The Importance of Coffee

I don't have a lot of furniture that I couldn't live without. There are a few pieces that are absolute musts: my office chair and my "home-away-from-office" office chair -- the easy chair in the living room. To go along with that chair there is the laptop stand so that I can work in the living room and feel a part of the family. There is only ONE other piece of furniture that really isn't furniture but as important as any chair: my coffee maker. We go through coffee makers fairly quickly because they get such heavy use. Every day we make at least one pot and on some days two. There have even been a few three pot days. Our hard water makes them break down faster too. We just purchased a new coffee maker two months ago, so I suppose it will be awhile before we need another. Every time I have to buy a new coffee maker I am amazed at how fancy a simple thing like a coffee maker has become. Things I often take for granted like timers make them even more indispensable. What was it like back when I had to get up and make coffee, rather than wake up to coffee automatically brewing? It really hasn't been that long but I can't hardly remember anymore. I do know one thing... I can't live without it.