Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Coffee At Steve’s Country #42.
Good morning everyone! Coffee is ready, Muffin is waiting for all of you to come and relax with us and enjoy some pictures of summer as well! Somehow it seems to get colder outside each morning, at least it feels that way. Seems like I should be getting used to this by now, but I guess that’s just not possible. Especially with temps like -46F (-43C). Oh well, these temps will be gone shortly, by Sunday or Monday, and then it will be more normal temps for this time of year. For the second time this week I spotted something new out here yesterday. The other night was a beautiful red fox, he came around again 2 nights ago. But yesterday was a new bird.
I have heard this bird around several times earlier in the winter, but never saw it until yesterday. It was a black-billed magpie. Not an unusual bird in many parts of the country, but around here it’s unusual, we’re a bit out of their normal range. So it was nice to see, even if it isn’t exactly an exotic type bird. But they are quite beautiful with their black and white plumage and extra long tail. They are about the size of a crow, but with a long (12 inch, 30cm) tail. The tail especially is sort of an iridescent greenish black color which shines nicely in the sun. They are in the same family as crows and ravens and are a useful bird in helping to clean up the remains of dead animals.
I spotted magpies when I was in France but was unable to get a picture of them. They were smaller than our magpies, but their calls were similar. I tried hard to get a picture of this bird but unfortunately was unable to do so. He was on the ground out here but when I went out he flew up into the tall trees and managed to stay behind branches while I froze taking pictures that didn’t turn out anyway. Oh well, perhaps he will come back again, I hope so anyway. It would be nice to add his picture to my bird collection. Well, time to say good bye once again, though I will be back later. Have a wonderful day everyone and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 
Good morning Steve and Muffin! Thanks for sharing about the magpie. Living so many years in Montana, we saw them frequently. While driving the highway, they were frequently seen feasting on roadkill along the way. I was writing this morning, and a Magpie just happened to land in a poem’s verse.
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Good morning Richard! Yes, they would be a common sight out there. It’s always nice when I get to see something a little different around here. Too bad I missed a picture though, but he just might come back, he got some food my landlord tossed out. Interesting how you wrote about a Magpie this morning too! Have a wonderful day!😀😺☕☕🌞
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That is close,😳🙄 Who is this new competition ☺️🤔 Very Good Mrng Steve & Muffin 🥰🤗Uhhh this cold, when you will get spring 😳🙄 and that summer rains 🤔☺️ wow, a nice bird name – black billed magpie 😉I googled it, they are quiet nice with long tails ☺️Nice to know about this bird .😍Have a lovely day..🤗
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Someone is making it hard for you to be first!!😂😹 Good day Simon!😁🌞 Actually good evening Simon!🤪🌙 Spring usually arrives about mid April for us, but this should be the last of this bitter cold,🥶🥶 next week it’s just cold.🥶 Yes, magpies are interesting birds, it’s always nice having a new visitor here.😃😸 Hopefully it comes back once more so I can get a picture!🤔📷 Have a good night Simon!😁🌙😴
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Yeah, that’s right, they make sure I am not doing it first 😂 yes, magpie returns soon, so ensure you take pic 😉
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Yes, if he comes back I will try again to get a picture of him. Good morning!😁🌞
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very good Morning Steve ☺️
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Good good morning Simon, and good evening as well!😁🌞🌙
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Why are they named Magpie? What is a magpie anyway?🤔
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Hmm, according to what this strange guy said, it’s a bird that eats dead animals, it’s about the size of a crow with a long tail. According to legend there was a man many years ago in the old country whose wife’s name was Maggie. She baked a delicious apple pie and had it cooling on the window sill with the window open. This bird came along and carried off the pie, the man seeing it happen and he yelled, “that bird took Maggie’s pie”! After this the bird became name as a Maggiepie and was then shortened to Magpie. How do you like that one?😁😂😹
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Very very… inventive ooopppsss… I mean, very informative! How long did it take to research it?🤭🤭🤭🙄
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Only as long as it took me to type it out!😂😹
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That LONG!!?? It must be cold up there! It’s cold here also !🥶🥶
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Is it cold way down there in sunshine land?🤔😲🤭
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Yep! Freezing rain😬😳🥶
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Put a bucket out to catch it, put it in your freezer to use instead of ice cubes.🤪🧊🧊
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🤔🤔😳😳 you worry me sometimes..😬😂😂😂
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Just sometimes?🤔🙄🙄
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I was being kind🙄😉
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Really?😳🤪🤣
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Yep! Really! 😛😂😂😂 How did your walk go today??🤭🤭🤭
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My walk went without me, I stayed indoors with my coffee.😂☕
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yep me too. Lots of ice out there today. 🥶🥶🥶🥶🥶
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You should have tried some ice fishing.🤭🧊🧊🧊🤣🤣
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There were some lunkers out there today!! Might have been a trophy!!😳🐟🐳
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Who cares about a trophy, you want ice!🙄
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No I don’t! I want sunshine and 90 degrees! The only ice I want would be in my glass keeping my iced tea cool 😎😋😊
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See?🙄 You need ice.🤪 But did you catch any today?🤔 No, just let it go to waste,😬 melting on the street.😲🙄
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Yep! all of it! got plenty in the freezer.
