Beans demand to be picked on their schedule not mine. Blanching and freezing has to be squeezed into a day already full with fermenting and pickling and boiling. While this goes on I need to keep one eye fixed on the meadow. The apples are ripening and the bear is back.
He was availing himself of the blackberries growing by the fence when I spotted him. We eyeballed it and then he casually strolled over to the apple trees and gave them a thorough inspection. The air horn impressed him not a bit. I was preparing to load the bear banger when he wandered off. The next morning he was back but we were a little too close for his comfort and he ran off into the forest.
So who will win the apple wars this year? Currently the score is 1-1
There is always a creature to eat our food. Your is impressive, but also possibly scary too!
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of bear in our area, but I've never seen one. Our neighbors regularly have their bird feeders destroyed and we've had "scat" in the yard, but I guess they're not interested in my flowers or potatoes....
Most bears wander through at night and just leave their calling card. The one in the image is probably a three yr old and has yet to develop some common sense. I believe in sharing what our farm produces as the space we use was once habitat for our fellow creatures. The bears, however, like to pick until nothing is left.
DeleteOh my giddy Aunt how amazing, or scary and whichever way you run it better be quick! What on earth is a bear banger?!
ReplyDeleteWren x
I've heard Australia has a multitude of very poisonous creatures which scare me more than a bear-I suppose we learn to live with what we have.
DeleteI just worry about racoons and foxes and the deer that eat my flowers. Bears are another thing. They occasionally come down from the mountains and visit towns nearby, but I would never expect to see one up close and personal. You are a brave lady to stand there and take his picture. I would have run for the hills and let him have all the apples he wants.
ReplyDeleteHe is waiting for them to ripen and tormenting me at the same time. This little guy comes every year and we do keep our distance.
DeleteOh, for crying out loud! And what's a bear banger? I've found that I can make a sound remarkably like a shotgun blast with a large cast iron frying pan and my solid wood deck rail.
ReplyDeleteFrying pan method here I come-I only have one banger and several cast iron frying pans. I might hang them on the fence at strategic points. Ihe banger is mostly used by hikers if they encounter a bear and does sound like a gun.
DeleteI've only seen 1 bear around town in 4 years, but the further you go out the more you see. A good fruit year for bears lol
ReplyDeleteWe have two regulars who only bother us at apple picking time. A couple more weeks and they will have gone to the river to catch salmon. They are becoming a nuisance in some parts of town.
DeleteWow! No bears in my neighborhood, which my dogs and I are thankful for. I'd hate to have one lurking about. I appreciate them from much farther away!
ReplyDeleteNot five feet from the bear were two horses who didn't react at all. Our puppies carried on playing. Although fenced in, we are not leaving our babes alone outside until the bear has relocated.
DeleteAt least the bears haven't learned how to swim out to my garden. My beans barely produced enough for several meals. It's about time to cut them down. I did plant some bush beans. Maybe they'll produce better than the pole beans. - Margy
ReplyDeleteBeans only so so, same for zucchini and cucumbers. Bear has eaten and moved on.
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