bears again

I actually tried to post this a couple of days ago but when I hit "publish post" it disappered into cyberspace. It turned up later but not before I republished it. I shall learn how this waoks, some day!

So Wednesday a bear raided the garbage bin of the house across the street and dragged one of the bags over to feast on my lawn. She came back in the evening for a second go at it but the light was too dim to take a good photo of her, although there was plenty of her.

I thought that they might pick up their garbage, but no such luck. So I got some disposable rubber gloves from the hospital and rebagged the debris. As I did it I became more and more disgusted. These folks do not recycle and the garbage was totally junk food. Nothing had been rinsed so it was a bear's delight. They love leftover Kentucky Fried Chicken and stciky MacDonald's wraps.

I took the bag across the street and left it by their front door. It is still there.

Of course the poop-and-scoop bylaw does not apply to bears. On the other hand they were here first and we didn't sign any treaties with the bears.

garbage bear

This garbage belongs to the people across the street. A large sow bear broke into their garbage bin and brought the bag to my lawn before setting into the feast yesterday morning. She came back in the evening, but the light was too far gone for me to take a picture. The bear passed within six feet of the house. Anyway, I got some rubber gloves from the hospital and picked up the garbage this afternoon. It was totally junk food, and it had not been separated for recycling. I was disgusted. I rebagged the garbage and left it by their front door. As for the bear, the berry crop is very poor this year so the bears are looking for food. They were, after all, here first and they didn't sign any treaties.

burial bear

I’m a minister. So in the course of events I preside over funerals. Herb had died this spring before the frost was out of the ground. Up here burials only happen when the ground can be worked. So I had a funeral service and Herb was cremated. Now Herb was a crusty old miner who spent his “leisure” time in the bush, certainly not in church. But his son is very active in my congregation. So the family waited until everybody could get together again and today was the day to inter the ashes. It went well. We took our time. The family all held the urn before it was put down the hole and then they all put a handful of earth into the grave. I had given the blessing when a large black bear ambled out to watch the proceedings. I announced that the bear was present. There was laughter. There were shrieks. The daughter-in-law hid behind her little grandchildren. That produced more laughter. The group closed ranks. The bear strolled through the cemetery. People broke rank and began to run to their cars – the worse thing that they could have done. They were instructed to stop and the family then moved together to the waiting cars. They all then went on to a family barbeque. All agreed that wasn’t it just like dad to invite a bear to his burial. And me? I think that the bear made it all the more interesting and certainly memorable.

bears on the loose

It’s rainy. It’s cold and wet and there are plenty of bears roaming through the city. Bears – black bears that can run very fast. Last week we drove to a cottage for a barbeque and a swim and then drove back. There were nine bears enroute including a mother with three cubs. Of course on the way back we took our garbage to the dump, and there were a couple feeding there. You are practically guaranteed to see bears at the dumps. The city dump is an informal tourist site for people who want to see the bears. Bears have been dumping on my lawn, so I know that they are around. The Ministry; of Natural Resources have posted a warning on my door. Here it is just part of the life. The city cemetery has signs posted warning about the bears. I sometimes take burials in the cemetery. A service has been cut short when the undertaker started to wave frantically. A bear was ambling through; so the committal, short prayer and the benediction and then advising the grieving family to get into their cars with due haste. The bears were here first. This spring took the first crop of berries so they are hungry and are in town looking for food. When the blueberries ripen they should disappear again into the woods.