Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Coffee At Steve’s Country #22.
Good morning and Happy Friday to everyone! Coffee is ready, help yourself and relax with Muffin and I for a while this morning. Muffin almost seems nervous today, she’s just kind of walking around, but doesn’t want to play. She gets that way sometimes. I think it’s time for some more bright and cheery flowers today. I picked out a couple of our wildflowers that for some reason are called weeds. Very strange, but I hope you like them anyway. It’s another cold, cloudy morning here. It’s presently -12F (-24C), but at least it’s not windy like yesterday, so I don’t freeze solid when I go out the door.
And I could actually open the door somewhat normally. Unlike yesterday when the door was frozen shut and I had to kick and pound it to get it open. Normally, like this morning, the door just doesn’t even close properly, therefore it opens quite easily in the cold weather. Not even any point locking the door since all that’s necessary is a slight push on the door and it opens. Cold weather does produce some problems. However, I don’t really expect people to be wandering around at night in this cold anyway, so I’m not concerned about the door. But I still lock the door. Locking our doors always gives us that false sense of security that we all love to have. Even if the lock doesn’t work on the door, it still works on us. Therefore we can sleep peacefully knowing that we locked the door even if it doesn’t work. Oh well.
Then there is the booms and bangs so common in the cold weather. Common if there is wood around, and most places are made from wood around here. It’s the moisture in the wood that freezes and expands causing amazingly loud noises, sometimes so loud it sounds like some large object just hit the house. Like last night. During the night. When Muffin and I are sleeping peacefully in bed. BOOM!! I jump! Arms and legs flying in every direction. Muffin jumps straight up with a “yeowerl”. Then she comes over, standing on me and looking at me with half closed eyes. I know what she’s saying. She’s telling me if I try that again that I will be sleeping on the floor. We settle back down. Oh well. I hope you have a fantastic Friday and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve’s Journal #21-04.
Hello everyone! Here I sit today looking out my window at a rather blustery scene before me. It looks so very cold, a little light snow is falling, a strong wind is blowing, and it is a cold out there that eats right through a person. It’s hard to dress warm enough to spend much time outside on a day like this. However, I remember a different day which I have written down in my journal. Let’s have a look at that day…
As I look out my cabin window this morning, a very early morning, it’s 5am right now and it’s a beautiful, sunny morning. The lake is like a mirror, reflecting the scenery all around. This picture out my window is captivating, the edge of the lake is hidden from view as the real, and the reflection, blend so perfectly together providing such a memorable scene, one not to be forgotten over time. Not even the tiniest ripple to break up this reflection. As I venture outside on this early summer morning everything is so remarkable, so still, so quiet, but it’s not the audible quiet I mean, but the quiet of the scene before me. And then there is the chorus, such a rousing chorus as each species of bird adds his echoing song to the whole. It all blends together, providing a symphony that builds throughout my whole body, my whole being.
This is my summer morning and what a morning. I decide to get my canoe out and head around the lake before breakfast. It’s not a big lake, about half a mile across in any direction. But not exactly round either, there are bays and a point of land sticking out into the lake in one spot. There, the canoe is in the water and I’m off, just slowly moving along the shore, dipping my paddle in the water so quietly, then keeping it there so I can glide along without making any noise. I leave the shadows and enter the sun drenched areas of water and land. I can tell it’s going to be a hot day, just like yesterday, it’s already 79F and it will likely hit 95F today as well.
As I move through the water silently I see a great blue heron along the short walking ever so carefully, it’s feet rising out of, and then into, the water without barely a ripple being produced. No doubt in search of some minnows, which are abundant in this lake, or perhaps a frog, for his breakfast. And likely also he will take some back to the young ones waiting in the nest for their breakfast as well. I pass by the section of the lake that is alongside the highway. Not even one vehicle passes by while I’m there, which is odd, even for an early morning. Across the lake I hear different birds than the ones around home, so many warblers and vireos, plus familiar birds like flickers and thrush.
Suddenly a loon pops out of the water close to me, very excited since I am a little too close to it’s nest. That nest, right by the water’s edge has two large eggs and hopefully both will hatch this year with healthy young. I continue along the rock lined shore and pass a large beaver lodge. I spot one beaver still swimming around after a night of work. I see a newly cut down aspen tree right along the shore which had toppled right into the lake. Suddenly a familiar and very loud “smack!” My friendly beaver must have spotted me and smacked it’s tail on the water’s surface to warn everyone that I’m coming. Oh well. I continue past the point of land which this year is actually an island due to the higher water level. I turn and I’m back in the shadows again as I head toward home. There, I pull up to the dock and pull the canoe up onto shore. A perfect summer morning. Now it’s time for my breakfast….
I hope you have all enjoyed today’s journal entry and our quick trip around the lake. Have a wonderful day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2021 Steve McLeod.
Steve`s Country 