Don’t get your hopes up…there are NO…I say NO – photos of the wildlife. I wish there were. But when the wild kingdom visits the fambly Summers, sometimes there is too much going on to take photos. I know…if I were a REAL photographer…

Anyway, you will have to rely on my ability to tell the story in words with a few illustrations from the local talent.

Bats. They were the first. About 10 days ago, at shortly after 2:00 a.m. I woke to the noise of fluttering wings. I thought…that is a really big moth. I turned on a light and noticed the curtain fluttering. I drew it back and thought, “A mouse! – on the window sill!!” But then the mouse flew… Oh… a bat. I closed the bedroom door so that now Bob, the Bat and I were all closed in the bedroom together. A little creepy. Some time later, with much head ducking and a bit of colorful language, Bob was in the motorhome, Bear was in the office, the bat was in the bedroom and then I removed screens from the bedroom windows so the bat could get out. They will follow air currents. I have some experience. Bat gone, it is now 3:00 a.m. I left Bob in the motorhome, put the screens back in, let Bear out of the office and went back to bed.

We pretty much repeated this the next morning except with the same or another bat in the entire rest of the house. This despite the fact that I closed the damper on the woodstove. I did say I have some experience. And NOW I have a reminder in my calendar for next Spring to close the damper on the woodstove, and the doors and the draft thingy on the back of the stove.

On to fawns. Those were fun. They are so sweet and playful and full of the exuberance of youth. But I was working and in an internet meeting and the camera was in another room.

This is how I look when I’m in an internet meeting. I have a wonderful wireless headset so I can actually wander about if I’m just listening. Flipping the microphone up mutes sound from my end so I can get a fresh cup of coffee, put laundry from the washer to the dryer, check on Bob, get the camera…. which usually I keep on my desk…in case something happens outside my window. It wasn’t on my desk when the fawns were frolicking in the yard and I wasn’t just listening. Rats.

And then!! – Yesterday!! Again the camera was not on my desk and I wasn’t just listening and a smallish black bear walked right in front of me…maybe 10 feet from my window. BUT, Bob was on the front porch!!!

Although the above photo is a re-creation, Bear was in the office with me. It was just after noon, I had the house closed against the heat. Bear did not react. I did, though! Fortunately, it was a work session versus a high falutin’ kind of meeting…although I probably would not have done much different…I was explaining something I’d coded when I saw the bear. Mid-sentence I gasped and then shouted “There’s a bear in my yard and my cat is outside…be right back”, flipped the mike up, shut Bear in the office and went to rescue Bob.

Now…bears are omnivores but mostly they eat vegetarian so I wasn’t thinking the bear would decide Bob would be a good lunch, but, still. When I opened the front door, Bob jetted inside to the bedroom grumble-growling all the way.

Wide-eyed, and tail thumping, he kept an eye on the bear as it made its way north onto the state land beyond my property.

He continued a low growl as he watched.

He watched for close to an hour before he relaxed. He declined an invitation to go back outside…

But today, he’s back on duty at his post…

As is the bear dog.

I feel very safe.