Mail Call!

Hullo! Guess who got mail today?? That's right... me!! It's a huge package from Ajdin... I wonder what it could be...

Hmmm... there is something way down in the bottom...

I got it out... but now how do I get me out??

Whew... alright... what do we have here... Ajdin's business card (beary professional), a card and a package. Cool!

Ahhh... Ajdin says this is my prize for winning his April Surprise Giveway! I think I was originally supposed to get Ajdin's new pair of pants but his Mom changed her mind... Let's see what this might be!

Ooohhh... I like the ribbon...

***rummage, rummage***

Wow!! Look at this! A message pad with a magnet (great for the fridge), Maybe Mama could hang it at bear level and I could use it for my grocery list to give to her.... liquid honey, sockeye salmon, creamed honey, smoked salmon, hot chocolate... you know... the essentials! Oh... and there's a post-it note pad in here too... I could leave reminders around the house - "Have you walked your bear today?" And... a Mystery Puzzle!!!

Oh excellent... I love puzzles...

Hmmm... there sure are a lot of pieces... Mama says I should look for the corner pieces first...

OK... got them!

One good thing with this puzzle is that you can see the shape imprints on the cardboard frame. So this piece... does not fit here!

But this one does!

OK... all four corners are in place... I think I need a hot chocolate break!

To Be Continued

Spring Photo Contest Results!

Hullo! Sorry for the delay in posting the results... I had trouble rounding up judges! Spooky and Rascal were a bit hard to pin down... so I had to dig a bit deeper.

This is little Rusty and an acrobatic turtle named Slo. They are beary eager to participate in the judging! So let's get right to it!

First up is Hammie's entry. Ooohhh... Hammie has chosen to send a picture with two classic signs of spring, tulips and chicks! And because chicks are messy, Hammie has chosen a variety that is good inside! The judges liked the symmetry in this photograph. Beary good Hammie!

Next up is Jerry's entry. The judges really liked the flower composition in this photograph. The colours and the textures are balanced by the "green space" to the right side of the photograph. Well done Jerry!

Then we have three entries from Little Fox. He took a few hikes and we all know that wild flowers are some of the first harbingers of spring. The judges really liked the back-lit yellow of the flowers.. plus the beautiful body of water in the background.

Little Fox's second entry is of a field of ... hello? Where did Sandy go?

Sandy are you OK???
Oh yes... just a bit overcome by the sight of all the Bear Tuft Grass!

Ah-hem... The bear vote swayed the judges a bit with this entry. Several judges noted that the white-tufted bear grass is definitely an indicator of spring.

Finally, the third entry of Little Fox... the beautiful paintbrush highlighted against the sky was beary well done!

And a last-minute entry from Ajdin. Ooohh... ahhh... Ajdin is perched in the branches of a tree full of pink cherry blossoms! The judges loved his pose and his je ne sais quoi look. (The judges secretly think Ajdin should sign up as a model!) Well done Ajdin!

Alright... it is now time to reveal the winners in the various categories! Drum Roll please!

Indoor Category

First Place - Hammie

Garden Category

First Place - Jerry

Wilderness Category

First Place - Little Fox

Runner-up - Little Fox

Runner-up - Little Fox

Urban Category

First Prize - Ajdin

Thanks to all the entrants and winners! Prizes will be sent soon... (must follow-up with Sekrebeary in a few days...)

An Abundance of Rhubarb

Hullo! Mama was out and about today and stopped by some friends who had a rhubarb plant. They don't like rhubarb so offered some to Mama. It was an awfully big plant!

So... she brought it home for me to handle... uh-huh...

Like... seriously??? All of this??

I'm just a little bear!! I will supervise... Mama can chop and wash and do whatever.

First, you have to take the leaves off... they are poisonous you know - but they make good compost.

And good lounging spots for little bears!

Then you take the stalks and wash them very well.

Then... well... then you decide what you're going to do with 50+ stalks of rhubarb.

After a quick phone-a-friend call, we decided to chop it and freeze it.

That's a lot of chopping, glad I am supervising!

Voila!! Six zip-loc bags full of chopped rhubarb!! Does anyone have any good rhubarb recipes that we could try? Maybe with honey in it???

Last Chance for Spring Photo Contest Entry Submissions

Going once... going twice...

Anymore entries for the Spring Photo Contest??

The Second Great Penny Hunt

Hullo!! A couple of years ago, I did the Great Penny Hunt when Canada was phasing out the copper penny. Bob T. Bear's saving for a big trip and was counting his pence. I thought we might have a few to contribute so... went on a hunt to see what I could find.

This is my little treasure chest... let's see what I can find.

Hmmm... ***rummage, rummage***... let's see...

Jackpot!! 20 Euros and a Fiver. It's always good to have a bit of cash on hand for countries you visit often you know.

What else... old passports... meh... Hmmm... what's this?

A whole bunch of little baggies... someone is organized you know.

First up, some aluminum coins from the old East Germany. They are very lightweight and feel a bit like funny-money!

These ones look weird... at first I thought they were from France but...

I think now, they are old Italian coins.

A few from Mexico...

A bunch of Euro coins!! There are a fair few coppers in here but I don't think Bob T. Bear is looking for those.

Ah-hah!! British coins!!! Let's see... a 20p, 2 x 10p and a single solitary 1p!!! Well... phooie.. that's not worth sending!

Oh... there's more!

Heh-heh... this is Canada's other "official" currency - Canadian Tire money!!! Every time you pay with cash, you get a percentage back in Can Tire $$. They can add up to a fair bit. This is an old-fashioned looking one.

Ah-hah!!! A few coins rolling around the bottom of the tin.

Hmmm... two American 1/2 dollars... I don't think those are all that common. Mind you, when we were in... Cambodia 2 years ago, some vendor tried to give us a US $2 bill in change and we refused it because we thought there wasn't any such thing. Turns out there is!! Nobody ever uses it though I think... Maybe Jerry & Ben or Ajdin or Little Fox could explain this???

Finally... a couple of really yucky looking nickels and three pennies. Sigh... so much for this year's great penny hunt!