Greetings From Bear Hill
Occasionally, on a beautiful summer afternoon, I opt not to take my kayak up to the lake or my bike out on the trail; I don’t walk in the woods or weed my gardens. Instead, I read in a comfortable chair on my porch. I might play some of the New York Times games, and I make some cyanotype prints in the sun. “Is this OK?” I ask myself, when I haven’t gotten any aerobic exercise in a few days and, still, I opt not to again. “Is it OK to be lazy and just read and rest on this beautiful day?”
Summer is my favorite season. (I live in Vermont, remember, not in Arizona.) Life can be as rich on the porch as it is on the lakes and trails. For instance, several days ago, a bear visited my yard while I was hanging out reading. I heard a loud rustling at the edge of the forest, a stone’s throw from where I sat. This disturbance was too loud to have been caused by a squirrel or other small mammal. When I looked up, I was delighted to see a medium sized black bear emerging from behind a tree at the edge of my yard.
He (I believe him to be a young male, a yearling most likely) sauntered over to our Shad Bush, rose up on his hind legs, grabbed hold of a main branch and bent it to the ground for further inspection. Two months too early for berries, Dude. I took a couple of photos from where I sat but mostly watched in wonder. I’ve seen many bears here on Bear Hill (we were able to name our private road that we share with two other homes), but this was my first standing bear. He was miraculous. It’s one thing to watch a bear in film, another to watch one a few yards away.
After his failed attempt at the bush, my bear (yes, I claim him as mine now) moseyed over to one of the large pine tree stumps in our backyard, where he proceeded to rip sizeable pieces of bark away from the stump. Looking for bugs to eat, no doubt. This is when I got out of my chair; I now had words for this interloper. “So, YOU are the culprit, damaging our tree stumps.” He turned to me and stared. “Can you leave at least some of that bark?” I inquired. He continued staring at me. (Man, was he cute.) Then, just as I was switching to video mode on my phone’s camera, he turned and sauntered into the woods.
So, yes, that afternoon, it really was OK to hang on my porch. I was rewarded not just with a relaxing time outdoors, but with an animal sighting that made my day special.
Why is it that we feel we need to be busy? I like being productive, but I also like a day when I have no plans and can just see what may come my way. Going with the flow of a day often leads to me to dabbling in art projects, reading, and writing. If I had been out and about away from home that afternoon I would have missed my standing bear. I have recently written about a mink in a lake and a porcupette in a tree. And just last week, I watched a huge woodchuck climbing a tree in the woods. But those skunks in my backyard a couple of weeks ago and my recent bear have come to me. Sometimes, when we sit still, we are rewarded with wonder.
I have several bear stories, some that I have written and some that I just like to tell. (I met my first bear as she tore open my tent in a campground in Virginia in 1975.) I love animal sightings. They keep me connected to the natural world in a way that feels meaningful to me. I see animals wherever I go in Vermont, including when I just sit still. In fact, sitting still is often the best way to spot wildlife. A few years ago, a bobcat cruised through my backyard while I was eating my lunch on the porch. This stunning animal was completely unaware of me sitting just a couple of yards away. After watching him (her?) for a bit, I moved my chair to create just enough noise for the bobcat to look in my direction. These cats are shy, so of course s/he then took off into the forest, but not before we had a good look at each other. This remains one of my most cherished memories of wildlife sightings.
Do you allow yourself downtime that might be rewarded with something wonderful that you could never had imagined when you woke in the morning? If you don’t live in a rural setting, it may not be wildlife, but there are so many possibilities for what might fill your time when you allow it to be unscheduled. I would love to see such stories in the comment section here.
Saw a grey fox in the back yard from our deck last evening, in town, here on Highland Street!
We recently saw an eagle fly by as we enjoyed the view out our sunroom that faces Mount Wantastequet, across the river in New Hampshire. We often enjoy as many as 8-10 black birds ( perhaps turkey vultures?) riding the air currents in circles and appearing through our eyes to be enjoying themselves. The eagle had a distinctly different white head but also was flying straight as an arrow north; apparently the eagle had no time for gliding and enjoying the air currents!