The next most exciting thing that has happened recently is a black bear visited our yard this past week - during the day, while we were home to see it wreak its havoc on our stuff. I've said before that I hate nature, and it's really not true, but I don't like bears in my yard. I know that we've been visited before because of bent poles, stolen feeders and other evidence left behind, but this is the first time we've seen one. Ever. Well, we saw a grizzly in Alaska but this is the first time seeing a wild black bear in NH.

It happened about 5:00 pm. We were about to go walk Bobby, so I'm glad I saw it first. I wouldn't want to be outside with that thing near me. A few minutes before we saw it, Java came into the kitchen with the fur along her spine sticking straight up and barking like there was something outside. We went out on the porch to see if there was something out there but saw nothing. I'm glad I didn't let her out to investigate.

A few minutes later, I walked into the living room, which looks out on three sides of the house. Through the window that faces north I saw black fur. A bunch of black fur. I knew immediately what that meant. I stepped forward and sure enough, there was a bear under the apple trees eating the drops off the ground. I have never given the apples much thought as bear bait, but next year I'll be tossing the drops into the woods. Here's a not too good picture of it eating an apple:



So next it went into the backyard and ate the suet I had hanging for the woodpeckers. Here's a video of the bear tearing the feeder down: *Warning there is a little bit of swearing by me at the bear.*



Then he went from the back yard to the front yard and pulled down my suet feeder there. Here's that video: *Turn down the volume on the computer if barking dogs will set off your dog*



Bobby saw the bear out the window and was quite upset. I thought he was going to jump through the window to get to him. We called the police but they said "Do nothing. Don't go outside and it will just go away." So that's what we did. It was here for a good long time.

Saturday night it came back while we were asleep and knocked over the empty birdfeeder pole in the back yard and my little crabapple tree in the front. I hope it didn't kill the tree. We have it staked upright and hopefully it will hold over the winter.

I hope it goes to sleep soon.