Intruder Alert!
We adopt a barn cat several years ago when the barn owner no longer could keep him. He lobbied strongly to become a indoor cat, and we gave it a try for a while, but he started to be reliably unreliable. He has been an outdoor only cat for about a year and a half, and it has been working out except since we feed him outside, other creatures also stop by for a late night snack.
Including an opossum:
A cute black and white cat:
A crafty raccoon:
a fluffy all-black cat:
However last night as the motion detector light came on at the front door, I looked out to see which of the frequent troublesome visitors it might be -- and it was none-of-the-above.
There was a black bear in our driveway 30 feet or so from our front door. It disappeared quickly when the light came on, but sometime last night it tipped over the trash can of grain that is in our garage. Plus a day earlier I found what looked to be footprints on top of my wife's car in the garage, that looked to be the right size for a bear or maybe a puma. (which I'm pretty sure there aren't any of around here)
Comments (26)
10 years ago
10 years agolast modified: 10 years agoRelated Discussions
late night trespassers, thoughts.
Comments (16)Have any of you folks got a set up with a hidden camera and siren? Our son, who is home on holidays, took his lap top computer, can corder and truck radio out of his possesions that were stored and put them on our kitchen table. Plugged in the computer and went out at noon. We arrived home at 4 p.m. and the kitchen window was wide open. The screen was thrown in the flower bed. Everything was gone. Who ever it was, pushed the wire fence down and came in from the neighbours. The houses are so close, you can almost spit from one to the other BUT some work, others are retired and go out every day and all eight houses on this dead end street have no one home some days. Our dog was at our daughters house. Two years ago we had a prowler during a snow storm and was told our dog was lucky he wasn't here as the prowlers pack "bear spray". There is no use getting a system that the police monitor as it takes them a good 20 to 30 minutes from town to our area. We have gotten some info on alarms but is there a web site or can you folks post about your system. Thanks...See MoreThoughts on intruder?
Comments (12)Yes......wild creatures have their fav foods and will eat them first before moving on to less desireable foods. In my garden, if it's beans getting chomped it's rabbits. They head to my beans and my young cabbage first. Deer will also mow off bean leaves. If it's my sweet potato foliage, you can take it to the bank it's a groundhog. Tomato fruits.....can be anything from a mouse to geese. LOL. Corn is deer or raccoons. I live in the country....but believe me I have seen every one of those animals at my folks garden in the city....See MoreNEW: White Elephant Swap
Comments (149)I'm sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday (Friday), we're at a critical phase with one of the canines. The heat (103F, 112F with the heat index today) is causing some complications for an already very old dog with issues related to age alone. Friday he gave us quite a scare and I didn't even get online to check email, much more cruise any websites. Box - which I will add as much to as possible between now and mailing time, but these things at least I know "for sure" if you will unless otherwise noted: Seeds - selection of herbs, veggies, melons, & pretties - most of these will be heirloom varieties. If there's anything the 'winner' doesn't want, like say peppers due an allergy or something, just let me know! pencil & plant "stakes" for labeling Stationery - suitable for laser printers, typewriters, etc. How Does Your Garden Grow theme an old print of a Garden Tea Room - kitties and a touch of Victorian Era theme Assortment of Teas - and I do mean an assortment. :) I'm a tea-aholic! Hot tea that is, but this assortment will contain not just tea (real tea), but also bags/sachets for infusions that have no tea in them at all (herbs, etc.) Demerara sugar/organic pure cane sugar - Did I say I like tea? HOT tea? I got hooked on Demerara sugar when living in Scotland and now go back and forth between it and "white" sugar. The Demerara is divine especially when bothered by allergies or under-the-weather and during the colder months. *MAYBE* some Stevia Plus packets - an all-natural sweetener from the Stevia plant. These are a "maybe" because I can't remember if I gave them away already! I have to check! Mother-of-Thousands seedlings - Kalanchoe sp. - succulent plant(s). I adore the mother-plant to these seedlings - she looks absolutely alien! hehe Neat diversity to have amongst your houseplants and requires very little maintenance. some Messenger(R) - if you're not familiar with Messenger, I'll happily include info. I use Messenger on ALL of my plants! "Velma's Cactus" pups - heirloom cactus of a "barrel type". Pups are small, but the largest specimen I have had of this variety was about a foot and a half tall. This cactus has a "history" to it, that I will share either here (in a different post) or the recipient of the box. It blooms a beautiful magenta-fuchsia in colour, isn't terribly "vicious" where its prickles are concerned - a rather mild-mannered cactus compared to others. Unlike prickly-pear cactus, you won't have to worry about "invisible" sticklers in your skin causing pain. Obedient Plant - this one blooms light purple in colour. Very pretty perennial. Heirloom Iris tubers (rhizomes? roots - you get the idea!) These are an anybody's-guess on colours and form. They were grown by the now-deceased elderly couple that used to live on this property. They were what those of us in the south call "good people". Some of these irises might very well date back to their parents' or grandparents' gardening. I didn't have the heart to get rid of them, but they don't get the love here that they should so I'd like to share them with another iris-lover. Provided there is room, I'm probably also going to tuck in some body/bath stuff that I make. It's too hot for soap-making this time of year but I think I've got some wee bottles to at least give some samples of Gardenia bubble bath, etc. Some other succulent cuttings/leaves for rooting, such as Hummel's Sunset, an heirloom White-flowering Sedum, etc. I'll also include some Rooting Hormone and directions incase the recipient is unfamiliar with rooting succulents/cacti from cuttings. Themed stickers - either for scrapbooking or for fun to include with correspondence/parcels, etc. Garden related on one level or another. :) And whatever else I can fit into the box! LOL...See MoreI'll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours Sun Aug 23
Comments (14)We used to catch those skipper butterflies when we were kids. They're pretty easy to catch. As for that paper wasp nest, I had one hanging in the corner of my science room for years. (It was the science room; the wasps didn't built it there.) Anyway, the A/C blew it, and it just hung from the ceiling by a small stick, but it never fell. It was impressive how strongly it was built....See More
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We moved the trash can with the grain, but my wife forgot to move a 1 1/2 gallon bucket containing "Weight Builder" a "premium concentrated feed supplement" for horses, that was in the same location in the garage.
I found the bucket this morning with obvious teeth marks in it:
Can anyone find a conversion factor for distance between canine teeth and size of black bear? Because that bite make makes it seem pretty big. And chowing down on "Weight Builder" will make it bigger still.
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I got a picture of my wife's car bumper with the bite mark.
A friend suggested that perhaps Leonardo di Caprio is hiding in there.
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Last night around midnight I heard a thumping sound like someone using a trashcan as a drum. I turned on the porch light and made some noise and the bear ran away from the trashcan by the detached garage.
From the porch with a flashlight we could see one
large bear and one little baby bear that was trying to climb a tree
next to the garage. They hung out there for a bit seemingly waiting for
us and the lights to go away so they could return for the delicious
stinky trash.It was dark and my camera was unable to auto focus, but I did get these pictures:
the next one is zoomed and contrast-enhanced
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bob_cvilleOriginal Author