The Problem Bear

Don't know if this is a true story, or a just a 'camping story.'  Either way it's fun, and heard it while hiking with the Sierra Club in Virginia years ago. 

Yellowstone had a bear problem.  The bears were coming into contact with people far too frequently.  For the safety of the park visitors, they were forced to tranquilize and relocate some of these bears.  Unfortunately, people were often part of the problem.  They were an easy source of food.  Some campers would leave food out, others driving through happy to see a bear, would feed them right from the car.  This was not only dangerous, but it encouraged bears to seek out people who may or may not have food.  Particular 'problem' bears that park rangers had relocated would actually return to the scene of the crime seeking out more food.

The trouble with these repeat offenders was that they were smart, they learned how to not get caught.  The rangers actually believed that many of these bears recognized the park rangers vehicles and uniforms and would flee at first sight.  This meant the rangers needed to be covert, so they wore civilian clothes and drove an unmarked vehicle, and worked in teams for these particularly difficult cases.

One day, two rangers found their problem bear and were able to shoot him with a dart from their unmarked vehicle.  They waited several minutes for the tranquilizers to kick in, as another group of rangers were radioed in to pick up the bear.  As they waited, a park visitor pulled up to get a closer look at the bear they just spotted.  The rangers watched as this fellow rolled down his window down and handed the grateful bear an apple.  The bear took a bite, stumbled backward, and collapsed on the side of the road.  The team of rangers sped in in their official relocation vehicle, jumped out, put the bear in a cage, and then loaded the cage into the truck. 

The visitor to the park looked on in bewilderment, "What happened?"

A ranger from the second team replied as they pulled away, "That's why the sign says, 'Don't feed the bears!"

After the first pair watched events unfold, one fellow said, "Shouldn't we give him a ticket for feeding the bear?"

"No.  He'll never feed another bear again."

More Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers

Dogs and their soldiers, so sweet...

Little Girl Dances up a Storm at a Wedding Reception

This is making the rounds of the internet, and how can you not smile? Too cute...

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

Don't know how unusual this is, but both a Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker stopped at my bird feeder the other day at the same time.  The larger Hairy Woodpecker is on the right, and the smaller Downy is on the left.  They shared the feeder for a decent length of time, enough time for me to snap the pic below.

Chicken Rehab

My father spent his summers with his grandparents in a rural farming community when he was young. He and a friend would ride their bikes from farm to farm eventually returning to his grandparents' home. As they rode down the hill towards home, a flock of chickens would scatter, running away from the approaching bikes.

One day, as they completed their ride back down the hill they noticed one chicken lagged behind the others. Upon further examination the chicken appeared sick. He informed his grandmother that there was a chicken under-the-weather.  She came out to see, and agreed the poor chicken wasn't well. So they scooped up the bird and brought it inside to take care of it. They all took turns carrying the chicken around the house.  Periodically the gave the chicken a few drops of brandy from an eyedropper so that it would feel better while recuperating. If they needed to put her down, they would lean the inebriated bird up against the wall where she'd stay until they were able to come back and pick him up again. The chicken started recovering and getting stronger, and was back in good health in a about a week.

The chicken was returned to her spot amongst the other fowl, and my father and his friend resumed their bike rides though the local farms, and back down the hill to his grandparent's home.  However, there was one noticeable change in this routine, from then on whenever my father rode his bike down the hill, all but one bird would run from the oncoming bicycles, while one specific chicken would run straight for his new found friend.

Quotes from Mother Teresa

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.

Peace begins with a smile.

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.

If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.

There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things that we could use.

El Reno Oklahoma Tornado 2013

Great video showing the development of a tornado. It starts in fast motion, and then shows tornado forming and coming towards the film makers car. It continues on to show the storm as it moves away.

Susan B. Anthony Quotes

I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.

Independence is happiness.

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

If all the rich and all of the church people should send their children to the public schools they would feel bound to concentrate their money on improving these schools until they met the highest ideals.

Oh, if I could but live another century and see the fruition of all the work for women! There is so much yet to be done.

Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations... can never effect a reform.

The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball - the further I am rolled the more I gain.

Suffrage is the pivotal right.

I shall earnestly and persistently continue to urge all women to the practical recognition of the old Revolutionary maxim. Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.

This is rather different from the receptions I used to get fifty years ago. They threw things at me then but they were not roses.