Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better than Patch in my yard the other day, I had another surprise visit today.

Count ‘em! FIVE BABY BEAR CUBS! In my yard/driveway! Two weeks ago they were sighted by my neighbor Luke, and also had their photo on the front page of our local newspaper when they happened to visit the community down the road from us, but I never thought they’d show up in my driveway! Last week Luke and I trudged up one side of the mountain and back down the other in search of this family unit with no success. Go figure.

You have to agree that they are just totally adorable. They didn’t stop to visit so I had to be quick and shoot the photos through the upstairs window (with screen) so the images are not as clear and sharp as I’d like, but at least I managed to capture them.

Look how eensy the littlest one is! I don’t know how old they are exactly, but I’ve had puppies bigger than this at 8 weeks of age! My goodness!

“Wait for us momma! We’re trying hard to keep up with you!”

And oh, as for a name ... uhm ... how about Myrtle? (As in Fertile Myrtle.) Luke has already named the cubs “The Fantastic Five” which I thinks fits them extremely well. I don’t know how usual it is for a female to have five cubs, but here they are!

I had a visitor yesterday afternoon. She made herself quite at home in my front yard.

“Ho, hum, I kind of like just laying here licking up seeds.”

“aahhhh ... time for a little stretch!”

“hey, did I say you could take my picture?”

“well, okay, go ahead then.”

“pretty, aren’t I?’

At first when I saw a tag in each ear and the darkish face of this bear I thought it was Minor, the cub from the year before. But after I looked up the photos of Minor I could see it was a different bear. The ear tags are in different spots. So, a completely new bear, and a young one at that. Probably a cub from last year turned out on her own.

I took these photos from the upstairs window that does not have a screen. She only looked up at me when I opened the window enough to get the telephoto lens of my camera out; she didn’t move an inch. She acted like she was right at home. She stayed until the mailman came by and he spooked her into the woods.

She came back twice more yesterday, the third time being after Rick had come home, so he got to see her. I had told him about the bear visits, so as he drove past the bottom on his way home he was looking for her. He saw her roaming around down there in the woods. Not ten minutes after he walked in the door we got a call from neighbor Kim alerting us to the fact that she was once again laying in front of our windows. We watched her for quite a while, but it soon became obvious she wasn’t in a hurry to move on. She scratched and pawed and found seeds that I think may have been buried all winter.  She did a lot of just laying there like an big, black, overgrown dog. Lazy bear. She reminded me of Doris who was always the lazy one and did the very same thing. I wonder if this is her daughter?

New bears have to be named. This bear had a distinguishing feature (other than the placement of her ear tags): a triangular patch of brown on her chest. So, by the authority vested in me by the black bears of my neighborhood, I hereby name thee “Patch.”

We’re hoping she’s taken up residence in our woods. Come back soon, Patch!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! The word is finally out. Leaflets bearing the news are being distributed all across the townships and counties of New Jersey. Aided by the sun, wind, and rain, the leaflets are reaching a rapidly growing audience with their important news.

And what exactly do the leaflets say? Simple!

More...

Tonight I am restless. It was a very warm day here in NJ and the night has not really cooled off much. I feel the need to go outside and just sit under the full (or nearly) moon. Like an ancient pagan goddess I sit drinking in the moonlight. Forget the Pope who is in the city and about to hand out blessings. I’ve left my Catholic upbringing well behind me. Right now nature is the only blessing I need.

The frogs lend a perfect backdrop to a moonlit night. A symphony of nature, and the only admission fee is simply sitting there. No crowds, no tickets. The only fee they ask is the time and patience to lend an ear.

The “peepers,” or young baby frogs, are the sopranos. Their constant peeping is the perfect foil for the bigger frogs who come in at just the right moment with their bass voices. Next, the tenors pitch in with their slightly higher tones. They make up their own musical piece as they go along, and somehow it just works. Completely mesmerizing.

I find myself lost in their music, drifting off into sleep while sitting on the hard board decking that leads to our back yard. But as much as I would like to, I can’t sleep in the yard under the full moon. With much resistance, I make myself come inside and to bed.

Spring has finally arrived! The forsythia hedge in front of the house is in glorious full bloom, filling my world with its cheery yellowyness. (Do you like that word?) You almost need sunglasses on in order to look at it, it’s that bright. Above it is seen through the panes of my front door. My neighbor Kim told me that every time she quickly glances over at our house it looks like a big yellow bus is parked in front of it! I can certainly understand why.

The weather has been gorgeous; sunny and warm this week with even higher temperatures in the 70s expected for the next few days. I’ve gotten out and raked the flowers beds clean of their protective winter covering of leaves and dead vegetation. I was surprised to see how much was coming up underneath all that. And just look at the progress my daffodils have made!

Things have been pretty quiet around here. I’ve been on my own (except for dogs and cats) since Rick left for Las Vegas last Friday. It gets lonely without him and I miss him a lot, but the normal daily patterns eventually shift and settle into new ones. I talk to myself (a lot), and to the animals. I’ve watched many episodes of “What Not to Wear” and am convinced that my entire closet should be tossed. I’ve taken the dogs almost daily for a walk. I’ve read two books. I’ve become accustomed to being by myself.

But all that is about to change in a big way. This afternoon I pick my sister up from the train station for her six day visit. She likes to get [already] noisy Alex “talking” even more than he normally does. Then within a few hours of her arrival, Rick will be home again. It will be quite a change from the past week, but I’m ready!