• Black and White,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  quotes,  sunrises

    the true miracle…

    March 26, 2023
    Morning sunshine at Mugs and a dirty lens

    “… the very fact that anything exists is supernatural—literally beyond the rules of the natural world… the true miracle is existence itself.”

    A cold Sunday morning. The numbers on my car dashboard said it was 14 degrees at about 6:47 am. I’m back home after getting my chai latte fix and my beautiful barista fix. This day is starting out good. Now to clean my lens.

    I do not consider myself a philosopher. However, I do have a tendency to lean towards asking a philosophical question once in a while. For example, there have been those moments in my life when I am overwhelmed with the of beauty and existence of the world around me, all of it, and questions arise. Why am I here? Why are we all here? How can that bird sing like that? Why can’t I see the wind and not just the effects of the wind? Why do I breathe without even knowing why or thinking about it? Maybe that philosopher within me is what enjoys finding and asking the questions but not necessarily wanting an answer. Or, maybe the deepest and more important question is to ask myself to look for all the miracles around me, notice them, stand in awe of them, find gratitude in them. They do exist! Anyway, it is a miracle that we are all here, that we exist! If you got something from my confusing ramblings, great. If not then forget what you just read and have a wonderful Sunday!

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  latte art,  musings,  writing/reading

    Isaac’s work of art…

    March 23, 2023

    “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

    George Bernard Shaw

    This morning at Starry Night Isaac crafted me this delightful latte art. A pretty good way to start my day. I headed home after an hour or so of journaling as I needed to make a couple of phone calls. Also had a friend bring over potato and ham soup which I ate a bowl of for lunch. About 1:00 pm I headed to Reservoir Ridge Natural Area to soak up the sun and the quiet offered in that sanctuary. While the sun warmed me, I listened and watched as the mysterious wind danced with the meadow’s grass, rabbitbrush and the cottonwood tree branches, which now offer their new buds of delight. The wind gently blew against my face, it’s cool touch bringing healing energy to my body. In the quiet surrounding me I listened to a magpie but never saw them. And in the distance I heard a woodpecker hammer on some tree but never saw them. Each was music to my ears. I felt within me the excitement for the arrival of the songbirds, anticipating the concerts that will fill the air while the wind sends them out across the meadow for all to hear. After a couple hours clouds began to move in, blocking the sun’s warm rays. Without the warmth of the sun’s rays I became chilled and began to make my way home. After quiet time at home I put a few words together for this post, sharing with you my day, along with an image of Isaac’s work of art. When I look at this latte art I wonder how many failures it took to hone his craft and how many more failures still to come. After pressing the publish button I’m gonna grab a Dove’s dark chocolate to reward myself. Hoping you had another good day to celebrate!

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  • architecture,  coffee life,  coffee shops,  doors,  street photography

    Prayers and Thoughts are Welcomed

    March 6, 2023

    Here is another update on my health and what the doctors have planned for me. To be honest I’m not all that excited about having to deal with these health issues. But as my friend Christina says, “Life gets Lifey.” The next few days will be a busy time for me. I have a pre-op meeting/testing on Tuesday the 7th giving me instructions on preparation for surgery and what to expect. Then Thursday morning the 9th will be my final iron infusion. So far none of the infusions have had any side effects. The iron infusions are bringing my blood count numbers up except for the platelets which seem to fluctuate but in a downward direction. Because of the low platelet numbers they will be doing a bone marrow biopsy on Friday the 10th at MCR in their effort to discover what’s going on. On Monday the 13th I will be given another infusion, this one with platelets to bring the platelet numbers up. Its purpose is to prepare me for the VIV TAVR (Valve-in-Valve Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) procedure/surgery scheduled for the next morning, Tuesday the 14th. Hopefully everything goes well and I will see an improvement in my anemia and the malfunctioning aortic valve. Prayers and thoughts are welcomed.

    The image is from a road trip I made back in 2013. This was taken at a coffee shop in Cortez, Colorado, called the Spruce Tree Espresso house. It changed its name to Bean Tree Coffee House and is now closed. I found the door inviting and led out onto a large outdoor patio area. I think it would be interesting to revisit these coffee shops, if they are still open, and see how they have changed, or not.

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops

    We Have a Decision

    February 25, 2023

    As I walked into Starry Night Espresso Cafe this morning I realized I was the only male among about 10 women. I could tell there were some good conversations all around me, the din was up and a few hands were waving in the air in an attempt to help in each conversation. I had to ask Chelsea if I was allowed in there or was it a girls only Saturday. She laughed then made up this mocha latte for me showing her skill in latte art. By the time I left an hour and a half later there was standing room only. Don’t know that I’ve seen it that busy as the baristas were bustin butt making drinks and food. When I return from that busy morning at the coffee shop there was an added sense of quiet and appreciation in my condo.

    Had my meeting with the TAVR surgeon on Friday and we will be doing a VIV TAVR procedure on March 14th. This will be a less invasive option to open heart surgery where they will insert a catheter in my artery at my groin up to my heart then expand the new valve inside the valve installed four years ago. Glad I have a decision made and consensus that we all agree on.

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  • coffee shops,  consumer,  fountain pens,  journal,  journaling,  writing/reading

    Lifestyle Changes

    February 17, 2023

    The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is quoted as saying “change is the only constant in life.” I believe he’s right. Some lifestyle changes we make on our own while some changes are forced upon us. Lifestyle changes can happen when we change jobs, move to another community, decide to marry, retire, live a non-consumer lifestyle, get rid of the TV, new eating habits and more. Yet, there are some changes that come upon us unexpectedly and unwanted, such as divorce, death of spouse, parent, child, natural disasters, health issues, war and more. Each time we face one of these changes we are given the opportunity to make choices on how we respond. How we respond to them is the bigger question. 

    I’m at a place where I’m facing lifestyle changes due to health issues. The reality of my mortality is very real today. Since the present is where I must live, I’m given the opportunity to face these lifestyle changes and make choices that can be rewarding. My hope is to live life with a new and positive attitude, no matter what. Pretty sure I’m preaching to the choir but I needed to write it and maybe it is a thought provoking post.

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  fountain pens,  journal,  journaling,  writing/reading

    Something New

    January 29, 2023

    It is bitter cold this morning. My weather app said it was 3 degrees and my car’s dashboard said 3 degrees when I left for the coffee shop at 7:02 am. Two hours later it says zero degrees. It’s going the wrong way. We are looking at 2-3 days of this cold. I’m home and in for the rest of the day!!! Okay, enough about the cold and on to something new.

    This something new is a new Pelikan M205 Apatite Special Edition Demonstrator fountain pen. This past year Pelikan announced the Edelstein Apatite ink for 2022. Since I’ve been pleased with the seven Pelikan pens I already have, I didn’t even know this new ink or pen had come out until a week ago. After all, I can only write with one pen at a time. 😳 Needless to say, I fell in love with this color immediately. The pen is the newest in a series of eight demonstrator pens they have come out with since 2015. I only have one other demonstrator, the Smoky Quartz, which came out in 2017. All my other M200x pens are a marble swirl. Pelikan calls the Apatite color a Turquoise-Blue and is part of the M205 series which has the silver trim rather than gold. It is also a part of their gemstone inspired models that have been a popular mainstay of the company’s annual line-up. Apatite is a phosphate mineral which was first discovered in 1786 by the German geologist A.G. Werner. As a demonstrator pen you are able to see the internal piston and ink which I like. 👍 Being a special edition the price was higher than I wanted but…. So far I like the looks of the pen, the nib (medium) writes wonderfully and the ink shades well while pleasing to my eyes. So, my task now is to find all the words hidden within this pen by putting pen to paper in my journals. Enough gibberish from me. Stay warm and enjoy your day!!

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  • coffee life,  coffee shops,  Food,  fountain pens,  journal,  journaling,  writing/reading

    Spiritual Adventure

    January 15, 2023

    I read a statement by Ilia Delio that says, “We are not called to maintain the existing order but to engage disorder as it lingers on the edge of new order.” Somehow that resonates with me. Seems nature is that way. Instead of accepting the chaos that is a part of my life, I want and try to keep things in order. Which doesn’t happen. What many consider chaos in nature is really the change, growth, transformation, metamorphosis, where something new is arriving. At the present I’m living with a certain level of anxiety, uncertainty, and doing my best to embrace faith, trust, hope, acceptance and even surrender. Let’s call it living this spiritual adventure.

    It has been overcast all day. The eclair in the above image is called an almond apricot eclair. I’ve never had one before today. It has an almond cream filling with apricot preserves over the top. Not as rich as I expected but had that sweetness that excited my taste buds. I will probably need to collect more data for my final analysis. Hope you had a good weekend! Stay warm!

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