Note
AOWN #1 This morning around 6 Hazel alerted us to the passage of a rather large bear who was ambling up the driveway. She gave full throated chase and Sassy was prepared to join in, all of which was too much for Rhonda. So pretty soon the whole house was awake and Rhonda was calling Hazel and catching Sassy and then she and Zack found themselves between Hazel and the bear. The bear then turned back to see what was going on and I was none too pleased. If the bear had eaten my dog I would have been sad, but if the bear had eaten my wife and son, the survival of my dog would have done little to console me. Anyway, the bear decided he had enough and trotted off into the woods. Hazel eventually was too worn out from chasing and barking to eat the piece of roast beef I was trying to tempt her with, and everyone was back in the house again.
Zack remarked that it was pretty stupid of Hazel to confront the bear, and I thought about the cleverness of the people who had intervened. Erik woke up a bit too late to see any of this and was disappointed. I hope we can raise another bear for him before he has to return to Sweden.
Note
AOWN #2
There has been a great blue heron rookery at the Big Down Marsh for many years, and two years ago it was at its largest, with 15 active nests, all of which fledged young. Last year, the dead trees in the marsh were falling more and more and there were only five nests. This year, March came and went with no herons, and we mourned the end of the rookery. Yesterday was the first day we saw herons, and today Rhonda and I watched two herons on one nest and one on another as they prepared the nests. The two were bringing sticks from a third nest to shore up the one they had chosen, and perhaps we will see one more season of herons fledge. There are now very few dead trees standing in the marsh, and they won't nest along the shoreline. Too vulnerable to raccoons, I assume. However, the Little Down Marsh across the way was flooded by beavers five years ago, and trees are dying in there, so perhaps that can take over the job some time in the future.
PT exercises 30:00 [3]
working on my recalcitrant shoulder. I was planning on an hour, but made the mistake of bringing my cell phone out to the gym. I have not been doing well with this and need to make it a daily routine. Progress has been very slow, but perhaps would be better with more consistent effort.