For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Hello to everyone on this cool and very windy Thursday! The temperature this morning was 19F (-7C) and has not changed at all. With the wind it feels like -2F (-19C). And a big snowstorm is heading our way today. It could start snowing any time actually and we should end up with 6 to 10 inches of snow by tomorrow morning. Then it is going to get cold after that.
I was hoping to do some outside work this morning before the snow came, but it is just a little too cool for that. At least for me anyway. The birds are busy filling up before the storm hits, so the seeds are disappearing quickly today. That always happens before a storm comes. There were still 2 juncos out here this morning, I hope they decided to leave ahead of the storm and take advantage of that strong north wind. I did not see them the last time I was out there.

I also saw a lone little American goldfinch, dressed in its winter coat. They are dull colored in the winter, so it is hard to tell the difference between the males and females. They do not normally stay the winter here, though 2 winters ago there were over 100 of them around here. They are about the same size as the chickadees. The ones I had 2 winters ago were the first I had ever seen here in the winter, and to have so many was quite amazing. And fun.

Always nice to have new friends around for the winter months. I put 2 suet cakes out for the birds this morning and the nuthatches were at them first. I thought they would be. Those nuthatches love those suet cakes. The woodpeckers and chickadees love them too. Once the woodpeckers find them, they will be here every day, several times a day.
There are 20 evening grosbeaks out there right now, mostly males, and they are all eating quite peacefully together. That is somewhat odd for them, they seem to enjoy fighting with each other over the food, especially when they start running out of seeds. Several of the grosbeaks have learned they can chase the blue jays away. The jays always look rather shocked that the grosbeaks will stand up to them, considering the blue jays are almost twice their size.

I will have to try and watch for the garbage truck today. Otherwise, my trash can will blow away in this wind once it is empty. It has done that a couple of times. I think I will change how I do that from now on. I cannot see the front street from my apartment, so I have to try and listen for the truck. Sigh. The top featured image shows storm clouds moving in. Well, I hope you all have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2022 Steve McLeod.
Muffin was pulling at my pant leg. Meow,meow.=Someone come. She whispered it. I turned out the light and we all waited and ready. The door opened and 2 people came inside and turned on the light. “Do not try moving,” I said, “we will not hesitate to shoot.” “Hey, careful there,” said one man, “I am a police officer.” “Yes, and you are wandering about in secret passageways in a place you do not own,” I said, “that is good for trespassing, and obviously you have been here before. And who is your friend here?”
“I do not have to give my name to you or nobody,” he growled. “Why are you both here?” I asked. “Get out of here,” said the man, “or you will regret getting involved in this.” I put my gun away and walked over to him, Sky staying close to me. He looked at me angrily and I gave him a good hard back handed slap which knocked him against the cupboards. He got up and came at me, but Sky kicked him causing him to bend over, then she whacked him on the back of the head, and he went down.
Kristina kept a gun at the officer’s head so he would not get involved. The man got up slowly and took out a knife as he did so. Then he lunged at me again. I spotted the knife and grabbed his arm. Then Sky kicked him again, much harder this time and he fell to his knees. I then stomped hard on his right hand, which he had used for the knife. He yelled. Then I let him get up and sit on a chair. The cats had been sitting on the table hoping to get a turn.
Muffin was taking pics, which then automatically go to Annelie. “What is your name?” I asked the man. He just sneered at me and said, “You are in big trouble now.” “No,” I said, “you are in big trouble, as is your friend here. I will find out who you are very soon and will know all about you from birth to present.” He just looked at me. “It will be easier for you to cooperate though,” I added, “right now you will be charged with attempted murder and murder, unless you can prove otherwise. You made a mistake trying to kill one of my team members. I get a little upset when people do that.”
He looked at the officer. “Well, do something you idiot,” he growled, “you said it would be safe coming here tonight!” “Well, what would you like me to do?” he asked, “fight them all by myself? However, why not make a deal here? Let us go and we will forget everything that happened here tonight, and we will not tell Mr. Bosman what happened. And in the morning, you can pack up, go home and stay safe. What do you say?”
“Okay,” I said, “get out of here.” They left in a hurry, and I watched to see which way they went. I knew they did not come here through our bedroom, as I had an alarm lock on that door. In the morning we will check that passageway to see where it goes, it might be quite interesting to find out. “I cannot believe you just let them go, Steve,” said Sky. “Yes, that is rather odd,” added Sigurbjorn. “I will explain back upstairs,” I said.
Up we went back to our bedroom and we had a little meeting. “It is like this,” I began, “we learned a bit about these men, which Annelie will let us know about, such as who they really are, what they do for a living in this underworld organization and that might tell us what they are doing here. They also told us the name of their boss. He might not be the main boss, but likely the boss of whatever is going on here anyway and that will be a big help.
Now, this Mr. Bosman is going to wonder why we let them go and will probably figure they talked a little too much so they can no longer be trusted. Therefore, I think there will soon be another 2 accidental murders in the area. I was hoping they would mention Alonzo, but that did not happen and that is unfortunate. In the morning we will need to have a plain talk with Mandi. I am beginning to think she is mixed up in this and not just an innocent bystander.”
“Yes, I have to admit, I change my vote about her,” said Sky, “she has lied to us, so how can we believe anything she says?” “Yes, I agree,” said Galyna, “a good open talk is what is needed right now. She needs to explain things.” “Hey, where did the cats go?” asked Angel anxiously. “I let them out,” said Kristina, “they heard a mouse in the hallway and wanted to chase it.” Just then they scratched at the door. Kristina let them back in. Meow,meow.=We hear something…
To Be Continued.
©2022 Steve McLeod.