That same small chocolate colored Black Bear has been hanging around the corner of the sun room, harvesting apples from the Crabapple tree. Usually Terry is the first one to see the bear and Mishkin is upstairs so fast that he never sees a thing.
Well, today was different. The bear came up the hillside by the solar panels and sat beneath the apple tree, re-enacting Newton’s great discovery, and then eating the evidence.
"This fell down, and it explains how things work. I should tell everybody! Should I? No, I'll just eat instead and tell them later, if I remember."
They disappear in the grass, unless you know what you’re looking for or they move, you can miss seeing one nearby, very closely nearby. Usually a bear will hear you coming long before you get anywhere near and they leave.
Last years' cub, most likely, out on its own. It's serious business, finding enough to eat in the fall.
When you're this small, it pays to listen carefully to all sounds. Perky ears tell the tail.
So, the bear shows up, and Dan sees it first.
And then Mishkin saw it.
Hair standing on end, a ridge up his back, and a very deep growl, he was very intent on trying to figure out what that was in the grass. All he was sure was, it needed to be growled at.
The bear decided it was all just too scary and left. Mishkin wins!
He’s been prowling around the house, looking out of windows, and defending his turf. Good watch-cat!
He missed the Bobcat that was here last evening. I imagine at some point he’ll see one of those and there won’t be any doubt in his mind that it is something very frightening, since the Bobcat is at least three times Mishkin’s size and with much bigger teeth and claws to go with it.