Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Solitude On My Deck. #7
Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying a nice day! It is beautiful here today, sunny and warm with not much wind. I like when there is not much wind, makes the day much more enjoyable. It was like this yesterday as well, so I went for a walk to the river. About time really, I will be making more frequent trips to the river from now on.
It is just so beautiful down there, a great place to just sit and enjoy the scenery, listen to the many different birds singing, squirrels chattering and the noise of the water as it flows past. That is all solitude at its best. I went past Scramble’s territory, a dark part of the forest with a thick canopy of pine branches overhead. I called him and he came running along one of the many fallen logs that lay all over the forest floor in this area.
Scramble uses them to great effect as his own highway system. I tossed him some peanuts and he came over and got them right away. If I came down here more often he would be taking them from my hand by now. But he gets closer all the time which is nice. He certainly has a beautiful summer coat this year. There were a couple other squirrels along the way too, but they are not as friendly as Scramble.
Not many people have been using the path to the river this summer so it is well grown over with long grass in many places. Except under the pines where nothing really grows very well. Mushrooms grow there however. The river is still very high, looked even higher than the last time I was there. It is supposed to be falling however, last week the level dropped by half an inch (12mm) apparently. If it stays dry the rest of the summer our lake and river levels should be back to normal by mid August to mid September.
It will be later if we get normal rainfall and if it turns out to be above normal rainfall like they are predicting for us, then the high water will go right into winter. Down at the river there were pelicans, a lot of them, very unusual for this spot on the river. However, their normal roosting spots, which are bare rocks, are all underwater. And here there are rocks for them to sit on to rest and preen their feathers. So I was able to get some nice pics of them.
There were also ducks close by, a female mallard with her brood of little ones, and some common mergansers sitting on a half floating log among trees out in the river. If the water level stays this high much longer I think some of these trees will be falling into the river, they are really starting to lean that way now. And that one gravel embankment keeps falling into the river, the path is only a foot away from the edge now, I would not be surprised if it gives way completely soon.
I walk further back from the path. It was so tranquil sitting by the river though and listening to one of my favorite bird songs from the hermit thrush. I love that song. Too bad those birds do not like coming into town. I got a lot of photos on that walk yesterday, some very nice, interesting pics, at least for me. It was certainly a time of solitude, the walk, and sitting by the river. Just beautiful. I hope you enjoy the pics with me over the next little while. Have a great weekend everyone and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2022 Steve McLeod.
The Investigators, Inc. Mountain Cabin Mystery. Chapter 3. Attacked!
We just got in the door and a fist hit me on the side of my head. Another man grabbed Sigurbjorn around the neck with his arm. He must have had a death wish. Sigurbjorn flipped him over her head and onto the floor with ease but another man tried to attack her and she kicked him in the chin, then in his side knocking him to the floor. The first man then started getting up but she kicked him again on the side of the head knocking him over.
Meanwhile the other guy was banging my head on the floor. The cats had gone off to play with the kids in the next cabin but I managed to call Muffin with my help button. Muffin jumped straight up and cried, My human in trouble! She cannot run fast now because of her heart, but MC and Storm ran, with Storm being the fastest runner, a normal ability with his species.
He came running inside and on top of the man holding me down scratching his back and biting his ear! MC came in and jumped on the back of the other man just as he was about to hit Sigurbjorn from behind. Muffin waited outside…and ready. One of the guys yelled to run and they came out the door one by one and…”Thwock!”, then again the second man “Thwock!”.
The third man jumped off the steps the other way and ran off into the forest. Sigurbjorn helped me up and we went outside. “Good girl Muffin,” I said and picked her up. She was purring loudly. “You guys did great,” I said to the other cats. The purred loudly too and came over to me. Sigurbjorn then came out with cuffs for the two men. The one little girl had come running over behind the cats and screamed so loud I am sure she could be heard for miles.
At any rate everyone at the resort certainly heard her and came running to see what was wrong. “Ever see these guys before Paul?”, I asked. “No, never,” he said. Sigurbjorn looked at him. I do not think she believed him. Anyway he called the police and they showed up to take the men away. Oddly they did not ask very many questions, not your typical police for sure. Everyone went back to their cabins, it was the first time we had seen the 4 young men staying in cabin 6.
They never said a word and were not questioned by the police, neither were the seniors. None of them saw anything anyway. We went back inside. “You will certainly need your massage now even more,” she said smiling. “You can rest for a while first,” I said. “It is not needful,” she said, “so get ready.” Muffin curled up beside me on the bed, the other two just laid down and watched. “Do you not want to go back out and play with the kids?”, I asked them. Meow,meow.=Me want to stay with my human. And she began purring again.
The other two agreed they also wanted to stay with me now. I called Annelie. “Did you get the pictures?”, I asked her. Sigurgjorn took pictures of the two men we captured, and Muffin got a picture of the third man with her new cat camera. Each of the cats have one now. “Yes,” she answered, “very interesting group. All 3 were in prison together with John. They just got out about 6 months ago.”
The cats had also taken pics of the police officers. “And those cops are not cops,” she added, “but also drop outs from a different prison.” Apparently Baldwin, Rock and Benson just walked into the library at that moment and had not heard the news yet, so Annelie gave them a quick recap of what happened. I could hear Rock with his bellowing voice say, “What!!!”
Baldwin began talking to me and said he would send Rock and Benson out to help. I told him not yet, but to keep them ready in case we need them. I asked Annelie to get in touch with Jake and see if he can find John. “How long can you keep this up?”, I ask Sigurbjorn. “Probably longer than you can last,” she said laughing, “you know, I do not believe Paul is telling you everything.” “I agree,” I said, “and I will talk with him about that too.”
“I also believe that little girl did see someone, but she embellished the story a bit to make it sound more interesting,” said Sigurbjorn. “Hmm, that is something to think about,” I said, “you speak several languages, why not see if she can heard any of them?” “Yes, I could try that,” she said, “but the two families have gone on a picnic so I will have to wait until they get back.” “That is amazing that they would still go out for a picnic after what happened just now,” I said. “I thought that was strange as well,” said Sigurbjorn.
To Be Continued.
©2022 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 