Just the way to start a day

Bean woke early this morning, so we decided to make the best of it by taking a walk to a new bakery that just opened a month ago. The air was biting cold, but the sun was out so brightly it impossible not to smile. In the older section of town, where stores are a bit run down, and the people are a more flavorful mix of Somalians, Ethiopians, Bosnians and Vermonters, the little new bakery occupies a bright yellow building with blue and red trim.

We parked our stroller outside and trundled in---immediately transported to some Old World place of heady bread aromas, freshly brewing coffee and warm croissants. A tiny place really, with just enough room for wall counters and stools, and a display rack, the rest of the shop is the bakery itself, where the baker whom we recognized from summer farmer’s market trips, was rolling dough.

As if aware of our delight, Bean sat happily on the high counter in the sun, still bundled in his snowsuit, his hair standing straight up with static, and ate mouthfuls of buttery croissant. NPR was on low in the background and when fresh coffee cake came out of the oven—all crumbly and sweet, we ordered two pieces. If I could have my way, this is how I would start every single day