He’s After Me…

Hello everyone on this another beautiful spring day.  The sun is still shining a bit, but the clouds are quickly taking over.  Still, it is nice out there so I just had to spend time with all the dangerous animals for a while.  Speaking of dangerous animals, this one is actually not on the list, but…as far as I am concerned, it should be.  I am referring to my friendly night visitor, that 8 foot (about 2.5 meter) long bear.🐻

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At least this robin was sitting in the sun.

I was sleeping, and heard a large bang outside.  I was tired, but decided I better see what was going on.  Poor Muffin. She was terrified. 🙀 The bear was standing up against the window pawing at it with his massive feet.  But he was down and gone off the deck before I could get out there for a picture.  Sigh.  And he made a mess of all the boxes of stuff I have out there too.  That was the noise I heard.  If I hadn’t been so tired I probably would have been able to go out and get his picture. A friend of mine wants a picture of this bear, so I will have to go outside to get a decent picture. Oh well.

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Another male goldfinch from last spring, they don’t usually show up until May. Here he is singing.

The authorities in charge will only do something if the bear is posing a serious risk to humans.  I’m not human, I guess.😂  Sigh.  So…I decided to spend time with the other dangerous animals, the chipmunks.  Yes, they are classed as dangerous animals.  Amazing really.  At least they cooperate better than the bear.  And they come out during the day which is nice, because I don’t sleep during the day.  So that makes it easier.

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Just look at this dangerous animal ready to attack. This is Rusty again this morning.

Oddly, there is not as many birds around today.  Even the fox sparrows are not here today.  I’m glad I got those pictures yesterday,📷 might not be another chance this year. They go much further north for nesting, so the only time to see them is spring, and sometimes in the fall as they head back south.  Spring is the best time though.  The loons are back now, there was one fly over the house today laughing as he went.  Yes, that one call sounds similar to a laugh.  But they are well known for their lonely, haunting call, often done at night.  Really, it sounds just beautiful. I could listen to it all night.IMG_2299

Just something short for today.  I was planning something else actually, but it didn’t work out for today.  I will try again for next Tuesday.  I need to get better organized! 🙄 Muffin is sleeping a lot today, not good.  That means she will want to be up tonight again.  It’s hard when she gets her days/nights mixed up.  Hard for me.  Not her.😹

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Muffin has that annoyed look, like I would actually dare to take her picture when she is trying to sleep.

Thank you for joining me once again, I hope you will enjoy the rest of your day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.

 

 

 

 

 

Grab A Coffee And…

Grab a coffee and join me for another look at some beautiful country pleasures.  And really, many of these are pleasures that can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter where you live.  What ever country you live in, whether you are a country dweller, or live in a town or city, many of these pleasures can be enjoyed by everyone.  So, let’s pull up a chair on the deck and take a look at some of these things.  Not only are they country pleasures but they are things we can truly be thankful for as well.

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Here is Rusty this morning, filling his cheeks with peanuts, he can carry 3 of them.

It’s spring once again.  And after such a long, cold winter, spring is a very welcome country pleasure.  The snow is gone.  The birds are returning.  The leaf buds on the trees are beginning to swell already.  There is green grass starting to grow.  Other greenery is pushing it’s way out of the ground.  My landlord’s daylilies are growing. Those new shoots poking their way out of the ground are a brilliant, almost glowing, green.  Watching that new life beginning to return is a real country pleasure.

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This is Sylvester, he was also busy this morning, but he can only carry 2 peanuts, he hasn’t stretched his cheeks enough yet.

As I mentioned already, so many birds are returning now.  And one of my favorites ( I know, I have a lot of favorites), is the fox sparrow.  They are the biggest sparrow we have in this area and are often mistaken for a thrush due to it’s size.  I got a few pictures last year but all were a bit disappointing.  This morning patience paid off and I was able to get several very nice pictures of this very shy bird, and from every angle as well.  I like to get pictures of the whole bird, or other animal, instead of just one side.  These are hard birds to photograph because of being so shy.  So it was a joy this morning to finally get what I wanted.  Another real country pleasure.

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A beautiful fox sparrow out here this morning.

Watching the gulls soaring above, their brilliant white against the pure blue of the sky. That’s a country pleasure.  While sitting on the deck a little junco comes hopping along right around my hand, he stops, looks up at me, so I talk to him.  He seems satisfied that I’m no danger to him so he continues with his search for seeds. That’s a country pleasure.

This morning both Rusty and Sylvester, two of my chipmunks, came looking for peanuts. That didn’t work out too good.  They can get a bit territorial, so the chase is on.  They run all around me.  And over me.  Back and forth.  Finally they stop, an even match I guess.  Rusty sits on my knee taking peanuts out of the cup.  Sylvester sits on my shoulder and I hand the peanuts to him.  Peace.  These little critters are a joy and a country pleasure.  Chester was around a bit but now doesn’t come, probably because of all the squirrels.  I haven’t seen GPS at all, nor have I seen my favorite chipmunk, Skamper.  I also haven’t seen Checker yet.  Hard to believe losing 3 in one year.

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A male and female purple finch at my landlord’s bird feeder.

There is such a chorus of different bird songs outside right now. But they all blend together so beautifully.  A true country pleasure. Now that spring is here and it’s warmer again there is nothing quite like an early morning walk.  Everything is so still, quiet, calm. Except for the singing of the birds in the background.  Just as it gets light. A beautiful time indeed.  Geese and ducks flying overhead.  Robins singing from the tops of the tallest pines.  They are actually the first birds to start singing in the morning. About an hour before the slightest bit of light arrives.  A real country pleasure.  Mind you, around here, that’s a good time to meet a bear.  But hey, I have my camera with me just in case.  Might be my final pictures though.  But as the saying goes, “gluing leaves on a tree on a windy day won’t help you cross a river if you don’t have a boat.”

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A nice male robin showed up this morning too, but unfortunately he stayed out of the sun.

Friends.  Now there is a true country pleasure.  All too often people take friendship for granted.  Don’t.  Friendship is special.  Friends are a treasure.  Don’t forget that.  A true friend is always there for you, will help you to move forward, but remember, friendship works two ways.  If you want a friend, you need to be a friend.  Friends are the best of country pleasures.  And friendship can be experienced everywhere, not just in the country.

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A friendly little junco.

I am very thankful for my friends, and that includes all my friends here as well.  Thank you for sharing my journey through Steve’s Country.  I would like to thank all of you personally on here but that would take a while.  But a special thank you to some of you who have been a great help to me in my blogging journey; Ilona; Huguette; Lydia; Lillian;

Hey, I’m old fashioned, it’s ladies first, your time will come guys. But please check out their blogs.  Well, that’s all for today, thank you so much for stopping by for a cup of coffee, and enjoying some true country pleasures with me. Until tomorrow, enjoy the rest of your day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.