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Writer's pictureThomas Tittmann
Apr 30, 20237 min read

ODE on a W. HEMPSTEAD URN: Celebrating Witches Brew’s 27 Years of Service to our Community

Updated: Apr 30, 2023

This week West Hempstead’s Witches Brew Coffee House on Hempstead Turnpike across from the Fire House celebrated 27 years of dispensing great beverages, food and atmosphere to all who walk in their front door and are greeted by their welcoming employees.


Makes me remember this show and how their welcoming spirit makes me feel each time I walk through their front door…


Witches Brew Crew: You’ve URN’d this Customer’s Certificate of Appreciation



Menu (T of C)



Welcome



Among the staff are music enthusiasts and one in particular who follows the same band as I “Dew”…


(or, "Dew" they follow us???...This has been an age-old question and I think the best answer is: "Depends..." If you're intrigued by it, you can get off this post's beaten path and go below deck to the "Who follows who link" where you might get some inspiration)


These musings on following also led here:


Just like New York City: Classic Cup




--(from the site) Attention current New Yorkers, ex-New Yorkers, and those of you who long to be New Yorkers: Now you can enjoy a classic symbol of the Big Apple in an environmentally-friendly way with the Ceramic Greek Coffee Cup. This reusable version of the iconic "We Are Happy To Serve You" paper coffee cup is styled precisely upon the original disposable version found throughout New York. Exclusively licensed from the company that manufactures the paper edition, the 10-ounce Ceramic Greek Coffee Cup's design is 100% accurate and even features a "paper crease" for added realism. Both dishwasher and microwave safe.


Life’s short: Eat Dessert First!!!


Nanny, my Irish grandmother, used to say this and she was an AWESOME baker of sweeties. Witches Brew adheres to this wisdom by positioning their dessert showcase right in front so passers-by can see what they’re gonna leave room for. When I’m in an extroverted mood and I see patrons pausing to decide…I’ll say something like this… “Substitute EITHER/OR thinking with “BOTH/AND…”




Music to my MOUTH…YUM!!!


Lots of alternative choices for satisfying your sweet TEEEEEETH!!!



One of the secret ingredients:




Caffeinated Illumination/Epiphanies...


Here's one of several helps inside to light the way for your path...to delicious and healthy food...



Under the influence...



Caffeinated Chuckles








Note that flower...it has a special place in this post...


Grateful Animals


One of their current employees is studying to be a veterinarian. AND, the Brew features lots of vegan and vegetarian options, including desserts. They are helping me change some habits...



Skatin’ thru life…


Several employees dig the keep-on-truckin’ vibe and ride these conveyances to and from the Brew House.




Here’s one to compliment your front window’s John Lennon blackboard message:















The Brew even has a house brand...board:



Giving back to the Community: AA Meetings every Thursday @ 11 AM


--Enter through the door in the rear lot. Please do not park here or in the Fire Department lot across the street. Use street parking. Thanks!


Just like New York City: Classic Band




--Halloween…a sacred time…See more below…

Add lyrics re would you like your brew hot or cold?


At the last gathering of a new crew I’m part of, my new friend Brian was telling a story and he mentioned this next scene and the song “Ramble on Rose.” Geez, you can’t make this stuff up!!! So’s I tells him about this post I’m brewing and how it already includes this song. So, he searches his phone and pulls up this shot from him in San Francisco at the 2015 Dead and Company show in San Francisco. Each attendee was given a rose and the band played on...with that song.



After a rain delay, Mother Nature joined the special effects team and offered this American Beauty…



And, how cool is this? Brian worked for this guy for a stint…Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.



Me and My Uncle


Brian and his Uncle Phil have been going here for a long time…I'm now enjoying hanging out with both at the Brew...


They've been Brew Crew members since the beginning...Shown here with Nonna:


Family Beaneology: Nonna --> Anna --> 2 daughters: Natalie & Alabama




STONED Glass Window...Note the visages...




