Steve`s Country
For a smile as wide as a country sunrise
Country Pleasures.
Hello everyone on this beautiful Monday morning! I do hope it is a nice day where you live as well. So nice to see that spring is finally here and looks like it will actually stay this time. I like spring. Everything just seems so fresh. As the snow melts away the birds begin to return bringing with them there many different musical talents. Some can be very colorful and others look rather dull. But some of those dull colored birds can really sing beautifully, like the song sparrow in the picture below. It is definitely one of my favorite spring and summer songs and a true country pleasure.
Almost forgot to mention Sir George, he is in the featured image at the top. That’s his favorite pole to sit on. The pole is on a hill so he can see quite far. But mostly he just wants to see when I come out with the food. He then flies all around me while I put the food on the feeder for him and he is down at that food so fast. His mate, Lady Pearl, is usually with him. And at least 3 others have joined in now, though they have to wait their turn. This also is a wonderful country pleasure.
But perhaps one of the best country pleasures is to have a chipmunk sitting on my knee. A couple of them will even come running to me when they see danger in the area. They know where to find a safe place. They have learned to trust me. My present squirrels are not quite so brave yet. I had several very friendly squirrels last year, but they were all chased away by a very aggressive young male squirrel. However, he found a mate and she finally chased him away. Now there are two different female squirrels and one other male that I call Whitey. That’s because about a third of his tail is pure white. Last year that one would sit on my shoulder and eat peanuts. Another country pleasure.
Then there is the country pleasure of getting alone beside a lake, sitting, enjoying all the sights and sounds of summer. That is a true joy and a great way to relieve stress. Just sitting still, listening to the waves lapping against the shore, the beautifully eerie call of the loon echoing across the lake. Song sparrows singing their joyous song from small bushes along the shore. The melodious chorus of many different warblers sitting in the pine trees behind me. The gentle ripple of the leaves from the aspens nearby. Hard to be stressed in a place like that. But you don’t need to be in the country to enjoy that. Even city parks can be a great place to enjoy some simple country pleasures.
Going for an early morning walk, whether in the country, town (like where I live) or city can be a real country pleasure. Early morning is so ideal. It’s much more quiet. The air is often more still. Watching a nice summer sunrise. And listening to the chorus of bird songs which can be heard everywhere. Early morning is even best if jogging is more what you enjoy. It’s just a more calm part of the day which can help us get a good start to our day, giving us a fresh beginning and more energy to meet the challenges of the day.
When the weather is warmer I like to take my coffee out on the deck and sit, enjoy all the sights and sounds of spring and summer. There is always something to enjoy. From all the birds to little chipmunks to the deer that come by to say hello. Going up to a large animal like a deer and rubbing around their ears or antlers which they so enjoy, truly a country pleasure. Then there is little Muffin. She is my indoor country pleasure. Always willing to look cute and have fun.
Well everyone, I guess I should stop for today and let you go do other things. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing these country pleasures with me. I hope you all have a great day and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
© 2019 Steve McLeod.
Versatile Blogger Award!
Wow, it’s hard to believe that I’m getting this award, quite an honor for me! I was nominated for this award by my very good friend Ilona. Thank you so very much for thinking of me and giving me this great award Ilona! Many of you already know Ilona, she is a wonderful and talented young woman who loves helping people and she has certainly helped me a lot in the last couple months with my blogging. For those who don’t know her, please feel free to check out her blog;
Stats about my little blog;
Hmm, where to begin? At the start I guess. My first post is listed as being on July 4, 2017. Except that for some reason that post isn’t there. But that was my mistake. I started blogging with no idea what I was doing. And I am not exactly good with a computer or anything to do with the idea of blogging. Sigh. I decided a while back to include Muffin as a major part of my blog and she has been a big hit. She even has her own blog called Muffin’s Mewsings which you can find on my home page.
So, things moved along at a rather slow pace! By the end of 2017 I had a total of 6 followers after 6 months! But I was having fun anyway. However, I was a little disappointed by so few followers. By the end of 2018 I had 32 followers! I was happy since I was now on my way to my goal of 200 followers. I would have had more in 2018, but I did lose a few, sigh. It was so exciting to finally make that first goal. Now it’s on to 500! So most of you have been here just a short time, and I hope you will want to stay around for much longer, I appreciate every one of my followers! I am still in the learning process but I hope you will all enjoy your time here with Muffin and I!
Award Rules
In order to receive the award, each nominee will have to:
- Thank the person who nominated him/her.
- Link to the blog of the person who nominated him/her.
- State 7 facts about himself/herself.
- Nominate other bloggers who bring joy into their daily life (Note: There’s a different rule which asks nominees to nominate 15 more bloggers.)
Seven Facts About Myself:
1. Now we get to the hardest part. Hmm, well, you might already know some of these things but… Okay, I’m a single man, no kids, unless you want to include my cat, Muffin. However, she doesn’t consider herself a kid, she’s the queen of this place!
2. I am definitely a cat lover and have had cats all my life, mostly orange cats, but Muffin is a gray cat for the most part, except for an orange patch on her tummy! She actually has calico genes, 2 of her kittens were calicos.😺
3. I am an introvert, which means I am generally a very quiet type of guy. It takes the right person to really get me to talk a lot. But I do like being with people, enjoying times together with friends. So I guess that makes me a strange introvert!😃
4. Hmm, I’m running out of ideas, I also love warm places! 🌞 I live in one of the coldest places in Canada! But I would love to live in a warmer place.🌴
5. I’m a bit crazy. Why else would I live in such a cold place? People have to be crazy to live here. I mean, there is 6 months of winter, with temps getting as cold as -45C and even colder (-60C) with the wind factored in. I am a very fun guy though, and I’m sure I could find people to verify that fact. Well, I should be able to find at least one person to verify that. Muffin would. She’s looking at me with that strange look again.😹
6. I enjoy the outdoors! I don’t like spending a lot of time inside. Going for walks, hiking, going out on a calm lake early in the morning with a canoe, those are fantastic things. And I like wild animals, which I am sure you have guessed by reading my posts each week. And I like to be up close to them, from having a little chipmunk or squirrel on my knee to hugging a 400lb deer, to having birds of many species sitting on my hands.
7. There is one thing about me that absolutely no one knows. Sorry, I’m not telling. You will have to guess. Which I’m sure you wouldn’t be able to anyway.🤔😂
Well folks, that’s it for today’s award post, I hope you all have enjoyed it! And, there is more coming up in another award post on Tuesday. While on the subject, my regular posts will be remaining the same on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there will be extra things, like award posts if I get more of them, or other different things like the tour of my place. There will be other, different, tours coming up as well. And hopefully Muffin will get a bit more active in her posts as well. Now, for the nominations!
https://huguetta.wordpress.com
https://amankumar001.wordpress.com
https://thebiscuitfactoryonline.com
https://orkidatter.wordpress.com
That’s it for today, it is getting hard to just pick a few to nominate, but there’s always next time. Just remember I appreciate all of you! For those nominated, you are not required to participate, only if you want to. Until next week, enjoy your weekend and God bless!
Steve and Muffin.
