MR. COFFEE.............

WRITTEN BY REX

LAST YEAR AT CHRISTMAS TIME I DISCUSSED WITH MARY GETTING AN ELECTRIC COFFE MAKER. WOULDN’T IT BE NICE TO PROGRAM THE COFFE MACHINE TO BREW UP MY COFFEE 15 MINUTES BEFORE I GOT UP? THEN AGAIN IS TAKES TWICE AS MANY COFFEE GROUNDS IN A DRIP COFFEE MAKER, IT TAKES UP A LOT OF COUNTER SPACE, MARY DOESN’T DRINK COFFEE, AND I’VE BEEN HAPPY PERCULATING MY COFFEE ON THE STOVE WITH A POT PAULIE BOUGHT ME YEARS AGO. SO THE IDEA HIT THE BACK BURNER, SO TO SPEAK.

PART OF MY MORNING COFFEE RITUAL IN THE EARLY DAYS OF CAMPING AT YELLOW RIVER WAS, “TIRE BANGING”, HEY MARY DID YOU TIRE BANG TODAY? THIS IS REX’S CAMP LINGO FOR MAKING COFFEE THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND TO GET RID OF YESTERDAYS COFFEE GROUNDS YOU TOOK THE LITTLE BASKET OUT SIDE AND BANGED THE OLD GROUNDS OUT BY HITTING THE BASKET ON A VEHICAL TIRE. FILL UP THE POT WITH WATER AND COFEE, SET IT ON THE BURNER AND IN THE MORNING ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LITE UP THE GAS BURNER.

BUT OUT WEST, TIRE BANGING WOULD PILE UP WITHOUT RAIN AND GREEN GRASS TO HIDE THE EVIDENCE, SO WE EMPTIED THE GROUNDS IN THE SINK. WHILE CAMPED IN BRODHEAD WE HAD THE GALLY TANK OPEN SO THAT THE DISHWATER WOULD JUST DRAIN OUT ON THE GROUND, ANOTHER THING YOU CAN’T GET AWAY WITH CAMPED IN THE DESERT. IN THE MOVE FROM BRODHEAD TO LA CROSSE I HAD THE SEWER CAP IN PLACE, BUT FORGOT TO CLOSE THE GALLY TANK. WHEN I GOT TO LACROSSE AND SET UP CAMP I REMOVED THE SEWER CAP TO FIND MY 3 INCH SEWER PIPE COMPLETELY FILLED WITH COFFEE GROUNDS FROM THE LAST YEAR AND HALF THAT HAVE SETTLED AND STAYED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE GALLEY HOLDING TANK. NO WONDER WHEN I CHECKED THE GALLY TANK GAGE IT READ 1/3 FULL EVEN WITH THE VALVE OPEN. IT’S 1/3 FULL OF COFFEE GROUNDS !!!

THE CURE OF COURSE IS A MISTER COFFEE, FROM WALMART, THEN THE GOUNDS WILL GO OUT WITH THE PAPER FILTER AND THE GARBAGE. MR COFFEE IS AN AMAZING MACHINE, FULL OF LED LIGHTS, BUTTONS, CLOCKS, AND AN EASY TO USE 43 PAGE USERS MANUAL IN TWO LANGUAGES. I GOT THE MODEL WITH THE METAL THERMAL POT SO YOU SHOULDN’T BE HEARING ABOUT A BROKEN COFFE POT NEXT.

IF YOU STOP OVER SOME NICE MORNING FOR COFFE WITH ME, AND THINK THE COFFEE TASTES LIKE DISHWATER, YOU’LL KNOW I’M STILL WORKING ON GETTING THE COFFEE GROUNDS OUT OF MY GALLEY HOLDING TANK.