Riding that train…Just like NYC Subways...


For Deadheads - current & prospective - some underground fun...Where else but NYC???




...and a little child shall lead us...



What’s brewing on Halloween?






New Employee Interview Test


Please come prepared...for anything and everything...



Who Follows Who???


Greetings, Pilgrim, your search has ended...or just begun..." (old TV coffee commercial slogan).


An age-old conundrum...not for the feint of heart...



If not knowing the answers to life's important questions can make you feel BLUE...Take a break for awhile and play:



In this clip from the movie, this image reminds me of a cash machine and the JOY we experience when it lights up and says we're not overdrawn.



FYI - Witche$ Brew is CA$H-ONLY...


Speaking of pilgrims...Newcomers shouldn't be picky...



SEQUITOR




Non-Sequitor??? It’s Greek to me…


FYI - The Brew's cole slaw is awesome!!!


Final resting “Grounds”…Good to the last drop…


Last Rites: Remembering those customers who've had their last cup…or are preparing to...




--Death doesn’t have to be so solemn, and these ghost urns are just the thing to bring a little humor to the next great adventure




--(from the site) With next week being Halloween it’s all about the spooky. So I have to ask. Would you get your coffee at a funeral home? No, not while you’re sitting there planning a funeral. Just your average everyday coffee run. Well, you can in Concord. It’s called Coffin House Coffee. And it’s a coffee shop that’s literally inside a funeral home.


There's a Grateful Dead Song for Every Occasion


...so says my friend Steve and he's never been proved wrong...I'm forever GRATEFUL to Steve - a fellow surfer - who taught me how to care for my "beast of burden" - a 1965 VW Microbus. That introduction led to my career..."playing with cars..."


Here's today's example:



Who'd a thunk I'd find a connection between this Keats' ode that I used in this post's title AND the Grateful Dead? This latest find simply reinforces my GROWING awareness of how VAST is their reach into all aspects of life...


Here's a summary of this researcher's inquiry into melancholia....


ABSTRACT

This essay is a culmination of intensive research exploring the commonality between Dr. John Keats’ poetry and the lyrics of The Grateful Dead. As this is the 50th anniversary of The Grateful Dead, it is appropriate to celebrate that with a scholarly paper. In teaching my course The Grateful Dead as Poets I discovered compelling intersections between English Romantic poetry and the lyrics of The Grateful Dead. These findings are useful and important because the work of the Dead spans five decades and endures in ways that assure their place in literary history as well as the music world. The importance of The Grateful Dead cannot be overstated. They bring hope, love, joy and philanthropy to the world, as did the English Romantic poets. There is much yet to explore; this essay is about only a few of the many Grateful Dead lyrics.


--seeing these young people singing these wonder-filled words...gives me hope for our shared future...


"and closed my eyes to see..."


And I offer these thoughts about dreams to my barista who recently shared on this subject...


Attics of my Life

Lyrics By: Robert Hunter

Music By: Jerry Garcia


In the attics of my life, full of cloudy dreams unreal. Full of tastes no tongue can know, and lights no eyes can see. When there was no ear to hear, you sang to me. I have spent my life seeking all that's still unsung. Bent my ear to hear the tune, and closed my eyes to see. When there was no strings to play, you played to me. In the book of love's own dream, where all the print is blood. Where all the pages are my days, and all the lights grow old. When I had no wings to fly, you flew to me, you flew to me. In the secret space of dreams, where I dreaming lay amazed. When the secrets all are told, and the petals all unfold. When there was no dream of mine, you dreamed of me.



NOW, here's John Keats in his own words...




ENCORES/EXTRA SETS…


A few years ago, I enjoyed these folks at NYC’s Town Hall. It was Miten’s first show since his heart attack. So glad he recovered so he could keep on dispensing musical medicine….



Now…Go out...Spread JOY…BE the change...




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