A Divine Moment with Nature

Toledo didn’t return with us from our morning walk. Our usual routine was altered when we met a neighbor walking her dog, on a leash. We were at a fork in the trail so we chose the other fork supposing Toledo would follow us. He chose to stand his ground at the trailhead making it impossible for others to pass without confrontation. When I looked back to see where the cat was he looked huge in his full “Halloween” mode. It had been sufficient to stop them, the neighbor was grateful when we reappeared and put an end to the Mexican standoff.

Later, on a hunch, I set out looking for the cat. Instead I spotted, from across a meadow, a female bear…with two cubs…grazing grass by a picnic table in the sunshine. They were chubby, shiny, equally sized black balls of fur...born this year. And a good mother, as soon as she smelt me she started chugging and huffing at her cubs to get up the nearest tree…which they did. I returned home for camera and Court knowing that she wouldn’t be moving them for a good while. Toledo popped up at the bog by the swamp...yawning and scratching...he'd been napping in the sun.



This picture of her guarding the giant fir tree her cubs had scampered up like chipmunks doesn’t do her justice. After I crossed the meadow and started taking pictures, it didn’t take her long to start the chugging and huffing noises warning us off. I moved back, took another few pictures and we left them. She is out making her daily bread and I feel uncomfortable keeping her from that business.

It is a safe assumption that she is the same bear that was in the garden the other morning…she must have stashed the pups up a tree before she came in. So far there is no sign of human garbage in the bear scat we’ve seen on the trails…a good thing. If they learn to eat human garbage they become “problem” bears.





Thank you for joining me in celebrating the beauty and diversity of life we share this Glorious Mother with. While it is necessary to acknowledge the end result of so many among us misunderstanding themselves, and their planet, I hold that our One ability to see and act Divinely grows.