What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

You are just full of good ideas for me!! Spanish rice with the salsa! I'm going to try & do a few jars this weekend, maybe a half recipe.

We had a bear walk into a package store (liquor store for those non-nutmeggers, lol) in the middle of town. Thankfully they had a breezeway, if you will, & a worker was quick enough to lock the 2nd door so it didn't get all the way in. The idea of a bear shopping at the packy cracked me up.

That was on the news here. It was funny. Quick thinking on the part of that worker. I can't get over how many times we get news broadcasts of bears in trees incidents from your state. Maybe they were looking for cats! LOL!

 

[Sueby]

I never see bears in trees on the Springfield news!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I never see bears in trees on the Springfield news!

I remember a few times it was on our news channels here about bears being "rescued" from trees somewhere in Connecticut in mostly urban areas. Mostly babies. Perhaps that happens up around here, but not thought to be news worthy.

 

[IamRainey]

Last year squirrels and rats got ALL my tomatoes from 5 plants. Sometimes it would look like they had missed one and I'd be all excited reaching in to pick it only to find it was the backside they had chewed up leaving a bag of seeds and juice to squeeze through my hand.

I used to think they were cute and set up a feeding station to lure them away from my veggies. R-I-G-H-T! What a fool I was!!! Now I HATE them like any sensible person.

When I lived in Cape Town baboons were the local equivalent of bears. They are nasty! They have long sharp teeth and a taste for chaos and destruction when they get around humans. One day a woman I know walked into her house and found a tribe of them in her kitchen going through cereal boxes. She's a smart and calm and patient person. She didn't confront them. She managed to get a bag of chocolate chips and laid a trail of them to and out the door. I'm glad it was her and not me!!!

When we lived in Vancouver, BC we NEVER saw the bears. I would just know they'd been there because the trash cans would be 12' away across the driveway and what wasn't edible would be strewn all over. I could always tell when it was a bear and not a raccoon that had spread the trash. Raccoons patiently work all the latches then eat where they are. Bears would pick the cans up and hurl them to get the lids off.

It's gonna be another triple digit day out here. I've got errands so I'll spend the day zipping from the air conditioned car to air conditioned stores. My garden tasks will just have to wait. But I did get rid of 3 big trash bins of rusted concrete reinforcing mesh, a broken chipper/shredder -- I've been through 3 of them and I've thrown up my hands and given up -- and some of the other stuff in my alley. The rest will still be there when it's a bit cooler.

Your dahlia and your photography are gorgeous, sueby!

 

[perchie.girl]

::Sigh:: our bears are extinct... we used to have them in San Diego...

We have mountain lions though.... Dogs and cats come in at night.

 

[IamRainey]

Were there bears in San Diego? I don't recall ever hearing about them in Los Angeles. I'm sure they're in the mountains but not down here.

But you must be right that they roamed CA to be the symbol on the flag.

 

[karenerwin]

I watered the garden today for about an hour. We haven't had much rain here. I picked about a 1/4 pound of green beans and even saw a small green bean on the pole bean vines!
I picked another cucumber. I need to cut the grass but I don't know if I will get to it tomorrow. My Mom wants me to come over and do some stuff for her.
Bears are making a come back in Missouri, but I haven't seen any yet myself. But they have been spotted all around us.

 

[pennyJo1960]

When I lived in Juneau Ak there was always bears back then it was my daughter and dogs I had fort knox for dogs back then even the bears could not push my fences over I was prepared

 

[perchie.girl]

Were there bears in San Diego? I don't recall ever hearing about them in Los Angeles. I'm sure they're in the mountains but not down here.

But you must be right that they roamed CA to be the symbol on the flag.

San Diego County used to have grizzlies as did most of california... Black bears are in much of Calfornia but not San Diego County

The grizzlies are extinct.... for at least 100 years.
https://www.kqed.org/science/654146/grizzly-bears-are-everywhere-in-california-but-the-woods


deb

 

[Sueby]

I'd much rather a bear than a mountain lion! The bears don't care too much about the chickens, but the mountain lions would! We've had mountain lions around, but I think it's a rare thing.

The bears haven't bothered the chickens *knockonwood* but I think they'd enjoy their food. Not sure if breaking in would be worth it or not for them, though pretty easy for a bear I'd imagine. Thankfully the bears around her are well fed so they haven't bothered. Yet.