So this is a Cyber Cafe What'll be?

Zzyyggy! It’s National Cookie Day! I can barely contain my excitement! (I’ve never cared for overuse of exclamation points.) Francois has already started his holiday baking extravaganza. He’s filling the freezers with slice and bake cookie dough. He even made my mother-in-law’s famous pinwheel cookie recipes—the chocolate and coconut and the date and nut ones. Plus, he baked her nut rolls and poppyseed rolls. They freeze well. Francois promised Sweetie he’d make his thin mint cookies for Christmas. For Hanukkah he’ll make coconut macaroons and honey cookies and more.

For dessert tonight I don’t want cookies. I want Williams-Sonoma Ultimate Turtle Brownies.


Oh. My. Goodness. VIKTOR, I need coffee, please.

Hi, Zzyyggy. The same storm that came across the Midwest and brought snow and wind up in New England and some of the mid Atlantic states, brought very windy weather all the way to Charlotte. In fact, we’re going to have a cold day on Friday with a low of 20 degrees and a high of 43 degrees. Then we get a big warm up into the 60’s for about five days. I wonder if this is going to be the weather pattern for a while.

I was debating whether to order breakfast for dinner or a really nice steak with salad and lots of grilled vegetables. I think the steak wins out. Some of Francois’ fresh baked crusty bread and butter would do, too. When we all gather by the fire I’ll order coffee and pumpkin pie topped with a double helping of whipped cream.

Sweetie has started decorating the house for Christmas. He’s later than usual this year. Our neighbors have been busy decorating for the holidays—some from the day after Halloween and even more since the day after Thanksgiving. I have to stop looking at Christmas cookie recipes, it’s far too easy to give into temptation and make them all. It’s probably a good thing that our grandson and daughter-in-law are picky eaters or I’d have even more incentive to bake. If I were to bake all of those delicious cookies, I would definitely be eating far too many of those cookies. It’s safer for me to buy boxes of chocolate, especially because IRL chocolate makes me sick. Fortunately, chocolate never makes me sick at the cybercafe.

Hi, Zzyyggy! Cold here, too, it didn’t get above 40 degrees here today. Sweetie’s outside cleaning the leaves out of the gutters before the rain starts on Sunday. The rain will bring some warmer temperatures up over 60 degrees.

I have to go get dinner started, but Francois told the guys to start the brick ovens out on the terrace. He says he’s making brick oven pizza. Yeah! I’m going to order a veggie supreme with extra cheese and garlic knots. They closed the gazebo up to protect it from the weather and that should be toasty warm with the brick ovens going. Viktor’s manning the kitchen in the gazebo and he’s got drinks and appetizers covered. I already have my mini cheese and freggies plate with my favorite little cheese crackers. Plus, Viktor served my ice tea with little scoops of lemon sorbet. 😋

Hello to the cybercafe! IRL it’s been a beautiful Saturday, sunny and 50 degrees and I loved it! I’ll admit that I’m enjoying the even warmer weather here at the cybercafe. I just finished a relaxing swim in the pool, then went up to my room at the Cybercafe Inn to change into a T shirt and a pair of shorts. I’m headed out to the ocean side terrace.

I think I’ll order the seafood paella tonight, Viktor. Please bring a pitcher of Sangria and a pitcher of iced tea. I’m sure Zzyyggy will want a Coca Cola with her order. I’ll have a piece of key lime pie for dessert later.

Good morning Zzyyggy. I had a lovely evening out on the terrace last night. The warm weather at the cybercafe is so lovely. Here, in the Charlotte area, was 33 degrees this morning, but it’s supposed to warm up to 66 degrees this afternoon. Ah, winter weather in the South. (I know it’s not quite winter, yet.) By 7:00 this morning I had chicken stock cooking on the stove. I’m going to make Betty’s Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup from her email on December 4th. Sweetie’s shopping now. Hopefully, he can find bulk chicken Italian sausage for the soup. He bought chicken sausage links a couple of weeks ago, but they have a pork casing so they’re his to enjoy. If I could eat pork, I’d buy the real thing.

It’s been a busy morning between cooking and laundry. I decided to take a break and have Sunday Brunch at the Cybercafe. Francois made mini cinnamon buns. I can see them in the pastry baskets Viktor is putting out on the tables. I was able to get a table by the windows overlooking the terrace. Igor has the entire Christmas Village up and I can see the elves putting the final decorations up. It’s absolutely amazing how the cybercafe changes its shape and size to accommodate our desires and needs.

Here’s Viktor with my breakfast. I ordered a ham and cheese omelet (why not order something I can only eat at the cybercafe) with grilled vegetables on the side. Mm, the coffee is wonderful. It’s my favorite Peet’s Cafe Domingo. I’ll see you later. Perhaps Vicky will stop in today.

