6. Makes approx 130 cups. Ingredients: barley, malted barley, chicory, rye. I like it. With cream and sugar it’s fine.

Cafix. Instant. 7oz jar. $8. Makes approx. 100 cups. Ingredients: roasted barley, rye, chicory, sugar beets. I like it. Again with the cream and sugar.

Teeccino. Brewed. Flavor: French roast organic. 11oz bag. $11. Makes approx. 30 cups. Ingredients: carob, barley, chicory, ramón seeds, natural coffee flavor. I like it with one exception…there is a hint of the carob, which I don’t care for. I can add a packet of sugar free hot chocolate mix and that helps a lot. With everything supposedly being organic, I wonder at the “natural coffee flavor” and what they mean. At any rate, it tastes good.

So that’s what I’m drinking for the time being. And I’m OK with that. Once in a great while I will brew me some decaf and can get away with the odd cuppa now and then.

Hijinks With a CPAP

I’ve been using a CPAP at night for some time now, and it has helped a lot. Nights are MUCH quieter without all the snoring. And I don’t have to worry about stroking out from lack of oxygen. That was beginning to bother me more than somewhat…

The hose that leads from the mask to the machine is long enough that I can change position in bed without too much trouble. I became accustomed to it and adjusted quite quickly. However, there are times when I’ve moved without enough caution and have almost dragged the machine off the nightstand. And I’ve knocked my water bottle off the stand as well. I used to be able to have the lid on the bottle and take a drink whenever I needed during the night with no trouble. Since having the mask, though, I either have to take the mask completely off or use a straw, which negates the lid. Now when it happens, I just get up, get a towel to lay on the floor over the puddle, put more water in the bottle if needed and go back to bed.

A few nights ago when I put my mask on and hooked up the hose (in the dark, mind you, since I do this EVERY NIGHT) I didn’t realize that I accidentally looped the hose over the bedpost by the head of the bed. It made the available length of the hose quite a bit shorter, but I didn’t know it right then. Somewhere along the line in the middle of the night I shifted in bed, yanking on the hose. The resulting noise woke me and the first thing I thought was that I had dragged the unit off the nightstand. I swung my arm over, knocking over the water bottle. I said something not quite lady-like and leaped from the bed. It woke Marv immediately and he said “Turn on the light!”

Thankfully the unit was still on the stand, but when I bent over to pick up the water bottle, I did it endo and soaked the entire right pajama leg. So I got a towel, picked up the bottle, changed my pajamas and climbed back in bed. Wide awake. As I tried to settle down, Harper decided to come up from the foot of the bed because clearly he wasn’t the focus of all the action and was offended. Not caring about all the TRAUMA I had suffered, he came up to me and lovingly bent over my head, grabbed a mouthful of hair and YANKED to get my attention and give him some love pats.

Kitties are wonderful.

February 2019 Book Report

Beware of This Shop (1977) by Carol Beach York

A truly creepy YA book. I at first thought that Lia might like it, but then thought again considering Lia’s nature. Maybe when she’s a little older. It’s kind of dark. Hester is a young teen in the late 1800s. She’s an orphan living with her aunt who doesn’t seem to care for her very much. Hester discovers an unsettling shop that sells things that seem to harm whoever buys them. She ends up working in the shop and tries to discover its secrets and stop the bad things that happen. Good book, just very dark.

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Lifeboat (1972) by James White

This sci-fi book is outside the Sector General series that White wrote. Mercer is a new medic on the spaceship Eurydice, never been tried in a serious situation before. Very low man on the totem pole with little respect from the rest of the crew. After a sudden catastrophe early on in the trip, he finds himself caring for the civilian passengers in a way he never expected. The passengers are scattered throughout space in pods while Mercer is in command on the main ship and keeps in contact with all the lifeboats.

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The Year of the Lucy (1986) by Anne McCaffrey

Always a fan of McCaffrey, whether it’s a romance or a sci-fi or a fantasy book. This one is a romance. Mirelle has to juggle being a wife, mother and sculptor in the 1960s. Women weren’t expected to have an outside “job” other than the home and has little respect from her husband for the truly creative sculptures she does. She does a sculpture of her deceased friend, Lucy, who was her best friend. In a drunken fit, her husband destroys it. Mirelle finally comes to realize that she is of worth, if to no one else, then to herself. She finds the strength to hold her own.

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This Time of Darkness (1980) by H.M. Hoover

Good YA sci-fi about the far distant future. Mankind has destroyed most of the Earth, so country-sized Cities, built deep underground, house all the humans. Hester is becoming more and more dissatisfied with the way life is and feels there HAS to be something better. She comes across a wandering boy named Axel, who claims to have come from the Outside and is trying to find his way back. Together, being pursued by officials, they make their way through the lower levels up to the top and find a way out.

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Rich Girl, Poor Girl (1936) by Faith Baldwin

Young Dr. Kimberly sets up practice in a small town, taking over for the beloved retired doctor. The town is ruled by a tyrant business man who will help the doctor only if he tows the main line and doesn’t make waves. Dr. Kimberly makes waves.

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The Alice Network (2017) by Kate Quinn

Fascinating book!! I had no idea there was a female spy network in WWI and how vital it was. The book is historical fiction, but there were several “real” people and events in it. It led me to really look into the whole subject. The Alice Network was in place in WWI and the action there goes back and forth to the aftermath of WWII. A young woman who is pregnant is being taken by her mother to Europe for an abortion. She manages to get away from her mother and comes across one of the members of the Alice Network. Great book. I highly recommend reading it and then looking up some of the people and events mentioned.