Hi there! Welcome to the longest June ever! It’s June 18th and there are still two more weeks of school left. We’re all a bit exhausted.
Thankfully, a lot of activities are winding down for the summer so our free time outside of work and school is a little looser. We’ve made time for some playdates and I took the girls to the dentist this week. I was able to join Pearl’s class on a field trip and attend an open house that Rose’s class hosted.
This mama and her cubs have been hanging out around our neighbourhood and this was actually the second time I’ve seen them. This is a photo of our driveway, taken from our kitchen window.
Winnie the dog continues to grow. She is doing great in many ways but has also wreaked her worst havoc yet this week. She chewed right through the cord for my computer and on Sunday morning tore the noise off of Pearl’s stuffed raccoon. Douglas the Raccoon came through emergency surgery and has kept his noise though he looks rather worse for the experience.
Rose has figured out a new way to play on the catch without being bothered.
But she also wanted me to take this picture.
Peter and Pearl and Winnie climbed a mountain on the weekend while Rose and I had a date day – drinks at a local coffee shop, a play at the park, a few errands, and a trip to the library and farmers market.
This week’s dresses:
Keen observers will notice that there are two days there where I’m not wearing a dress and one day where I didn’t even take a picture. (I didn’t even wear a dress that day either.) It’s been cooler this past week with some rainy days. I kind of regretted my bare legs on Wednesday and then on Friday I knew I’d be out on a field trip most of the day and it would be raining. On Saturday I wore a dress but I’m also wearing leggings. I’m 37 years old and comfort is important to me!
Karissa Reads Books 
I can’t imagine living in an area with bears! I was quite excited just seeing a very blurry distant one through a train window when I was travelling last summer. Do they cause havoc, like foxes and deer, or do they mostly leave people in peace if they’re left in peace themselves?
They mostly seem to get into garbage cans and poop in the road! That’s what they were doing here. Of course, they’re unpredictable so you always want to keep a lot of distance. They can cause a lot of damage if they’re really trying to get something. I’ve heard of them getting into cars and garages. We don’t have foxes here but do have coyotes and a lot of deer and people seem far more annoyed by them! Mostly the deer because they eat people’s gardens. The bears will generally leave people alone. This is the trickiest time of year though when they have their cubs.
My folks get bears coming through their backyard pretty regularly, but this is the best photo I’ve seen of a mama with two cubs! Amazing. (I hope no one gets between her and her babies, though… could be dangerous!)
The cubs are really cute but do make it a far more dangerous situation!
Oh, my goodness. Rose has a tiny wooden squirrel in her pocket, and I love this weird detail. Have you reported the bears to your local . . . well, whatever is the Canadian equivalent of the Department of Natural Resources? It’s better to be proactive than have a situation that leads to one of them being put down.
She does! And I love that you noticed that!
It would be the Conservation Officer here. In general, we don’t report bears unless they’re aggressive or you notice that you can’t frighten them off. I do know that this particular family has been reported due to the cubs. We had no problem scaring mama off with some loud bangs and haven’t seen her since so hopefully she finds a safer spot.
There is a saying in America: “If you have a problem and you call the police, now you have two problems.” However, I don’t think this would apply to bears. They’re not in trouble, they’re just a safety issue to themselves and people.
Well, presuming the second problem might be that the police will shoot someone, that is kind of why we don’t call the CO. The more a bear gets reported the greater likelihood it may get put down.
Ohhhh, and not relocated. I see.
I have heard a rumour that this bear family might be relocated. The problem is that they will often return so we’ll see what happens.
Thank you for keeping me updated on the bear saga, LOL
Haha! My pleasure! Last week I had to walk the girls home from school a different route because a bear had been spotted on our usual road. I told a few other kids and then ended up leading a whole group of kids through the neighbourhood to avoid this bear!
Surely you must have a walking stick, like Gandalf.
Hahaha! To herd the children like little hobbits!
No walking stick, just a puppy very excited to be joined by so many children.
Okay, apparently bears are gravity-defiers: https://www.wndu.com/2023/06/19/bear-clings-by-claws-second-story-window/
They are really good climbers! That’s why fences don’t keep them out!