Zzyyggy, I didn’t spend all day sitting at this table. I kept working and made the soup and it was delicious. Then I decided to come back to the cybercafe for coffee and holiday cookies. Of course, Viktor knows how much we love the cinnamon buns. The Christmas decorations look great. You have to check out the diner. This year the diner has a giant elf by the front door. He looks fairly happy, but he’s BIG. And then there’s the garland. This year’s garland is red and white stripes. Feels like you’re inside a candy cane.

Hi, Zzyyggy. Sorry you haven’t been feeling well. It would be nice if Francois could actually send you some chicken soup. If I lived in Burlington I’d be sending over a container of chicken soup. The stock I made yesterday was delicious. By the way, I could sit in my lounge chair by the cyberpool all day, although if I didn’t get anything done all day I’d probably be annoyed with myself, unless I’m sick and then everything that needs my attention can wait until I’m feeling better.

We had rain today and it was chilly. Thank goodness the sun is out here on the terrace and it sure feels good. We had soup for dinner. For dessert Sweetie and I ordered a fruit and cheese plate with my favorite little cheese crackers and wheat thins, and a glass of Pinot Grigio for both us.

Hi, Zzyyggy. We had rain, but it was warm—in the mid 60’s here. Glad you’re feeling at least a little better and that the inspection went well. I find visitors exhausting and just talking to my sister on the phone today was tiring. Maybe I needed a nap after stripping the bed and doing laundry and cleaning? Perhaps I can’t manage that much fun. 😳

I ordered the same thing you did, Zzyyggy. Now I can’t move. I think I’ll enjoy the rest of the evening on the terrace. I’m sure Viktor will bring me another iced tea.

Wow, Zzyyggy, I can’t believe the sun is still shining out here on the terrace. This morning it was warm and rainy in the Charlotte area. We had two inches of rain. The temperature has been dropping throughout the day, at least it stopped raining. It’s so nice and toasty out here on the terrace, it feels like summer.

I ordered a picnic basket with fried chicken, potato salad, and fresh fruit salad. Viktor should be along shortly with a pitcher of iced tea for me. Sweetie and I ordered brownie sundaes with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce for Sweetie and mocha chocolate chip ice cream and (not hot) fudge sauce for me. Let’s not forget the whipped cream!

Oh, the decorations, Zzyyggy, they are incredible.

Zzyyggy, I’m sure that Francois has an entire stash of gingerbread somewhere in the endless cybercafe kitchens. Maybe he’ll let us make some mini gingerbread houses, unless Francois already did that, too. I’d love coffee to go with my gingerbread. Sweetie says he wants his with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I’d like mine with mocha chocolate chip ice cream and mini M&M’s. If the gingerbread houses stay up until Christmas they might just be castles by then.

I’m glad you’re feeling well enough to go swimming. Snow! It would be nice to have some snow this winter, although they’re forecasting a warmer winter for the Charlotte area. If your weather is like ours, you’ll be having rain soon enough.

Hi, Zzyyggy. We had a real nice sunny day here. It was a good day to run around and get some chores done, although we didn’t make it to the bank, we got everything else accomplished. Gosh, I just remembered I still have to put the laundry in the dryer. Be back in a jiffy. I wouldn’t want to miss the sunset.

Whew, got that done. I’m ready for Sunset dessert. Francois has an amazing selection of Christmas cookies in the bakery case. I ordered a little bit of everything for our table with coffees or iced mochas all around. Everyone is welcome, of course, and Sweetie will be joining us. Sweetie and I had dinner in the dining room earlier. Francois grilled salmon for us and served it with sauteed green beans and arugula salad. It was delicious.

Oh, Zzyyggy, your order sounded so good Sweetie and I decided to order the same thing. Of course, I wanted the balsamic roasted root vegetables. They were delicious. It’s so nice sitting here by the fire. I love this area of the dining room with its couches and comfy sitting. I’ll have a hot cafe mocha with my Christmas cookies. Mm, I love these chocolate dipped chocolate mint wafers. Have you tried the pinwheel cookies? Francois made a bunch of different kinds of pinwheels. Sweetie likes the chocolate coconut ones and the date nut pinwheels the best.

Hi, Zzyyggy. Sweetie’s teasing me, but since he’s promised to empty the dishwasher I can’t complain. He’s ready for apple pie and ice cream. Me? Ugh, I think I ate too much chicken and stuffing at Sunday Dinner. I’m just having chamomile tea. I’m afraid to order even virtual coffee, I might not sleep through the night if I do. I’m so tired tonight. Hopefully, that means I’ll sleep all night and Sweetie won’t even wake me up when he gets up—whether it’s in the middle of the night of too early in the morning.

Hi, Zzyyggy. We’re having temperatures in the 60’s this week in the Charlotte area. Still not warm enough to sit outside except at the cybercafe. Francois made my favorite veggie supreme pizza tonight. It was delicious. Mm, coffee and cookies for dessert. Sounds good.