Winter`s Last Gasp?

Today little bear was all excited to go outside for a walk because it has been so warm lately... so sunny... so different from the usual winter weather!

But... little bear discovered that winter does not release it's hold on us all that easily. He went for his walk and there was a thick frost covering everything... tree branches, power lines, grasses, bus shelters... all covered in hoarfrost.

It looked very beautiful and little bear discovered that he kind of likes winter... there is a beauty in winter that makes him very happy... So little bear wandered around the winter wonderland and enjoyed the scenery. Little bear has learned that it's best to just take what is there and enjoy it... or as other people say... when life hands you lemons, make lemonades!

Which is a good lesson for us as well.... we can grump and grouch about the weather and about the lack of a winter or the wet spring... but ultimately... we are happiest when we can enjoy what is placed before us. Maybe all it requires is a shift in perception. What are the possibilities present before us that we could enjoy?

Bear Nose Willow

Remember little bear was having his ears tickled by something?? Well, little bear turned around after taking his bird pictures and discovered... grey, fuzzy things! What was this?? Coming out of twigs... little bear is pretty sure that these weren't around last week. He's seen a lot of bare branches and he is pretty sure he would have noticed these things.

They are very soft and fuzzy... just like his little bear nose (he is a stuffed bear after all). Little bear learns that these things are called pussy willows but he's pretty sure that there are no cats around down here... so he's going to call them Bear Nose Willows... because they feel just like his little bear nose!

And now that little bear has seen the one branch of pus... uh.... bear nose willows... he is seeming them everywhere!! They are everywhere... now that is perplexing? What is going on?? Little bear knows that something called "spring" is coming, so maybe that is part of this?

Little bear is looking forward to this new adventure called spring. He's looking forward to something different! And with all of the snow melting... who knows what is going to come!

Bird Watcher Bear

Little bear was out in the woods today and saw a whole bunch of birds! They seem to be getting more and more common... and more diverse too!

Little bear saw some chickadees... he's been seeing them all winter long, so this was not a new bird for little bear. But he did snap a few good pictures of them. They move very quickly so it is hard to get them to stay still for a portrait picture!

Then little bear saw a bigger bird pecking away at a tree trunk. This bird was hard to photograph because there were so many branches in the way! But little bear did get one good picture that showed a red streak on this bird's head. Little bear thinks that this bird is some sort of woodpecker... not sure which type though.

There were also some new birds hanging around the bird feeders... brownish with olive-yellow heads and very chunky beaks. Little bear thinks that these birds might be finches of some sort. There are quite a few of them and they go through the sunflower seeds very quickly!

Little bear saw all of these birds by standing very still... very still... and not moving a muscle... except for when he took the pictures of course! Mind you, he did have some trouble maintaining his stillness because something soft and fuzzy was tickling his ear... what could that be? He didn't dare look...

Bear Lodge

Today little bear was out for a walk in the nature preserve. There are lots of trails in the forest and a river as well! Little bear was pretty excited to be someplace new... and was even more excited when he saw something new and different down by the river.

It was a bit pile of sticks and logs all tucked together... not like a log jam though. This was along the river back and it looked like it had been purposefully built by someone... or something. Little bear went down to have a closer look and ha to walk through a small forest of pointy stumps... hmm... he's seen this sort of thing before and he knows that the pointy stumps are the work of busy beavers.

As he examines the pile of logs and sticks, he notices that they all have pointy ends as well... hmmm... the beavers must have built this thing! Little bear is excited with his deductive reasoning... this is a beaver lodge!! He thought that they were only built in the middle of ponds and lakes and streams, but here is one right along the shore.

Little bear would love to meet a beaver and so he walks around the beaver lodge looking for a door knob or a door bell or even just an opening... nope... nothing. There is no way in to the beaver lodge... at least not one that little bear can use. Apparently beavers have underwater entrances and we already know how little bear feels about water!

This is definitely not a house that little bear would like to inhabit... it's probably all wet and muddy in there too... ick! Little bear would have to wear his doggie doo-doo plastic bag/protective covering to even visit the beavers. Ah well... he can live without that today!

Inukshuk Bear

Today little bear was down by the river and came across something new. It's always amazing to little bear how he can explore and explore and always there is something new to see... something new to discover. Today little bear discovered a pile of stones. But not just any pile of stones... this pile was not natural. It was a built-up pile of stones.

Somebody obviously picked up a bunch of rocks and stacked them all together... the pile is kind of broad and fat. Little bear has seen pictures of "inukshuks" on the internet, so he thinks that someone was trying to create one here. But... most of the inukshuk pictures he has seen are pretty sleek and trim, using very few stones. This one is kind of fat and chunky! Little bear knows that "inukshuk" is an Inuit word that means "in the likeness of a human". But little bear thinks this particular inukshuk does not have the likeness of a human at all!

In fact, it looks kind of shapeless... maybe someone had trouble balancing the stones or something... or they just had fun putting a pile of rocks together. Little bear isn't tempted to pile a bunch of rocks together... they look sharp and heavy and he is just a little bear... plus he might get his fetching coat dirty! Little bear will content himself with being an explorer rather than an inukshuk-builder! Little bear knows what he is good at!

Which is a good lesson for us as well. We might admire something - a painting, a drawing, a play... but we don't necessarily need to try to excel at that. We are good at what we are good at... so let's just enjoy being good at that!

Big Bones?

Today little bear was out for a walk and came across a massive... thing... for lack of a better word. This "thing" is made up of several large pieces of white material... and little bear thinks it might be the remains of a huge animal - maybe a whale or a dinosaur!

Pieces of the "thing" look like they could be part of a ribcage... And it's big enough that it could belong to something like a whale... or a dinosaur... or maybe an elephant... Little bear isn't sure, but he's pretty excited... until he sees some scribbles on the "thing".

What is this? Scribbles?? The scribbles aren't just meaningless letters this time though... the scribbles actually look like something. They look sort of like a massive fish thing... ohhhh... little bear is a bit stunned... maybe this "thing" is the carcass of an Ogopogo or Loch Ness monster?? It's close to the reservoir... so maybe it's the carcass of a reservoir monster!? Ooooh... little bear could make up a big story about this "thing"... Ooohhh...

Which just goes to show us... sometimes we do the same thing... see something about which we know very little and create a huge story about it... Little bear is very disappointed to learn that the "thing" is just an art sculpture... sigh...

A Bear!

Today little bear was out for a walk down by the river... And what did he see?? Oh my goodness, it was a real bear!! An honest to goodness live black bear... a little one mind you, but still a real bear!

Oh well... little bear obviously isn't a good story teller, he's rolling on the floor killing himself laughing gurgling "April Fool's Joke!"... Sigh...





It's not a real bear... its a picture of a real bear... our little bear is a silly bear sometimes!!