Black bear and cub

After the one day, temps are back to normal.  We also have rain which, for this year, is normal too.  Whip alerted me to visitors.  This time though they were out behind the house.  Probably not of the human variety.  I got up to see what the fuss was and there was one very large bear standing up in the meadow.  She was far enough away that I felt safe to go out onto the deck and shout at her.  I don't mind her roaming the woods but she should know that coming into the meadow means people and dogs - two things bear around here avoid.  She didn't move and the reason was soon apparent as one and then two little cubs popped out of the tall grass onto a mown path.  The first cub headed straight across the path and into the tall grass on the other side.  Probably following the route mom had taken.  The second cub - like the turkey chicks - hit the short grass and liked it.  This one stood up (as it's probably seen mom do) looking in the direction the rest of it's family had taken.  The cub then dropped to all fours and trotted on down the easier to travel pathway until it intersected w/ another and turned in the direction I'd last seen mom.  Mom was still out there - invisible when she was on all fours in the tall grass.  She popped up again, figured her brood were on their way, and dropped back down out of sight.  Hopefully they were all headed for the more quiet deep woods.

Later, Whip started 'woofing' to let me know we had visitors again.  I'd heard it too -  the sound of a door buzzer on a Colombo TV rerun.  I looked over at her.  "We don't have a doorbell."  I said.  She stopped.  I don't know anything about the first three years of her life but assume that's when she learned a doorbell means guests.