The animals have officially woken up in the park, everything from the smallest rodents to the largest of bears. A couple days ago I spotted a large, very large, brown mass moving across the fields between Spangle and Gray Place. I located the moving animal in my spotting scope and watched him as he navigated downhill. A full sized bear, the largest I have seen in this park, was constantly licking his lips as he walked, rarely looking from side to side. When he hit the patch of snow remaining in the opposite valley, he started to run and run across the snow until he dropped into the depth of the valley, out of sight. I decided to stop carrying the 9mm outside and started strapping on the 357. Heavier and less comfortable on the hip, but far more comfortable on the psyche; my nine mil would probably just make him madder, were that scenario to arise.
Closer to home, and very much underfoot, the rodents are back for the summer, and making a myriad of underground tunnels that look like miniature cities scattered about what is supposed to be a lawn out here. Rodent fodder. That’s what it is. Thus far in 2021 only two managed to enter the dwelling and both were quickly snuffed out by what is in fact a better mousetrap.
