Welcome once again dear readers to my little part of this big world of ours!  First of all I want to thank all of my readers/followers for joining me on my journey through Steve’s Country!  I truly am thankful to each and every one of you and I hit a milestone for me this week, one that I really didn’t think I would ever reach when I first started blogging and that is I now have 200 followers!  Actually, as of a minute ago it stood at 211.  Wow, that to me is really amazing and I couldn’t do it without all my faithful readers/followers!

It is definitely a beautiful sunny day though it still is a bit on the cool side and there is still a fair bit of snow on the ground yet as well.  It has been such a long winter.  But spring is slowly coming out of hibernation.  And speaking of hibernation…there is a big black bear around and has been for several days now.  Now generally speaking, bears will run when they see or even here people in the area.  But spring is a bit different.  These bears are hungry.  And natural food is not yet available.  So they come into town looking for some easy meals.  And these bears are not exactly afraid of people.  They have gotten used to being around people.

Last night I was in the kitchen washing dishes.  Muffin came running in and she looked rather scared.  Hmm, must be something outside.  I went and turned on the deck light and looked out there.  Nothing.  Muffin hears things sometimes.  However, I noticed I had not brought in the bird feeders for the night.  If I don’t do that the raccoons get at them. Or bears.  And they always like to break them.  So out I went to bring them in.  Sometimes I get this feeling like I’m being watched.  After the feeders were in hand I turned and…

There is that big bear down at the bottom of my steps.  In between us is the door to my apartment.  I’m about 6 feet away from the door.  He is about 12 feet away.  Now, I can certainly move fast enough when I want, but that bear could make it to the door before me.  Easily.  I have seen them move.  Doesn’t matter about size.  They move fast.  And this bear decides to arch his back and paw at the ground.  I have seen this before.  They do that just before attacking.  Some say it’s just a warning.  Bears don’t just give a long warning.  They don’t have to.  I have watched them.  But I move quietly and slowly to the door and once there, then I am inside fast!  The bear did come up on the deck and looked in the window, but didn’t do anything else.  Poor Muffin.  She was terrified.  She wouldn’t settle down for 2 hours.

And me out there without my camera.  Not a very good photographer.  Not that I ever claimed to be anyway.  So I decided to stay up a little later than normal to see if he would come back and maybe get a picture of him.  While he was here he stood up by my landlord’s deck which is almost 7 feet off the ground.  He didn’t even have to stretch to see easily over and on to the deck.  That would make him nearly 8 feet tall.  He is going to be one big bear by fall.

Birds are slowly coming back from their southern vacation.  And I mean slow.  Hard to believe there are not more back now, there should be.  A lot more.  Oh well, one of these days.  I need to live someplace warmer.  All year warm.  Sigh.  One of these days.  Hey, I can dream.  Sometimes dreams come true.  Sometimes.

Well, not quite what I had expected to write about today.  It was that bear.  Made me change my thoughts.  Which is okay.  Until tomorrow I hope you will have a great day and God bless!

Steve and Muffin.

© 2019 Steve McLeod.