We do. Really. We think it is a smallish sort of bear. A smallish, black and no doubt cutie pie of a bear. It was kind of a high point, actually. The Partner stumbled upon some poop, which we identified as bear scat, and there we were. A bear uses the bluff above the yurt, from where it can view Mt. Shasta, as a bathroom.
Not like the bobcat or mountain lion which ALSO lives in our neighborhood- oh, no. That cat just strides around leaving huge pawprints and scaring the daylights out of the chickens next door, who pretty much routinely live in fear anyway between the family dog who can’t keep from clamping its jaws around their little necks, the hawks, the coyotes…well. The poor things need sedatives if you ask me.
Meanwhile, we have been attempting to forge ahead here in Brave New World and as usual, things have not gone without incident. We learned that when you install a wood burning stove? You really, really need to put a wind shield over the rain screen. That way, the wind won’t blow down the chimney, out through the stove, and into your living space with highly undesirable results. We’ve also learned that when you build a yurt YOU NEED ALL THE INSULATION THEY OFFER. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it appears to be optional. But really? Indispensable. We’re now trying to figure out a way to install wall insulation, and the Partner has a genius idea, on which I will report when…it materializes.
Meanwhile, even though everyone has said it never does this here, it has frozen and even snowed. We take comfort in the thought that the coming summer will be infernally hot enough to keep the larger predators away, up in the cooler part of the mountains. Then we’ll just be back to snakes and ants. And flies, of course. The man we finally bought our wood from suggested a 12 gauge shotgun for the snakes for me. He can’t use one anymore, he said, having broken his neck in three places somehow at some time. I’m thinking it might be a bit too much for me too although so far, I haven’t broken my neck. Cause for celebration.
It’s kind of hard to know what to think about anything, really. We go down into town and things are pretty crazy at times. Checking in with the news, it seems that the entire world is almost completely crazy. But the snow covered mountains turn pink at sunset and I like to think that THAT is what will prevail. Meanwhile, we are chopping wood and carrying water. It’s really, REALLY different. But I like it.
Boozilla: learning to fly one room at a time 