A Beary Special Saturday

I woke this morning, aching all over.  The days of preparation for the sale, on cement floors, have done me in. A very special friend suggested I take a day to relax and recoup ... and I have been amply rewarded for taking that advice.  Of course, even on a day of doing "nothing", there is much to do.

First order of business, feed the goldfish and check for any problems in the garden. Fish ~ okay and fed, three cute frogs hanging out in the little pond including the largest one that was under my wood-stove 24 hours ago.  Clean the pump and fountain, snap a couple photos of the frogs, and on to the garden.  There are a few weeds taller that the celery root, so I MUST do a little weeding of them, and the onions.  Not too much ... I am forcing myself to see the vegetables, not the weeds today. There are tomatoes on the vine, the potatoes are popping through the straw, one artichoke is nearly two feet tall (I'm trying three different varieties).  Kill a few slugs, try to take a pic of the artichoke (too close, wrong lens :-( ... ), then head in for another cup of coffee. And a peek out the window reveals a bear in the yard. So, back outside I go...  I couldn't tell you which bear this was.  The neighbor's new lawnmower cranked up about the same time as Bear saw me with the camera, and it bolted.

But it brought me out to the edge of the mowed yard, to a tree where a yellow-bellied sapsucker was doing a mating dance for his lady love.  Amazing, and I captured it on film ...

 I sometimes thing that writing this blog is self-indulgent and self-ISH, but then I realize that I re-live the experience myself, over and over, in seeing the pictures and reading my own "notes"

And I think, it's okay even if somewhat indulgent.  Who knows what tomorrow may bring?  Today, I saw a male and female yellow-bellied sapsucker sharing a moment.  I saw a bear, however briefly. And it's only mid-morning.

Little did I know what lay in store for me today...

 But I was pleasantly surprised when bear #2 arrived.  I don't know this bear.  It has no "pennys" above its' eyes.  And it is very alert, and skittish. It doesn't stay for long either, but I got enough close up shots from the window to know it's not a bear with which I'm familiar ... and it looks like it's just been for a swim.  I wonder if it's the same bear as was here earlier, but that one was too fleeting for any good ID.  Whatever, it's nice to see you, new bear!

So, bear #2 ambles off past the trail cam, and I go on about the business of downloading photos when, oh my ...there's another bear!

 Definitely not the same bear as a while ago, this one looks to have a small white spot of hair on her forehead (her??? just a feeling...), and has the copper penny eyebrows.  She's rather small, I think a yearling ... boy there are a lot of bears around this year!  Or maybe it's more that, I am actually enjoying watching and photographing them and taking time to find identifying marks, rather than chasing "that darn bear" out of my yard.

And the bear parade is not over yet...

The 4th sighting of the day happens while hubby is mowing the yard.  He alerts me that there's a bear around, but it takes off past the trail cam before I get a chance to take any pictures.  Shortly thereafter, it re-appears, and is not overly concerned with the mower, or the human sitting on it.  It is looking for the wild strawberries. 

The demeanor of this one makes me feel like it could be Buddy, but I don't know ... looks a bit too gangly...  I hoped it would take a swim, but not today.  I am so happy, though ... four bear sightings, at least three different ones AND, the last one was scent marking my Alberta Spruce ... the stinker...  I am so blessed, and I am grateful to Dr E for suggesting I relax today!!

This FEROCIOUS looking bear was actually chewing on grasses along the pond edge....

Such a sweet face ... these are some of the most amazing and beautiful animals I have ever seen.  It's been a beary special Saturday.  And it's not over yet.

It's late afternoon, and I've decided to have some limeade, with a boost ♥  I don't drink a lot of liquor, preferring wine.  But I try to keep a bottle of Lemoncello in the freezer.  And it seems like a limeaid - kinda day.  I think if I had Tequila in the house, I'd be tempted to do a shot. But Lemoncello will be good too.

I've taken and downloaded over 300 pictures today, some quite good ... some already deleted.  I should come up with a system for categorizing them, so I can recall them when I want.  Because the ones that come next may be really special.  

And as it turns out, they were.  My last photos of the day, of the Mama turkey and her hatchlings.

Well, my last photos of the day SO FAR☺

This little guy was bringing up the rear for a while ...well ...except that there was a full grown turkey in the 'way back position!!

Oh my goodness, this has been a day of rich rewards for time well wasted...

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"Those who wish to pet and baby wildlife love them, but those who respect their natures and wish to let them live their natural lives, love them more ."  Edwin Way Teale

Edwin Way Teale (June 2, 1899 – October 18, 1980) was an American naturalist, photographer, and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. Teale's works serve as primary source material documenting environmental conditions across North America from 1930 - 1980. He is perhaps best known for his series The American Seasons, four books documenting over 75,000 miles (121,000 km) of automobile travel across North America following the changing seasons. (courtesy of WikiPedia...)