Lions, Tigers, and.......Bears?

For the past quarter century we have lived in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains at the southern edge of Angeles National Forest, in beautiful La Crescenta, CA. Here in So Cal we have the best weather on earth and dwell only minutes from the sea or the slopes. We are not alone. A wide variety of wildlife also spends time with us. We have a fine assortment of beasts residing on our property, some invited, some not so much. A couple of pugs, a 23 year-old cat, an African Grey parrot and 8 or 9 turtles out in the pond.  Occasionally, I have to chase off fierce raccoon-giants and stinky skunks. Once, we even trapped an opossum in the back yard. Finches, Robins and Blue Jays delight us with their song. Quite often, an hummingbird floats by. One Saturday afternoon not to long ago, thousands of Monarch butterflies flew right down our street. Tragically, over the years, we have lost Fiend, Alex, and Meggie Cleary O'Neal, fine felines all, to the ever prowling predatory coyotes that stalk the streets at night. No, we don't have to turn on the Wizard of Oz and hear Dorothy sing about Lions, Tigers, and Bears. All we have to do is open the door and step outside and watch for a bit. A few weekends back, La Crescenta was abuzz with activity on Saturday night. Helicopters were circling, what was up? Turns out a bear was roaming in the neighborhood! He was foraging for a little dinner, knocking over garbage cans and creating a panic. I'm not sure what became of him, but I hope he's OK. No sign of him lately. The sight of a bear two blocks from the house really struck me as an amazing irony. We have been to Yosemite every year since 1985 and guess what? We have never spied a bear. We have seen the warnings, the food boxes, the films of cars being ripped apart by a caniform in search of a loaf of bread. But, alas, we have never seen the actual living creature. Awhile back we visited the most hallowed haven of the Ursus Horribilis on earth, Yellowstone National Park. Same old story....We spotted deer, elk, moose and had to wait while a heard of buffalo crossed the road, but.... no bears. Holy cow, now we have bears in La Crescenta..... But, come to think of it, I did run into some rather petite bears at Yellowstone. You don't believe me, I know. Well, I have proof, check out the photo below:

Sometimes, you just have to take things into your own hands....................