Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Daily Pics #299.
Happy Friday everyone!! It is a nice, partly sunny morning here. Yesterday ended up being much colder than the forecast high of 52F (11C), it only made it to 39F (4C). But it warmed up overnight so it started off at 46F (8C) this morning which is very nice for a November morning. Actually it has been amazing weather this week and our snow is now nearly gone, the last of it will be gone today for sure. Then it gets cold tomorrow, but back to warm on Sunday with rain and back to cold on Monday. Then it stays cold. Very odd weather really. But that’s the way it is around here sometimes. We can hit some wild extremes in weather. But this morning the sun is…hmm, the sun was, shining nicely. It seems to have disappeared behind some clouds. Oh well. Our little birds have nearly gone now. There is still a handful of juncos around, the sparrows have gone. And hopefully these juncos will leave while the weather is still nice. There are more chickadees showing up now, and nuthatches. Even while working on the bird feeder yesterday a male pine grosbeak came down to eat, and a couple redpolls, and several chickadees. I think they were telling me to hurry.
They all seem to enjoy Steve’s new restaurant anyway. At least it’s solid again. Theodore likes it too. I notice that Theodore won’t let the blue jays on the feeder while he’s there. He just kind of pecks at them, so they stay away. But he lets the little birds come, like the chickadees. He won’t bother them at all. I have tried to get a pic of Theodore and one of the little birds, but have been unsuccessful. It is quite a sight to see the size difference between these birds. A chickadee is not even as big as Theodore’s head. Yesterday Jasper was on the feeder eating sunflower seeds, something he does every day. So I went out and called him over and he came running to me. I picked out a nice big peanut for him and he decided to sit and eat it there with me. It was nice to have a visit with him again. I asked if he missed the chipmunks. Three loud chips. Hmm, guess not. I looked at him, he looked up at me. I asked if he was getting lonely. One quiet chip. Guess so. You need to find a mate. He looked up at me. Right, none around. That is a problem. Guess you might have to cross the street, but be careful, watch for cars. He chipped. I don’t blame you.
Today I have some of my favorite scenery pics to share. This wasn’t easy since I have so many that I really like, so I just picked a couple from down at the river for you to enjoy. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2020 Steve McLeod.
Steve’s Country Cabin Journal #8.
Hello everyone and welcome back to another entry in my journal. I decided to do something different for a change…
I had often walked down this one trail by a lake during the day, but I wanted to try it at night to see what I might find. It was a nice warm summer night, there was nearly a full moon, a perfect time for my midnight walk. I got my stuff together and off I went. This was a time when I wasn’t so good at telling people where I was going or what I was doing, how long I would be away, those sorts of things. Sometimes I preferred not telling people because they would worry too much. This wasn’t the first time being out at night by myself, but the first time on that particular trail. It was a beautiful night, the moon shining so brightly through the trees casting long scary shadows through the forest. The only sound was me walking along the trail.
I stopped regularly to listen…listen to the quietness of a forest night. On one stop I heard something along the shore of the lake. I looked carefully but couldn’t see anything. I moved in a little closer. Suddenly a loud “smack”! I think I must have jumped 2 feet in the air! It was only a beaver slapping his tail on the water. But it was so loud. They really know how to do that very well and I guess I was getting a little too close. It got me laughing afterward, especially since I had heard that tail smacking many times before, but always during the day. It’s a little different at night when you’re all alone. Well, that’s it for this spot so I kept on going, quietly scrunching my way through the forest. I stopped again.
Thought I heard something farther in among the trees. I looked all around but couldn’t see anything. Hmm, I wonder, I started doing some owl calls. After a few minutes I gave up, obviously nothing around. I kept on walking and started going up a rocky hill. I stopped again. Almost sounded like some kind of grunting sound. But when I stopped, there was nothing. Probably a deer hiding in those crazy long shadows. Certainly wouldn’t be hard to do I’m sure. I keep on going and stop again after about 10 minutes for some more owl calling. Hey, I got an answer that time, a great horned owl! I call again, he answers. Then I hear something in the pine tree next to me.
The owl had landed on a branch no more than 6 feet above me. The moonlight was shining on him so nicely too. Then a second one came in and landed on a branch next to him. Now that is fantastic, what a beautiful sight. I don’t think they were as impressed as I was however. I didn’t bother calling anymore when they were so close. Owls can be quite aggressive when defending their territories. After a few minutes they decided I wasn’t very exciting so they both flew off. I kept on going and shortly the trail turned and went back to the beginning where I had left my car. I didn’t see anything else. But on two more occasions I had stopped and listened. I was so sure I had heard some grunting noises, but was never able to see what it was. It always left me wondering.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little walk with me. It’s too bad I couldn’t have gotten a picture of those owls though, but it was something I won’t forget. Have a wonderful day everyone, and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
©2020 Steve McLeod.
