Don't tell anybody, but when I went out for my daily bird count and walk today, I came back munching a lovely cookie.
Yeah, the barnyard gate was open so I went down that driveway instead of up the hill or down the house drive. I am usually too lazy to go find the key, open the big gates, and then re-close them when I get back. It was kinda neat to take a different route.
Just as I was almost to the bottom, a neighbor, who was passing and saw me, pulled in to talk farming and neighbor stuff...and birds of course, since I had bins and a camera hanging around my neck. Geese are grazing his cornfields, but not too many of the gazillion Mallard Ducks that are hanging around this year. And little brown jobs...we all seem to have a lot of those around.
And then, just before he headed out to finish his errands and deliver a box of homemade cookies to someone, he opened the box and gave me one.
Yep, a groundhog cookie. And a frosted groundhog cookie at that. I wanted to take a picture to share with you but my hands were so cold I had to eat it so I could put them back in my pockets. Delicious.
Ain't small town life great though?
from Northview Diary http://ift.tt/2kR0pUn
Osaka is a city famous for its passion for food and drink, and it has a lot to boast about. Takoyaki (fried octopus balls), okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancakes), udon noodles, and oshizushi (a regional style of sushi) are all claims to Osaka’s fame. But coffee hasn’t been on its list of bragging points. Still, there are whispers of a coffee revolution happening in this great town. After hearing about an emerging new wave coffee scene in Osaka, I set off for the spot on every coffee enthusiast’s list: 
Takamura’s mission is simple: to make great wine available to the oenophiles of Japan. It boasts an inventory of 2,200 different wines with price tags ranging from the equivalent of $10 to around $10,000. The clientele is varied: well-to-do middle-age business types roam the aisles filling their carts with choice bottles, while young couples on dates grab sips of wine from pay-by-the-cup electronic dispensers.
He explained that Takamura’s top brass had noticed a trend: a restaurant would serve good food paired with good wine, and after the meal would come dessert and a cup of coffee; but the coffee was usually bad. “Why does everyone take food and wine so serious, but forget about the coffee?” they wondered. They began to investigate the coffee industry. The similarities between wine and coffee culture interested them even more. Concepts like the importance of region, the care taken in raising a crop, the tasting process, and the complex flavors in each cup were all familiar. In 2013, Takamura built up a coffee team and set out to provide restaurants with not only top-shelf wine, but specialty coffee as well.
A look at the gear behind the counter shows that coffee is taken as seriously here as wine. A custom 
I sunk into a deep, brown leather armchair by the window and took another look around. The place buzzed with young mothers on coffee dates, tourists from Western countries, businessmen stealing a few moments alone, and even old bickering couples. A group of friends chatted at a large table; a lone reader sat in a cozy chair for one. All were drawn by the love for, or curiosity toward, a drink. I sipped my Panama La Esmeralda Geisha pour-over while my friend sipped his 1980 Cabernet Sauvignon from Caymus Vineyards. They both offered a little comfort in a cup.
