On Halloween, about midnight, I let the dogs out into the front yard. I was dog sitting Chris and Kristy's dog, Fiona, because they were having a party and it was just easier for her to be here. So, anyway, I let Jack and Fiona out and I noticed there was a smell hanging in the air, all over the yard; kind musky with a sulphur undertone. It was weird. The dogs started going berserk, they were running around the perimeter of the fence, barking like mad. Of course, it was raining. I noticed the the security light had come on back in the driveway and the trashcan had been overturned (it's a BIG can, tall and on wheels). Hmm. Finally, I got the dogs back into the house and that was the end of it. Or so I thought. Yesterday, my neighbor called me to let me know that about that time I was running around the yarn. In the rain. In the dark. Chasing crazy dogs. There was a black bear (yes. BLACK BEAR) cruising through the neighborhood looking for something good to eat.
This isn't the bear she saw, this photo is from our local 'bear aware' website. I've lived in this house for 14 years and there hasn't been a bear before (that I know of). We've had big tom turkeys walking down the middle of the road gobbling, and I saw a fox running down the driveway this summer. It looked like it had a sandwich in it's mouth, which I thought was weird until I realized it found a big piece of bread Dale threw out for the birds. Years ago, there was a pair of foxes that played in the snow. But bears? Not so much.
