Spare change

Change is constant. I miss Julia but living alone is what I do best now. The dinner company was always joyous, but dining alone has its merits. I suppose I could say this year has sucked so far with the loss of life around me. It would be too easy to fall into that mode and too much of a negative rut to crawl back out of. I prefer to look at the change that is happening for the good of my journey towards sixty years of living.

Time for a quick store update. It is a major part of my life and the changes that are happening. Small town girl that I am, I feel lucky to have lived in some pretty exotic places through the years, at someone else’s expense to start and of my making lately. This tiny town in the southwest corner of New Hampshire is sinking (syncing?) into my bones.

We are nominated (four companies out of 49 nominees) for Business of the Year by the chamber of commerce.  I spoke to Sean today, the president of the chamber, to reserve a table and get an idea of what the event involves. We joked that it wasn’t “black tie” but they are working to make it a Gala Event and a major honor in the community. I thought of the designer gowns in my closet and quickly dismissed them all, though it would be fun to twirl in them just once more.

Every weekend is filled with events such as the Chocolate, Wine and Cheese festival this Friday, the Drop-In Cooking demo on Saturday, the private screening our a new PBS show airing next week, “Our Hometown” of which we are sponsor and Peterborough is the first featured episode. The weekdays are filled with construction and the birth of the café. Two short months ago it was an idea, now the space is becoming transformed and the reality of the business is taking shape. We have a logo, the barebones structure of a website and a team in place. The longer goal  is to turn the whole building into a gourmet destination; handmade chocolates, pastries and ice cream on one end, a unique tasting showroom on the other, feeding into a fresh, fun café in the middle. Total collaboration and coöperation is resulting in a fun place for the customer regardless of their tastes. Did I mention NH is in the top ten states for consumption of ice cream? Sub-zero temps, let’s go out for a sundae!

Finances are tight at the end of a long cold winter. Prepaid propane is exhausted and extra bills have appeared. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, but it weighs on my mind. I just need some spare change to go along with all the change raining down on me. It will come, just as certainly as the seasons will change, people and beings will emerge and leave and I will be here to record it all.