bears

We've had lots of bears do lots of things in the eight years we've lived in this particular house, but yesterday was the first time they raided our compost pile. The pile is in a very shady area, back a few feet from the edge of the bush line. Laura, our neighbour's daughter, wanted to contribute a banana peel to help save the environment and advance the Beebe Flowerbed Cause, but as she approached she got a funny feeling that something was there. She called on my son to accompany her, and as they approached the second time, they saw a curious, black face peering out of the leafy shadows. The banana peel mission ended. Neither the environment nor the flowerbeds were that important.

Phillip burst into the house with the male solution to the problem. "Dad, get your shotgun!" Erinn suggested a kinder and gentler solution . . . the old pot and pan scare tactic. We opted for kinder and gentler, and within a few seconds, she and Vanessa were crashing across the back lawn telling the bear where to go and how to get there. I watched from the safety of the bedroom window, and gave occasional advice not to get too close. The advice wasn't heeded or needed. The bear knew he was outnumbered and vanished.

I thought my brother Paul had a good photo of a bear on his Eyefetch site, but I couldn't find one. Click here to see his other nature shots, then type "black bear" into the search box if you want to see other artist's photos of Ursus Americanus. He does have a photo of a local Upsala bear on the guestbook page of his knife making website. Click here.