Coffee With Steve…#01.

Posted on January 13, 2020 by

39 Comments

Hi everyone and welcome back to “Coffee With Steve”!  This is actually our first coffee chat of the new year and the new decade.  Wow, so hard to believe how fast time flies.  So much happened last year, especially with my blog and all of you wonderful new friends that I have made since I first started blogging.  And much more to look forward to as we head into this new decade.  I hope all of you are having a fantastic Monday!  And for some of you it is very close to being Tuesday.  It is just so nice to meet new people and make new friends all around the world.

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A few colorful choices from my insulator collection.

Well, it’s still a bit too cold to have our coffee chat outside like we used to do last summer, so we will be back at my apartment once again.  And as a nice treat, Sheree has brought along some of her delicious carrot cake for us to enjoy today.  It is just melt in your mouth kind of goodness indeed!  Thank you so much Sheree!  Don’t forget, if you would like to bring some of your favorite cookies, cake or baked goods, I will definitely give you a mention right here on our coffee chat each week.

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I needed a small table for working on, so made one to fit.

And I have a couple other treats for us coming up in the coming weeks.  We will be visiting a couple other favorite spots to enjoy our coffee time.  So don’t forget to join us each week, you never know what we might talk about or place we might visit.  Actually our coffee chat might only be every other week, I’m not quite sure yet, we will have to wait and see about that.  And Muffin is excited now to meet all of you as you stop by.  She was a bit shy at first, but our new mystery series has really opened her up to new things.  Generally she is not a people cat, though she does like women much better than men, due to being abused by her original owner.

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A selection of old tins and other things.

So any of you guys might want to be careful and not get too close, until she is ready to come around to you.  Hi Eugenia, I have your coffee right here.  You and Sheree like your coffee the same way I see.  Are you ready for some more Michelle?  Poor Dusty, didn’t listen to me, but don’t worry, I’m sure the bleeding will stop soon.  It’s only a 6 inch (15cm) scratch.  You should see some of my scars from when I first got Muffin!  She is such a loving, cuddly cat now.  Ready for some more raspberry leaf tea Simon?  I managed to convince him of the health benefits of that tea.  Looks like Muffin has decided to curl up on Renee’s lap today.Jpeg

I had a request to see a pic of a quilt I made, so here it is in the pic above.  Certainly not perfect, but that’s okay, it’s nice and bright which is what I wanted.  I do enjoy sewing and would like to make another quilt, but it’s just a little too small in here to work on such a large project.  Sewing is a great hobby, plus you get to make so useful items at the same time.  And it is a good stress reliever too, especially if you can’t get outside much, like around here in winter.  Just decided to show a few pics around the place, but I will start showing more specific items as we go along.

Time flies for sure, and here we are at the end of another coffee chat.  Thank you all so much for stopping by for another visit today.  It’s always a joy to have everyone together like this.  I hope you will come around again next time.  Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful week and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2020 Steve McLeod.

Category: Coffee, Collections, Country, Encouragement, Friends, Friendship, Fun, Happiness, Kindness, Monday, Photos, Positive, Readers, Relax, Smile, Uncategorized, WinterTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

39 Comments on “Coffee With Steve…#01.”

  1. Yummy cake Sheree ! And the coffee is delicious ! Love the items on display…the table and quilt are very well done Steve !

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  2. I have a really dumb question, but what are insulators? You seem to enjoy collecting them and they are quite colorful. It would be cool if you wrote a post about this topic. I think you have in the past, so if you want to post links that works too. I’m interested in learning more about what they are!

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    • Hi Hilary, yep I did write about them before, right here https://stevescountry.com/2019/06/14/insulators-what-are-those-things
      That post gives a good intro into what they are and why they are necessary, or were at least. Very seldom used now since most everything goes by cables now for phone and hydro so insulators are no longer necessary. But they are still used, if you can find hydro poles, you will likely see insulators holding the cable wire in place. That’s really all they did, hold the wire onto the pole. Years ago it was very necessary for telegraph wires which were bare wires and would lose electricity if attached to wood or anything else that stayed wet. Even metal and rubber were tried, but were not as good as glass and porcelain. With less electricity loss the telegraph stations could be further apart. Any questions, just ask, more than happy to answer. Thanks for joining the coffee chat today!

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      • Thanks for the link, Steve!

        I’m trying to figure out whether this is a hobby of yours or if you used to have a job dealing with insulators.

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      • Nope, not job related, before my time. Well, they do use insulators a bit still, all porcelain now, but only a hobby for me. Actually it was my dad that started with collecting them, I was more interested in old bottles. But after a while I started liking the different colors so kept a few for myself and that was it, I got hooked on collecting them. I still have a lot but not as many now. I used to have around 3,000 of them, now it’s more around 500 and most of them are packed away. I don’t have the space to display them now. They do look great sitting in a window though. Even on a cloudy day the colors shine bright. It’s kind of a dying hobby though since insulators are next to impossible to actually be found, they have to be bought now from other collectors mainly. They show up in antiques stores but are always way over priced there. Most insulators are not worth much anymore. I have one that was worth $125 in the 90s, now about $20. Another that was worth $500 in the the 90s and now only $10 to $15!
        I no longer collect actively though, not much point if I can’t display them. I inherited my dad’s collection when he died. I got rid of most of the porcelain insulators I had, just kept a few interesting ones. The glass ones are the nicest.
        Sorry for the long reply!😁😸🙄

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      • Thank you for answering my question! 🙂 I figured it was a hobby. It’s good that you have something that you enjoy doing and I’m sorry that it’s a dying hobby. However, you have a cool display that you can show people whenever they come visit. That’s too bad that the insulators have decreased significantly in value. I would have thought that eBay would be the place to sell collector’s items (not like you would want to sell them though!) You probably have he biggest collection in Ontario and maybe even all of Canada! 🇨🇦

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    • Hi Correne! Glad you could join us here today for our coffee time. Yes, hobbies are great especially in winter. Sheree does make delicious cakes! Hope you have a great evening!😁😸☕

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    • Cool! Not many museums will display insulators, or even want them. But I guess because it was a transportation museum. Thanks for coming to our coffee chat today too!😁😸☕

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  11. Thank you for the great coffee, Steve, and I enjoyed our coffee chat. You are definitely a multi-talented person! Your quilt is beautiful! Give Muffin a hug and stay warm. 😺☕️☕️🍩 🍪

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    • Thanks for coming Eugenia! Always nice to have you over for coffee and Muffin was happy to meet you and everyone. She is getting better with people now. Muffin purrs her thanks for the hug!😻 Have a wonderful day!😁😸⛄☕☕

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  12. I really enjoyed the coffee ☕️ today Steve! It’s a little chilly today and hit the spot! Thank you so much for the invite into your lovely home! I am really enjoying the antiques and homemade items you have made! The end table, the insulators! 🤩 and OH MY that quilt is beautiful!!! 😍 I am truly honored that Muffin chose my lap today for her nap time! 😸 She knows a cat lover when she sees one! She is a truly unique girl! Those mystery stories are really wearing her out though! Have a good day!

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    • Thanks for joining us Renee!😃☕ And thanks for the great compliments too. Always nice to have others over for a cup of coffee, tea or whatever.😀😺I knew Muffin would like you, she’s getting over her nervousness of people now, mostly. She actually is quite talented in many ways and a great help in our mystery story, she’s already looking forward to the next one.
      Have a great afternoon Renee!😁😸☃🌨

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