Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Two Weird Days in a Row in My Front Yard
I got a knock on the door yesterday around 5:00 pm. Upon answering I found a guy with long hair pulled back in a ponytail, a beard, hiking boots, and a dress with a Greenpeace T-Shirt over it.
He introduced himself as Katrina.
He was asking for donations to “save the world” as “we are running out of time.” I asked what the plans were for the money; he said to sue corporations who are destroying our planet.
I explained that the fastest way to save the planet was to lift everyone out of poverty (while noting that capitalism was making amazing progress in that regard) because no one was going to care about the planet while they were feeding their kids dirt soup. And that we needed corporations for that.
Quickly noting I was a lost cause, he said he “had limited time to save the planet” (which I thought was kind of clever), and excused himself.
My only regret is that I didn’t tell him to call his mother.
This morning my daughter went out the front to get her girls in their car seats. She and I and my son-in-law were standing on the porch talking … when in our avocado tree we discovered a huge bear. Running into the house would have left the little girls alone (but safe) out front in the car. Not knowing what to do, we pulled out our phones and took pictures.
Here’s the only good one I got once he (she? it? they?) climbed down.
Related to this experience, last week in our neighboring town of Sierra Madre a man was mauled by a bear after its cub attacked his dog. I followed the story on FB, where everyone unanimously took the side of the bear and cub. We have encroached on their habitat, they mean us no harm, we can live side by side, mamma bear was protecting her cub, blah blah blah
The bears got the sleepy shots, and DNA tests were done to ensure they had the right bears. They were relocated to the high desert and released into the wild. The next day they were busted rummaging in a dipsy dumpster in Lancaster, got the shots again and were relocated again to an undisclosed location.
I’ve been predicting for a while that the bear problem around here was getting out of control and someone was going to get hurt. There have been several people I know who have had real property damage from a bear breaking into their garage and rummaging through their refrigerator. One got in our across-the-street neighbor’s kitchen a few years ago. And while Monrovia is “the gem of the foothills,” I am many blocks south of any undeveloped land and only two blocks north of Foothill Blvd (the old Route 66)
After meeting Katrina yesterday, my first words to my husband were, “we gotta get out of here.” After the bear encounter this a.m., I’ll be repeating them to him …
Published in General
You need to move if only to help to counterbalance the bats**t crazy ones trying to turn AZ into CA east.
The trouble is most of the Californians who leave seem to be the libs who slowly change the nature of the states where they move. Perfect example is the formerly conservative state of Washington which is now solidly blue. They, and a bunch of New Yorkers invaded us about 25 years ago.
Good argument for border control.
Found this article about a bear who happened to find a drug stash:
Full article at Vintage News
I found this article, because I was thinking, we’re turning the bears into addicts … “every time I wonder into town – I get a sudden sting in my back – and the world just goes away for a while – I wake up in the middle of nowhere, with a killer hang-over.”
Depends on what the meaning of “great” is.
That is almost exclusively west of the Cascades. Oregon is similar with Portland ruling a largely red state.
I just noticed something in that first picture of the bear — it was garbage day. Look at the garbage cans full of all sorts of edible leftovers lined up and waiting for the truck. Bet that bear knew it was garbage day.
I read Yer post yesterday.
Today someone asked an obvious question and My quip was, “Does a bear $#!& in Annefy’s yard?” I cracked Myself up, but the look on Their face was even funnier.
I think I’m gonna start using that from Here on end….
Never mind: Meant as a joke but could have been misconstrued several ways.
I swear, I’d be cited or jailed if I lived in a neighborhood with kids and we had regular bears. There’d be one or two dead protected predators, a safer neighborhood, and one old curmudgeon in the pokey, explaining “It was coming right at me!”
I wouldn’t recommend TN either. I live on the NC side of the Smokies, and our problems with bears are getting past the cute stage too. My youngest son had a spiffy little convertible during his senior year in high school, and worked at Zaxby’s to pay for it. One night he left his greasy chicken smelling uniform in the back seat and came out the next morning to find the top of his car ripped off in our driveway.
Very impressive tree, btw
That’s funny. My priest responded to my FB post about this incident by asking if I could answer the age-old question: Does a bear **** in the neighborhood? I responded: I think an animal that size ****s wherever he wants.
Think of the retorts forever:
Annefy: “Does a bear $#!& in My yard?”
Annefy’s Military Kids the world over: “Does a bear $#!& in My Mom’s yard?”
Annefy’s Military Kids the world over’s Friends: “Does a bear $#!& in His Mom’s yard?”
Wow!!
#1–Wow, what an amazing avocado tree! That is absolutely gorgeous. I hope it survives for many more years.
#2–Wow, a BEAR?? This is just wrong. But, I have a warped view of bears, from growing up in the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming. Yellowstone Park was about 100 miles away. Every single summer of my childhood, someone was mauled, and often killed and eaten, by bears. Most of the time, it was a grizzly bear, but it put the entire bear population out of bounds for me. NO…they are not cute and cuddly. YES…they will eat you.
When you go to the ranger stations in Jackson Hole, the Tetons, and Yellowstone Park, they have their walls covered with bear warnings, and photos of destruction that bears have done: one of my favorites is the Volkswagen bug with the roof peeled back like a can of sardines–yes, by a bear. And their signs are not subtle: “Bears will kill you.” “Bears will destroy your tents and campers for food.” etc. etc.
I didn’t even know you could get bears in Monrovia!!! EEEK!!!
The fear of bears is the last remnant of Jonah Goldberg’s sanity.
This is all so meta. The Physicist just wants to know the answer – does a bear, in fact, $#!& in Annefy’s yard? Post video evidence, please.
That We don’t know….. but…
We may know the answer to, “Does Annefy $#!& in Annefy’s yard?”
Not if we eat them first.
Only you can prevent eye strain.
When you post images, could you look on the right side of the window and boost the image size? My image posted above is posted at full size…Just makes it easier older, blind guys like me, to enjoy your humor.
Thanks.
X number of years ago I was on a crew sent to a fire in Southern California, from our North Zone forest. One day after we were relieved on our line, we had to walk out a couple miles to get to a road where we could get a ride “home.” So we’re dragging ourselves down this desert canyon, in the middle of nowhere, when we come upon this orchard – big, dark green trees, surrounded by a 10 or 12 ft chain link fence, topped with barbed wire. What the heck? But a couple crew members had worked in South Zone. This, they announced, is your typical avocado orchard.
There are motion activated sprinklers that turn on in response to movement in their vicinity, just like motion activated lights. Such a sprinkler could also be useful on the bears.
Wow on your tree (can’t get reply function to work on my iPad). I don’t think I realized avocado trees got that big. I was having trouble envisioning a bear in the size tree I was thinking of. I love avocados. Is it great to have them right there, or is it too much?
We love it and still aren’t tired of them. And it makes us very popular.
They are in season from October through January. It was a lot easier when I had young boys at home to climb up and pick a bunch once a week to ensure a steady supply of ripe ones.
Edited to add: makes us popular with friends, relatives and wildlife. Raccoons, rats and squirrels are regular visitors. Bears are usually content with what they can find in the garbage cans. Some people north of me have bearproofed their cans with some sort of lock. The first design let out a blast of bear spray when you opened the lid. That design lasted until a homeless person ignored the written warning and opened a can
There are similar problems that British Columbians have with bears. They shoot the bears to stop them from damaging property. They are also have large dogs that can scare away bears.
These bears are at a garbage dump in northern Manitoba. They where photographed safely from inside a truck.
Looks to me like someone has been imbibing a few more “beers” than he should have.
I can’t blame them. Being a bear is hard.