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But this is fresh ice, not like that month old stuff in the freezer. Oops, time for me to go, didn’t get much sleep last night, my tooth was bothering me too much. Hope I do better tonight. Talk tomorrow!😁😄🧊
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Yes, I will be available all day! so let me know when you have time. Sleep Tight! Watch out for them Bed Bugs!🕷🕷🕷🕷🕷🕸🕸🕸🕸😁😂😂😂😏
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Good morning Dusty!😁🌞 You still asleep?🤔
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Nope! Been up since around 7! Lot’s of birds around this morning?
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I knew it! Sleeping half the day away! I woke up at 4:43 and was wide awake so decided I may as well get up. No, not many birds, still too cold.
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That is way early!! You could’ve just stayed up! Did you even sleep??
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Yep, was in bed by 9:30, fell asleep right away, slept good last night.
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That’s great to hear.. So you are all set and ready to go out in the cold and take a nice long walk!😁😉🤭🤭
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Ha and Ha. I’ll sit inside and look at pics of my summer walks instead.😁🚶♂️🚶♂️
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Remember to take 250 steps per hour! That will keep you active and nice and toasty all day!🏃🏃
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Well, that’s not hard to do, I do that every day.
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See?? It’s easy then!😁😉
So are you going to do for a little fun and excitement? I don’t mean your usual dancing and groaning as Muffin calls it… you do that everyday!
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I washed dishes, does that count as a little fun?🙄 Chasing falling flower pots?😲 Sliding across the deck scaring rock doves?😬 Hitting my nose?🤔😂😹
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Nice variety!! Yeah I’d say it counts!! Good Job!! Now, do you have enough ice to bring the swelling down on the nose?👃😁😁😉😊
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Don’t mention ice. Please don’t mention ice.😳😳🧊🧊
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Ice? What about ice? Ice is nice except when it’s not nise then its plain old ice!
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I nearly get killed because of ice today and he makes fun of me.🙄🙄😒
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Well you left that part out… what happened?😬🤔
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I don’t want to talk about it.😕
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Then type about it silly! I would really like to know..
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It all started early this morning. I made the mistake of getting out of bed.🙄
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Why would you sleep where it’s icy? It’s cold outside
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Not so hot in here either apparently, though my landlord disagrees with that. If it’s so hot in here, why the ice?😬😬🧊🧊
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That’s a very good question indeed! Why is there ice indoors.? So what happened did you fall?
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Good question for sure. No, I didn’t fall, exactly, but I ended up doing all kinds of things I shouldn’t be doing being my landlord wouldn’t do anything about the problem of ice which was making life a bit tougher which caused me to get caught on an open cupboard door which had to be open due to the ice and made me go flying and whacking my back on the stove which was in the middle of the kitchen floor due to the ice which wasn’t supposed to be there and my landlord said couldn’t be there and wouldn’t call someone to come and help fix the situation so I had to do it myself which resulted in a couple other rather major mishaps and now my neck is almost as sore as my back which already was hurting from moving stuff around and moving the stove around and, and, even more. Sigh. But the sun was shining today! It was still bitterly cold. But the sun was shining! And Muffin was purring. So it was a good day.😁😻
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That a boy!!!😁😁😁 I’m proud of you!! You really got the positive outlook thing under control!! It’s too bad about the ice in the kitchen though..😔
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Actually the ice was in the bathroom…and kitchen…kind of sort of…in both…but not in either…kind of sort of.🤔🙄😳
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I see okay uh huh.. so…. did you fix it or did you let freeze harder?
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I brought out my trusty, sometimes, electric fireplace heater thingy and let it do the work. It wasn’t easy digging it out from it’s hideaway where it’s been the last 5 years. That nearly killed me too. But after a couple of hours the ice was gone. YAY!!🥳🥳🤸♂️🤸♂️
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And so another crisis is narrowly averted! 😁😊😉
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Except now I’m left with this horrible pain. Which is why I haven’t gone to bed yet. My painkillers haven’t done a thing for the pain.😬😬🙀🙀
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😬😬 Ooooo….. that’s not good! Did you try icing your back?
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Do you want me to die??🤔😳😳😲😲
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No… just bring the irratation level down a little!🤭🤭🤭
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I only put icing on the cake.
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What did you do today to fill your time?
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I just leave time alone to fill itself.⏲🕰⏰ Spent too much time blogging today.😂😹 Plus I’m still sorting out photos,🙀 that’s going to take awhile.😁📷
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😛
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😛😛😛
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Dare you to do that to a flag pole! 😂😂
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What’s the big deal? They’re made of wood around here. HA!😛😛😛
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Can’t get over how cold it is.
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Yes, and it still keeps going. But it is rather typical for us, just not so late in the winter. 3 more days and it should warm up a bit.
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Fingers crossed 🤞
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😁😸🌞
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a fox and a magpie – what a week!
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That fox was a real beauty too!
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👍
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