"The time has come to sip and speak,"
Giraffe and I agreed;
"of people, places, accomplishments
and tasks before us."

Giraffe inclined her graceful neck to me,
"To speak of Life and Tea."

[paraphrased w/the utmost respect to Lewis Carroll]

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Warm Cozy Missed Opportunities

'Tis so timely that I read this passage on the weekend of the Autumnal Equinox in one of my all-too-rare moments to read an actual paper turn-the-pages book. (with a nice hot cuppa to hand, of course.)
No matter that the book was speaks of the Vernal Equinox. (I'll explain after the quote.)

Cam realized with a start that today was the equinox, signaling the shift to longer days and shorter nights, so it was a day farmers all over the northern hemisphere traditionally rejoiced in. Should she go find a flagon of mead to drink and splash on the ground or something?
Nah. She had fields to turn. . . . But the equinox was a major turning point in the season, even if there was still the danger of freezing temperatures well into May. She could understand why rural people everywhere celebrated it. Maybe next year she'd hold an equinox potluck on the farm to drum up customers for the summer. One more missed opportunity for this year, which just showed that she was a geek farmer, not a brilliant marketer. Good at code and cucumbers instead of knowing how to make the news of her farm go viral. 
. . . . . -- from Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell, A Local Foods Mystery
. . . . . in which Cam is a former software engineer (hence reference to code and geek) and novice organic farmer on the farm she took over from her grandfather in Massachusetts (hence reference to freezing temperatures well into May).

A grand coincidence that I read that on an equinox myself (simply autumnal, not vernal). The important part, though, is "One more missed opportunity for this year"!

I had to chuckle even as I winced.  I too seem to think of things that would be "perfect"---too late.  Missed opportunities, showing that I am good at Tea but not a brilliant marketer good at making the news of my virtual dry tea shop go viral.

Missed opportunities, as well, for times "to sip and speak", my dear Giraffe. So very many marvelous mental blogs / conversations I've had with you that I've never managed to record and share. Missed opportunities to "to speak of Life and Tea".