Bearing Up Under It All

On Friday evening, Movita, Derek 2.0, and I were admiring the tree peony in the garden area at the end of the house when we heard a rustling in the undergrowth. Thinking it was a rabbit, we strode to the back of the house to get a closer look- and came face to face with a black bear! I've been gardening here for thirteen years and I have never before stumbled upon a bear in the garden! We were so surprised and shocked that we did exactly what you are not supposed to do when coming face to face with a black bear - we turned on our heels and ran as fast as we could around the house to the front door, stumbled inside, and slammed the door behind us!

From the kitchen window, with hearts still pounding, we watched him tear the bottom off a thistle seed feeder with one swipe of his paw, taste the goods, and decide he didn't like them. He moved on to an empty feeder, checking it out. We had long ago stopped putting out sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, etc. as that sort of thing does attract wildlife other than birds.

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He then left the property and headed into the wooded trail area beside the house. He seemed to like following the line of bricks I had set out earlier in the day. I was planning to lay them in place next week though my urge to spend hours working alone in the garden has declined somewhat!

On Saturday, we picked up an air horn. I plan to have it very close by outside until my anxiety level declines. Our neighbour, Steve, who is a hunter and a woodsman, says that bears don't usually hang around. They come through, explore, look for green compost bins, and head on to other areas. Still, I will pay close attention to any further rustlings in the undergrowth for a long, long time to come!