Milking it

Last week seemed to be the week for things to break chez Curessa. The computer perished of course, but with it died our beloved milk frother for our morning coffee. These things wouldn't be a big deal (and they're not, in the grand scheme of things, of course) had we not just spent the summer paying for luxuries such as a patched roof, a shower door, and a painted house.

Anyway, back to the milk frother. This little device whips up foam from milk without any electric power, and it adds something to our coffee that makes us feel just the tiniest bit like we're experiencing the luxury of a coffee shop at home. I know, I sound like an advertisement for the thing, and it may not even sound all that blog-worthy. BUT. Because of the foam, we no longer buy creamer for our coffee. We just use regular milk in the coffee, which is especially exciting because I can't even admit how many times I've had to pitch half of a container of half-and-half after its expiration date. I hate waste, but after lactating for a good 17 months, I hate wasting milk more than I hate wasting most other things. Not to mention the packaging, the extra trips to the store, and the transportation costs of getting it to the store in the first place.

What's that you say about coffee not growing in Minnesota? (Or Alaska?) Remember, we've never claimed to be extreme in our locavorism, and giving up coffee would certainly fit into that category, especially for my husband. We try to buy fair trade coffee when we can, and we're working on reducing our consumption by only making what we're going to drink (rather than making a full pot and pitching 2/3 of it. Baby steps.