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Bear with me

Kathy Werner
Posted 10/7/22

Well, it’s bear season around these parts. And they are making themselves right at home. I not only know where the bear relieves himself (hint: it’s not always in the woods), but I also …

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Bear with me

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Well, it’s bear season around these parts. And they are making themselves right at home. I not only know where the bear relieves himself (hint: it’s not always in the woods), but I also know where the teddy bears get the food to have their Teddy Bear Picnics. 

I had one of my local bears come right into my garage. Last Saturday night, I was watching a movie with my daughter and son-in-law. I could see that they were falling asleep, so I decided to make sure the house was closed up so that we could all go to bed. 

I went out to check on the garage and realized that we had left both garage doors open. I was shocked to find that my garbage can was tipped over and bags of garbage had been dragged across the floor. 

Yes, folks, that’s right – bears had walked into my garage looking for something to eat. How we missed the noise of the garbage can getting knocked over, I don’t know. But I’m glad we missed our large furry and hungry friends. 

We quickly cleaned up the mess and closed the doors, eager to avoid any close encounters of the bear kind. 

My theory is that this cold snap we are going through has convinced the bears that winter is fast approaching. Hence they are out there binging on whatever food they can get their nice big paws on. 

Normally, we see bears going down our streets on garbage night, knocking over the bins and hitting the smorgasbord of leftovers. But now it seems that they are getting even friendlier. 

My neighbor Diane opened her front door to see a bear on her front porch one morning. The Baker family who live right down the street came outside after dinner one night to find a mama bear and her cubs hanging out in a tree on their front lawn. The bears weren’t scared when the humans came out and started taking movies of them. These ursine marvels are feeling very comfortable around humans. 

Obviously I am now putting my garage doors down as soon as I pull in, to avoid any nocturnal visit from Winnie the Pooh’s cousins.  

Our little neighborhood could be featured on Marlin Perkins’ Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Haven’t seen many deer this year, but the bears are going strong.  

A word to the wise: Keep your garbage safe in the closed garage, lock your doors, and stay safe. The bears are out and hoping to pack on some pounds before they begin their long winter’s naps.

KATHY WERNER is a three-time National Newspaper Association Award winner for the Democrat, and a true member of the family.

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