• coffee life,  latte art,  quotes

    Intrigued By Mystics

    September 29, 2025

    Theologians may quarrel,
    but the mystics of the world speak the same language
    and the practices they follow lead to the same goal.

    Eknath Easwaran

    It is a beautiful day here in Colorado. with blue skies and sunshine dominating. After my quiet prayer and meditation time I rode the red steed to Mugs. I loved the ride along Spring Creek Trail, cool, invigorating and offering the freshness and exercise my body needs.

    I am intrigued by mystics. I enjoy reading the mystics and who they are from the past the contemporary of today. They speak to me in a language of the heart rather than the head only. Mystics live the life of being whole, healthy and wanting peace in our world. They do not quarrel or they are not a mystic. May you have a good week!

    At the present time my domain name montestevens.com is being directed to montestevensqrnvz.com. Hopeful that will be switching over within a day or two. Again, feel free to roam around and report any issues you encounter.

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  • bicycle rides,  fog,  landscape,  nature,  quotes,  Spring Creek Trail,  sunrises

    Unsuspected Goodness

    September 25, 2025

    The healing of our present woundedness may lie in recognizing and reclaiming the capacity we all have to heal each other, the enormous power in the simplest of human relationships: the strength of a touch, a blessing of forgiveness, the grace of someone else taking you just as you are and finding in you an unsuspected goodness.

    Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom

    This morning’s 45 degrees and 93% humidity made for a rather invigorating bicycle ride to Mugs. I was then greeted by Emily and Meg and one of their Old Town mochas. Our greetings with one another always raises the awareness of our unsuspected goodness in one another. I live a blessed life!!

    Spring Creek is a 12.7-mile-long tributary of the Cache La Poudre River. The Spring Creek Trail follows Spring Creek through several parks in mid Fort Collins. It is one of my favorite paths to get around this town. I take this route since I do not have to deal with any traffic. The trail passes under Prospect Road built for pedestrians and bicycles, so I only ride in traffic for 3 blocks of the 2.4 mile ride to coffee. No stoplights and only two stop signs They have constructed gates along Spring Creek to control water flow from flooding and in the past for irrigating crops. This is one of the places where they have gates that provide larger open water areas providing beauty and an environment for the water life. This morning I needed to stop and accept this image on my way to Mugs. I like to believe the geese were shouting joy for this beautiful morning and wanting my attention to stop and take it all in. And so I did! It was a beautiful morning and ride.

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  • bicycling,  campus,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Finding our voice…

    September 18, 2025
    The view on my bicycle ride to the coffee shop

    Life consists in learning to live on one’s own, spontaneous, freewheeling: to do this one must recognize what is one’s own – be familiar and at home with oneself. This means basically learning who one is, and learning what one has to offer to the contemporary world, and then learning how to make that offering valid.

    Thomas Merton, Love and Living

    I had a good night’s sleep but I still did not want to get up. I rode the red steed to Mugs and was wide awake by the time I arrived. Emily was my barista and she fixed me up with an Old Town mocha. The morning was off to a great start. Later I met my daughter and grandson for breakfast at the Silver Grill and of course ate too much. I have been eating out way too much. I notice it in both my pants and my wallet.

    One of the Native American style flute makers almost always has a short video describing each flute. After describing it he usually says, “And, here’s its voice.” Then plays it for 45-60 seconds so you can hear it. Maybe we can say that learning who we are is really finding our voice and offering it to the world. And, at this present time we need a few good, sensible, nurturing voices who live on one’s own. I am not advocating those voices necessarily to be booming on any news media, social media, blog or Youtube but in those places where we spend most of our everyday lives: our homes, our work, the coffee shop, a restaurant, grocery store, etc. And in my mind that begs the question, are we willing to offer our voices? It is a lovely day in Colorado, sunshine and clear blue skies. Have a great day!

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  • bicycling,  landscape,  quotes,  sunrises

    Love…the energy of world

    August 1, 2025

    The conclusion is always the same:
    love is the most powerful
    and still the most unknown
    energy of the world.

    Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

    It felt more like September 1st than it did August 1st this morning. My weather app said it was 55 degrees with 100% humidity when I left the condo. So my ride to coffee was invigorating. Elisha was my barista and an Old Town mocha was my drink of choice this morning. They just hired two new baristas, so we irregular regulars will be busy training them over the next few weeks. My ride to coffee was via Spring Creek Trail. This was the scene along the creek. You can see the effect of the smoke from the fires in Arizona and southwestern Colorado.

    My blood draw numbers were not what I wanted. Platelets are still low at 57, down 6 counts from May. PSA numbers up to 4.72 from 2.86 in February. I will meet with the hematologist on Monday morning and my PCP later in the month. We’ll see what they say about the numbers. And, I didn’t hydrate myself enough, or my body is tired of having needles pointed in its direction, so it took four stabs to get my blood. Each left a bruise. However, when I had coffee later there were no leaks at any of those stabs sites.

    What gifts we will receive and give today is always a really good question. The answer to that question is more about reflecting back on the day than having some instantaneous answer through a text message, an email or a bolt of lightning. So on that note, may you have a wonderful August 1st!

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  sunrises

    filled with mystery…

    July 30, 2025

    I no longer feel that life is ordinary. Everyday life is filled with mystery. The things we know are only a small part of the things we cannot know but can only glimpse. Yet even the smallest of glimpses can sustain us. Mystery seems to have the power to comfort, to offer hope, and to lend meaning in times of loss and pain. In surprising ways it is the mysterious that strengthens us at such times…

    Rachel Naomi Remen

    I changed up my morning routine. I got up early, made my necessary trip to the bathroom, made the bed, made a chai latte then headed up to Pineridge Natural Area for sunrise. As I pulled into the parking lot, I was greeted by two coyotes. I told them I was here to witness and photograph the sunrise and share the quiet of this sacred place with them and they could go ahead and continue their hunting. They turned and scampered up the ridge. After a few minutes of quiet time in my car I moved out to a location where I have another uncomfortable rock to sit on and where I like to take photographs. It was almost the perfect temperature and I loved the refreshing breeze. I enjoyed the singing of the meadowlarks and robins and the clouds were stunning. All of this reminded me of the blessing it is to live where I do and the gift of life. When I returned home, I had my meditation time, then mounted the red steed and rode to Mugs. Adriana made me my Old Town mocha and I enjoyed conversations with Jeff, Curtis, Terri, and Joan. I do not consider my life ordinary in the least but feel it is filled with mystery.

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  • bicycle rides,  coffee life,  grass,  Plants,  trees

    But I’m tempted…

    July 12, 2025

    As I rode through the CSU Oval on Friday there was a young woman walking barefoot on the grass. Almost made me want to stop and take my shoes off. Yet, when I think about all the chemicals they put down on that grass, to keep it green and growing, I keep my shoes on and keep riding. But I’m tempted… If you look closely you will see chalk drawing on the sidewalk. I assume made by the children who have come for a summer camp week and encouraged by student leaders. We had rain during the night so we awoke to overcast skies and cool. I saw where we had from one tenth of an inch to half an inch in Fort Collins. Happy Saturday!

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