Our bears are already coming out of Hibernation!

Dear friends,

Usually until mid to late March our big black bears are still fast asleep. Not

this year. It has been so warm that we are all astonished. After that big two

week freeze about the 20th of January and all the snow that came down then, we had warm weather almost immediately. The high snow melted rapidly in the hot sun

, there was a lot of fog because of the warm air and the cold lake, we had severe floods in the Province, and big landslides that blocked highways.

Ben and I have been happy to go out in light jackets. It is very pleasant too see the flower garden beginning to grow. Our south side roses didn't even lose any of their leaves! The charming little American Red Squirrel that lives in our

woodpile is awake and chattering, the grass is greening and the big Douglas Fir

is getting to be a nice warm green colour instead of the intensely dark green of winter. I've heard all kinds of beautiful, happy bird-song. Now the bears are awake, and like us when we wake up, they're hungry.

Hungry bears go looking for bird feeders and barbeques so we have all been advised to keep pet food and bird feeders inside the house. We're not supposed to put out bags of garbage the night before pick-up. Bags art to go out early in the morning, just in time for for the trucks to come by for them.

Anybody who lives near the woods, and around here we all do, (but some of us live in the very fringes of the forests,) are advised to be on the look-out for bears in our backyards.

Last fall bears were getting very capable. They opened doors and some people found them in the house ransacking the kitchen. These bears understood that there

was food in fridges. One woman came upon a bear sitting on her kitchen cabinet

merribly eating away at food from her fridge. It sounds cute and charming, put

like that. But bears are not at all stupid, as you can see from this story, and they are very big, and can be dangerous when they become habituated to humans

and collecting their food from human sources.

Then people who love animals and nature, like David's son, have to be called to

come to try to trap them and relocate them. In too many cases it isn't possible

, and bears have to be shot.

That's why we don't want to see them near homes. We don't want to attract them

with compost piles or barbecue smells, or garbage, or pet and bird feed. For them to stay away from us is healthiest for all of us.

I don't know which I wish for. Do I wish that the weather would turn cold again

, which would be normal for this time of year and not necessarily a sign of advancing global warming? Of course, if it does, all the things outside that have been basking happily in the spring weather will get a shock and some things will

die. Or do I hope that it really is spring already half way through January, and just enjoy the fact that this completely unseasonable temperature may become the norm here, and enjoy it? Anyway, here's a children's song --

The Teddy-Bear's Picnic

If you go down to the woods today

You'd better not go alone

If you go down to the woods today

You're better to stay at home

For every bear that ever there was

Will gather there for certain because

Today's the day the Teddy-bears

Have their picnic.

Chorus

Picnic time for Teddy-bear

The little Teddy-bears are having

A lovely time today

See them gaily dance about

They love to play and shout

On their holiday

See them gaily dance about

They love to play and shout

And never have any care --

At six o'clock their

Mommies and daddies will

Take them home to bed because

They're tired little Teddy-bears.

If you go down to the woods today

You're sure of a big surprise

If you go down in the woods today

You'd better go in disguise

For every bear that every there was

Will gather there for certain because

Today's the day the Teddy-bears

Have their picnic.

Chorus

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