We Love Lucy

We live on a street that ends with two cul-de-sacs at the lake so it is quiet without much traffic at all.  For the past two weeks a black bear has been seen wandering the neighborhood.  My husband saw him early one morning while walking Lucy.  The bear was at the end of the cul-de-sac and paid no attention to them.  Lucy was so interested in sniffing the grass that she didn't even see the bear.

Wednesday morning Lucy and my husband were on the screened porch with his morning coffee.  He heard a sound in the woods near the house.  Lucy stood up and stiffened, her tail extended in full alert.  She did a very low "woof" several times and my husband saw the black bear slowly walking past the side of the house.  The bear glanced their way then continued meandering through the woods.

That afternoon I was visiting our next door neighbor.  She told me she had been in the kitchen making coffee that morning and saw a huge black blur on her front porch.  She grabbed her glasses and took a closer look.  It was the bear, standing on his hind legs and swinging her hummingbird feeder back and forth, letting the nectar run into his mouth.

Bears are relatively common around here but it is a bit unusual for one to linger for so long in one area.  He seems to be a rather young bear, perhaps evicted by his mother and trying to make it on his own.  While no one here leaves food (or even bird feeders) outside at night there are wild berries and other treats growing naturally.  We are not afraid of this bear but we do pay close attention in the early morning and late evening trips outside with Lucy.  We surely don't want to surprise him at the end of the driveway.

We have had some respite from the rains, thank goodness.  While we continue to have showers most evenings, the sun is bright and beautiful most of the day.  Lucy loves to lie in sunbeams.

She looks as if she is deep in thought.  Don't be fooled.

Lucy is the first dog we have had who snoozes with her head up.

She's just getting ready to close her eyes.

Here we are facing the last weekend in July.  Time is a'flyin for sure.  Too often we get so caught up in summer activities we forget to take it easy and enjoy nature.  Nineteenth century archeologist John Lubbock reminds us:

"Rest is not idleness;

And to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time."

So take a breath and relax.  Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature and the beauty all around you.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, EVERYONE.

STAY SAFE AND DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS.