My online journal sharing interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
… but the good news is we’re suppose to reach a high of 23 degrees to day. After seeing this on my phone app, I bundled up and headed for the bus. There was no desire to scrape ice and snow off the windshield of my car and deal with traffic or parking. This storm brought us 4 inches of snow, making everything have that beautiful winter scene. But, dang the cold! Anyway….
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”67″ display=”basic_slideshow”]I was not going to choose and post my 2019 favorites but here it is. My criteria I have used is about the emotion they emit for me: I like them. So, what did my camera find in it’s view finder? I have noticed there are not as many candid portraits in this group but one of them was of Santa and his pickup truck. There are images from a couple of new coffee shops I found. And, of course there are the bus rides, Old Town street scenes and campus images as I used the bus system a lot in 2019. Plants and flowers still catch my eye and of course the sunrises and sunsets from the local nature areas. All the images are local except one from Colorado Springs.
Hope the coming year of 2020 is full of happiness, joy and wonderful adventures.
I felt the cold of the 18 degree December this morning as soon as I stepped out the door at 6:50 am. I questioned why I would leave my warm condo into this frigid temperature and walk to the bus stop, hoping the bus would be on time. Was I insane? No is my answer, because I knew that in a short while I would be walking into a favorite coffee shop and be greeted with a warm and inviting smile from one of the baristas. I knew I would be told “Good morning Monte. Do you want your usual?” Once I ordered and paid, I would then find a comfy place to journal, read or both and enjoy a warm mocha latte. However, on this particular morning, and because of the cold, I decided I wanted one these chocolate eclairs to go along with my mocha. No, I’m really not insane but living a simple life with things I enjoy. Yes, life is good. Stay warm wherever you are!
I took this yesterday morning on my way from the bus stop. I decided to take the bus to the coffee shop because I didn’t want to clean the frost off the car or find a parking spot and I need to exercise. On the way home I noticed the tailgaters were getting set up in the parking lot of the stadium for the CSU game this afternoon. Tables were getting setup and they even had some grills set up and smoke billing up. Brats? Not my game plan anymore on a cold November morning. Nope, prefer the warmth of a coffee shop and a mocha.
This habit of journaling has become an integral part of my life, a daily practice. I carry both a fountain pen (3) and a journal every day. At the end of the day there may only be a paragraph and some days a couple pages. There are days I just stare at empty pages because the words I’m seeking are hiding somewhere in those blank spaces or because of my busy mind I’m unable hear them. At other times a gem appears, a thought or insight. At some point in time I began journaling by first asking for words, desiring the gifts they are. There also was an awareness that these journals are now more of a letter, a prayer and a conversation with the inner essence of who I am. They are no longer called my journals but our journals. I also journal slowly and write in cursive to give the journals an artistic look, make them readable and at the same time it slows down my mind which creates another form of meditation for me. Anyway, these are some rambling thoughts on journaling.
“With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.” Dr. Wayne W Dyer
A steady drizzle is falling this morning and the temperature is at 41 degrees. Tonight the low is expected in the high 30’s. Therefore I see the cold and rain as an opportunity and a justification for this mocha latte, as if I needed justification. It’s cold enough for many to be turning their furnaces on and some already have. When I arrived this morning at the Bean Cycle one of the bristas had his coat on. Yep, fall is upon us and I choose this opportunity to have a mocha and enjoy the gift.
Well, I’m not sure what happened with my WordPress website. I upgraded to the latest WordPress and things immediately fell apart. I could not log on or access my website. I started a chat with my hosting service who got me back to a starting place. None of my themes would work. My dashboard looked like it did over a year ago. Right now you are seeing a simple free theme from WordPress. Actually I may just stick with something like this. Anyway, as you can see I started this morning with a mocha. Please give me feedback on anything that’s not working.