Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door.

YES!!! IT WAS THIS CLOSE..........

Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door.

T'other night, I opened the back door to put the trash out...

A LARGE BLACK BEAR STOOD THERE

It looked me straight in the eyes...made a sound like hissing its teeth

then just turned and walked away

I stood there, petrified stone - statue...speechless

I tried to shout....B...B...BE...BEAR...

But not a sound there was...fear itself had lost its voice.

I should have taken pics...but - THERE WAS A BEAR - who thinks of pics at a time like this...I did wish for pics afterwards though...sorry.

Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door. Literally!!!!

Yes...they can be seen skipping in the surrounding woods...even as kids play outside...unguarded.

They are constantly on the search for food. Lord...I do not want to be included on their menu.

Let me explain....

We have moved to a new military base...I wont say where. It is a wildlife preserve...animals are protected.

BUT WHAT ABOUT HUMANS. WHO PROTECTS US IF GIANT BEARS DECIDE TO ATTACK.

Try not to go out alone at nights...we are told, quite nonchalantly. As if to say...Think nothing of huge bears walking by -nodding and saying hello.

Shite!

I have gone walking at 7pm - a giant black bear walks along like he/she owns the place. (Well, they were here before the humans came and moved into their domain...sounds familiar...history repeating itself). There are whole families of them all over the woodlands surrounding the houses.

Normally, the military takes pains to protect the soldiers and their families...they remove any poisonous trees and berries, dangerous wildlife and such from the compounds.

So what is so special, and "safe" about bears and having their military base on a wildlife preserve.

Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door.

If I come face to face with a feral bear...SHOULD I TURN AROUND AND RUN...OR JUST STAND STILL.

Well, the bears have been here with people for years...no one has been hurt or even attacked. There are deer, rabbits, dogs, cats, turkeys, squirrels and animals we know not about...I have not seen any evidence of animals attacking each other, But...still...

The landscape is dry...so very arid that not many regular trees have leaves. Hopefully rain cometh soon. So what do the animals eat...There a lots of perennial trees. I suppose that is what some may eat. Where do they get water.

Nature is a wonderful thing...with lots of questions with no answers... and animals survive where we never expect them to.

Still...I enjoy walking the many tracks in our nature preserve - uphill and down hill - but only by day. When it rains one can see huge bear tracks where they passed by in the night.

I think I will need pepper spray or a taser...well, that might get me arrested. But... a girl has got to have some kind of protection.

Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door. And.....

I just read that a wrestler got mauled by a bear...somewhere...not here...it was a black bear too - like here. He is supposed to be strong...still cannot wrestle a large bear.

Don't turn around or move....ARE YOU KIDDING ME...IF I MEET ONE IN THE BUSHES AND ON THE WALKING TRAIL...

YOU BETCHA, I AM TURNING AROUND AND RUNNING LIKE THE DEVIL IS CHASING ME.

If I am not petrified like before.

Our bears are people friendly - so we are told. I hope the bears know and respect that. For...

Seriously - There are BEARS at the back door.

Nothing to do but pray. Oh dear!