Bears

Last night I went to spend some time at the new house. We took the kids and a friend and stayed over. It was super rainy. Sheets of rain fell across the surface of the pond. 

I saw a heron, some other birds, and some squirrels.

I also saw something I did not expect to see: four small black bears. Tyler saw two and then called me over “to look at something.” I thought, “Deer?! Please no!” and came to look and stuck my head right by the window just as a motion sensor light came on. The bear’s head was less than a foot away from mine, separated by a pane of glass. It is hard to say which of us was more surprised. I kind of felt like Sal’s mother must have felt when she came upon the bear in the book. We stared at each other for a moment, too startled to move, and then he/she beat a hasty retreat. 

It was smaller than I expected it to be—that is, shorter. I had forgotten how much mass bears have. Its front legs were so thick—as big as my thighs, at least. (Since I have Danish heritage, the circumference is not small.) The bear’s muzzle was longer than I thought it would be. I wondered if bears’ noses are like those of humans—always growing. 

I have never seen a bear in its natural habitat before.