Everyday Life for Four Seasons

ahhh... Autocrat coffee! Their logo is a swallow and their slogan is - or used to be, anyway - "A Swallow Will Tell You!" We served it at Bee Bee's - Bee Bee Dairy, the restaurant where I worked after I turned 16. My sister, Jennifer, worked at Bee Bee's too and when I was younger she would come home smelling like fried food (Bee Bee's was a coffee shop, the best coffee shop ever), and she would sit and count the change and $1 bills she got for tips. I guess once in a great while she would get a $5 bill, but that was a rare occurrence.

When I turned 16 my mother made me a cake and after I blew out my candles and opened my present, she said, "Let me know what your new job is by the end of the week." So I went down to Bee Bee's and talked to Mike, the manager, and I was hired. I was probably the worst waitress ever. I waitressed for several years, not always at Bee Bee's, and I never got any better. My main problem was that I just didn't care. I think a waitress is supposed to care about taking care of her customer's needs, but I never did.

I met Ron at Bee Bee's, one of a series of semi-serious boyfriends. I suppose that since we lived together for a few years, you might call him a serious boyfriend. But I'm not with him now, am I? No. So we'll keep him in the "semi-serious" category. I was only 19, what did I know?

Back to Autocrat. Bee Bee's had both booths and a long, winding counter with 27 seats at it (I think). Customers used to come in just for the coffee. We couldn't make enough of it. It was all Autocrat coffee, which is a local, Rhode Island brand. I loved it too, it's what got me drinking coffee in the first place. My dad lives in Rhode Island now and he and Marilyn prepared gift baskets for me and my sisters (and the men in our lives) for Christmas. All of the items were Rhode Island products. And a can of Autocrat was in there. I haven't thought about it - or tasted it - in years. I wondered if I would still like it. Jeff drinks the BJ's version of Starbucks, and claims that all other coffee is unworthy. I drink his coffee occasionally but it's always too strong and bitter for me, so I load it up with sugar and milk. Today I made a pot of Autocrat and it was like drinking a cup of heaven! Perfectly sweet and weak! I love it. It takes me back to my Bee Bee's days. What a treat. I never think about those days anymore.

On the feng shui front, I rearranged a few things in our wealth area of our home. I put a chair in the empty corner so that our wealth and abundance would sit and rest instead of collect dust or scatter and fly away. It seems to be working, because I just rolled $42 in change and I'm going to the bank tomorrow to deposit it. Cheers to our chi!