Cafe life

 

Margie's Cafe, West Seattle Senior Center

John dropped me off yesterday for my first solo morning shift. I expected the worst, but instead, the Cafe was tidy and the big kitchen ready for the day. No need to call in Gordon Ramsey after all. Sometimes, I jump to conclusions much too fast. The chaos on Tuesday was just the result of the long holiday closure.

Anyway, there was plenty of time to get the coffee station going and some cookies baked before the first bleary-eyed people wandered in. Working those first early hours was actually kind of peaceful with Chef in the kitchen prepping lunch and making soup of the day. 

Soon I'll get to know the regular Thursday customers (seniors are creatures of habit) who come for the same activities and sometimes treat themselves to lunch. I'm looking forward to it. Other than one lady complaining about celery in the tuna salad, everyone was polite and nice.

We're back to typical Seattle January weather again. Meaning rain. There's a concert on Sunday afternoon to look forward to (Mozart Piano Concerto #23 and a Shostakovich Symphony.) That's a light and short program after Handel's Messiah marathon.

Have a good weekend. 

 

National Bird Day

 

What is the most beautiful bird in the world? The Chinese Golden Pheasant is always on the top ten lists. Hard to argue that.

There are several "bird day" holidays scattered through the year, but today was created to call attention to the plight of captive birds. Including the lowly domestic chicken, which we take for granted. Until we don't.

Not a single egg carton on the shelves at Safeway yesterday. They were telling customers perhaps a shipment "later in the week." This due to the avian flu which has decimated the flocks and driven up prices. Almost 60 million birds have been affected. 

Amanda is concerned about their backyard pet hens. So far they've been lucky, but in the winter the wild birds flock to the chicken feed, which is how the disease spreads.

An old photo of me and my sister in about 1953, with some avian friends on the farm.

 

Mid-week already

 

Monday felt like Sunday and yesterday for all the world was Monday-- the week sure goes out of sync when a holiday falls on the weekend. But January rolls on, ready or not. The living room is finally cleaned up and we're getting back to our normal routines, along with some new ones. 

I started my new job at the Senior Center yesterday working four hours a week in the Cafe. The upstairs Cafe is attached to the big main kitchen, where the hot lunches and delivered meals are prepared by "Chef Francisco" and his crowd of kitchen volunteers. 

The Cafe operates somewhat separately, selling sandwiches, cookies, breads, soup, salads, drinks etc. It's an extensive lunch menu, considering the Cafe volunteers must prepare and serve everything, while keeping the place reasonably clean.

Honestly, at 8:30 am, it was like walking into Hell's Kitchen in need of Gordon Ramsey. The Senior Center had been closed for a week, and it looked like a bomb had gone off. The entire Cafe (which technically doesn't open until 9) was already jammed with people wanting (no, demanding) their coffee and snacks. The other volunteer said this never happened before.

Not knowing how to find a single a thing, I was instantly overwhelmed. Thinking what have I done? But the capable, unruffled (not to mention, very kind) volunteer trainer soon had things started and the regular customers placated.  

WHERE is the SUGAR? I WANT some ice water! IS there decaf COFFEE yet?

Goodness, what happened to "please and thank you?" Although happy to say, the majority of customers were nice. For instance, the German language group (with their sweet old world manners) has their weekly meeting in the Cafe. A Latino group held a large, noisy party in the big dining room. The place was hoppin'.

They say it's good for us to try different things. I know my way around food and home kitchens, but haven't worked in a restaurant for 50 years. Apparently, customers haven't changed much since then, so I'll soon get the hang of it. I might actually even enjoy this once I learn the ropes.

Spring?

 

Not by a long shot, but signs of new growth start to appear here in early January. And what a nice couple of days we've had, especially on the heels of epic ice and snow storms. Even the battered olive tree looks revived. The western Washington gardener only gets about a 6-week winter break from work. And I still have some fall clean-up.

Not much else is new. We put all the Christmas away yesterday. Yea. And then I cleaned. And cleaned some more. Why do things always get so dirty in December? We're both sneezing and my eyes feel irritated, but here's not enough light (yet) to see all the dust. 

Janus

 

Looking back, looking ahead...

Wintergreen Seattle was downright tropical yesterday after the below freezing temps and 10 foot piles of snow. The sun came out briefly and it was nearly 50 degrees. 

We sure enjoyed the belated celebration, in fact Amanda and I talked about making it a regular thing. It felt nice to stretch the holiday out instead of cramming so much in one day. 

Before we left, I cleaned the house and put my cute little decorations away. So the last thing I wanted to see was a dried up Christmas tree here when we got home. So that's the project for the day, along with many loads of laundry. I don't bother to wash when we're there for short winter visits.

January, frankly, is my least favorite month, but this one has more fun stuff than usual. We have symphony concerts, a week in Palm Springs at our favorite old place, and I'm starting a new volunteer job at the West Seattle Senior Center (more on that later.)

You might remember I've been a hospice volunteer for several years. I did all the training during the first year of the pandemic and it was life-changing. I'm grateful for that. The problem was the organization served south King County, so most of the patients were over an hour away. Not really feasible from here, especially while our bridge was out. 

I'll never forget the two patients I did visit in in nearby Burien and it was a hard decision to let this go. But the volunteer requirements became too much with so few referrals. It's pretty involved staying certified and current (as it should be.)

Anyway, on we go into the new year. How are those resolutions coming along? John never makes them, so he doesn't have to worry about breaking them. Smart.

My favorite things

 

 

The Promise

Remember, the time of year
when the future appears
like a blank sheet of paper
a clean calendar, a new chance.
On thick white snow
You vow fresh footprints
then watch them go
with the wind’s hearty gust.
Fill your glass. Here’s to us. Promises
made to be broken, made to last.

By, Jackie Kay 

Happy new year! Headed back to Seattle today on a nice morning with brilliant sun finally out on the mountains of snow. More early snow than even the Twisp old-timers on our street can remember. 

A new month, a new year, and already looking ahead to those "silver white winters that melt into spring." And what a melt it's going to be. But that's a story for another month.