It’s been July-level hot here this week. At the beginning of May, it was rainy with highs in the 50s. Within a week, the weather turned around and it was high 70s, and for the last several days, highs have been in the high 80s, with nighttime temps in the high 50s/low 60s.
The no-see-ums are out with a vengeance, and it seems that every time I come in from the backyard, I have a new set of bites on my arms or head. (Thankfully I haven’t encountered any more black flies… knock wood.)
We missed out on a nice spring… thanks for nothing, climate change. On top of the warm temps, we’ve got smoke from the Alberta fires, and it’s only a matter of time before the fires start closer to home.
Hot temps, bug bites, and smoke… no, thank you.
Long days and iced coffee? Yes, please!
During the pandemic, one of the most useful things I learned was how to make coffee I like to drink. I learned to make an iced version, too.
This is how I do it:
- Brew coffee. (I like to use the most basic moka pot, with Indaba High Rise coffee.)
- Grab a cocktail shaker and chuck some ice cubes into it.
- Mix your choice of milk with chocolate syrup (or not, up to you) in your glass.
- Pour the milk into the shaker.
- Add the coffee.
- Shake it until the shaker feels cold.
- Add ice to your glass.
- Pour cooled mocha over ice.
- Enjoy.
This is not a new or original idea — I read an article in one of the food magazines in 2021(?), and this technique was suggested there. (I can’t find the article online… are we trying to memory-hole the pandemic?) I like it because the drink doesn’t dilute so quickly. And it’s refreshing on warm mornings, because it’s, you know, iced.
The ability to make a decent coffee at home has been a blessing, and a bit of a curse. I’ve been out and about in the mornings for a while now, because it’s easier to get a couple of hours of classwork done when I’m not trying to accommodate a puppy and a parrot. But coffee drinks are expensive, and frankly, a lot of them aren’t that great. (I should say that they may be objectively great, but they’re not what I enjoy.)
Life is complicated, I guess.
Carmen Yount 