baking early, baking late.

the up-early-style baking of treats.
sometimes,
i doo-doo that right-up-and-at-'em-type sh!t.
yesterday,
the sound of ice tinkling in teardrop doses
down onto the cold tin roof outside my bedroom window
woke me up while it was still well before dawn.
and what's more,
the skies were all kinds of cloudy and grey well past the sunrise.
so it seemed like morning took forever and ever.
i mean it.
dawn stayed hovering on the waiting horizon, lingering and loitering,
until the clouds left off around brunchtime.
that's just no fun.
a slush-stained waterlogged morning needs activating though, neighbors.
that's for sure.
and when it comes to activation,
i've got spatulas and pastry cutters and food processors
that will all say that i'm the main man in charge.
yeah.
a groggy, foggy, coughing, and dripping headcold noggin,
and the achy ague of a spring fever (literally) is NOT
gonna stop me from making some treats.
especially when my duders are coming out at night for hangs.
y'know?
the active participant perseveres.
really.
check the teleport:

uh-huh.
two kinds of expert cookies for your face.
i get into it, guys.
british shortbread fingers, squeezy essess of buttery yellow hottness,
with the obligatory cornflour crumble,
and a custom dippin' glaze of confectioners cocoa,
and german chocolate shavings as sprankles for good measure.
that's expert.
and how about those oatmeal-almond softies?
how about 'em!
oatmeal sugar cookies, with coarse ground whole almonds in the mix,
and a squirt of almond extract as well as lemon zest.
they're moist, they're soft, they're sweet.....
oh, MAN!
they're good like that.
but,
they're amazing when we take 'em to eleven.
the only way to effectively do that is to add more.
that's always the right answer.
so,
when we upgrade those jauns with some lemony citrus frosting
and a candied almond tucked onto the top?
mhmm
expert.
yes, i know.
***********
todd and beau and i went out to dinner.
and we ate.
a lot.
hard.
and fast.
those fellas aren't lightweights either.
they terrorized a slew of their good ol' uncle albie's cookies
and cakes before we ever even left the tattbomb shop.
huh?
oh.
well, that's where we all met up,
because i tattooed todd beforehand,.
what?
oh.
with what?
with a life-sized image of an asian giant hornet.
a flying horror with venom in it's stinger so potent,
it dissolves human flesh?
yes, indeed.
gross?
kinda.
dope?
definitely.
that's for sure.
*
and then it was back home again for talks on talks on talks.
me and my homeboy from across the mountains always make
the utmost of the times we have occupying similar spaces in proximity.
i mean it.
activation is essential-
even when the day starts super early;
even when the previous night went way late;
even when the day is long and tedious;
even when the overall styles stay so flippin' hard.....
expert recognize expert,
and as such,
rise to the occasion with participation, gratitude, and generosity.
we got that.
ALL of that.
and we get it going;
never quiet, never soft.....