There are so many ways in which Younger Nicole would not recognize Current Nicole, and one of those ways has to do with animal care; specifically, I am now a person who brushes her dog’s teeth. Fourteen years with Barkley and it would have never occurred to me to have a tiny toothbrush and a tube of beef-flavoured paste; I just gave him a Greenie and called it a day. About six months ago, the vet told me that Rex had a fairly significant case of gingivitis and plaque buildup, particularly for a dog who was only TWO, and it seemed my Greenie routine was just not cutting it anymore. And so, every day in the late afternoon I brush his teeth using encouraging words like look at you, you’re so good, yay, and then I send him outside with a special dental treat to chew on. It’s pretty much the only time during the day he’s not within six feet of me for more than five minutes. He’s known as Mom’s Bodyguard for a reason, people, and that reason is that he doesn’t want me out of his sight for a moment, whether that be to shower or to refill a glass.
Last week he was out with his dental treat and I suddenly heard barking, which was very unusual, and the bark itself was very strange. I went on the deck to see what was up and lo and behold, not a hundred feet from me and just beside my mother-in-law’s yard was a huge black bear.
Well! That will get the heart pumping. I got Rex inside the house, and phoned my mother-in-law, who didn’t answer her cell or her landline. Finally when I saw the bear was gone I sent my son over to tell her the news. It turns out that she had been moving the sprinkler on her lawn, not fifty feet from the bear, but out of my sightline, completely unaware of the furry existence. I found the whole thing a bit stressful but after some REM Y REM, I came to the following conclusions: a) bear sightings are commonplace in this area, and will only be more so due to the fires, b) with all these sightings there have been exactly zero bear attacks on people or dogs over the years, and c) at this time of year bears are really only interested in maintaining and increasing their zaftig figures, so the likelihood of a bear turning away from the grapes to maul my dog is near zero, if not actually zero. We may have to revise c) in the spring, but let’s live in the present. Also, Rex was smart enough to stay near the house, rather than bounding over to see if there was a new friend who came to visit, which has been my worry since last fall, when my mother-in-law continuously sent a slew of texts with bear photos from the neighbourhood. Am I going to be living in the actual wilderness? I would think to myself, looking out the window to see Rex wandering through the fenced yard in my suburban oasis.
I have two very vivid, fearful memories from my early childhood, and the first is looking at a motion lamp my grandparents had that depicted a forest fire, like this one. I oscillated between fascination and fear, looking at that lamp, which I think we can all agree is a little bit weird. Home decor that showcases the devastation of a forest fire? I mean, it’s yet another reason I won’t watch Bambi. When I was in the first grade, there was a visit from firefighters who told us all about fire safety, and one, probably well-meaning but misguided firefighter casually mentioned that we all needed to have a exit plan in case of fire, since every single person will be involved in a fire in their lifetime. EVERY ONE OF US. Pro-tip: never tell a child something like this, particularly one with a vivid imagination. I spent many nights lying awake, planning the fire escape route from our bungalow, wondering when, exactly, I would need to put this plan in place. In my six-year-old mind, this fire safety visit meant that we were all going to die in a fiery inferno, perhaps soon, and thus began my lifelong fear of fire. With the exception of birthday candles, I will not light a candle in my house, so help me god. A few of the yoga studios I taught at had little tea lights burning all the time, and I would immediately extinguish them before starting class, so worried was I that someone would catch fire during a vinyasa. This fear wasn’t completely unfounded as once a woman came in to the lobby and the fringes of her scarf grazed a candle as she nonchalantly removed her boots, eliciting a very non-zen shriek from me, behind the desk, as I pummeled her scarf on the table.
The second fearful memory is very fuzzy, literally and figuratively, and has to do with a movie that must have been on television playing in the background while I dressed up my paper dolls, wondering if I could pair those heels with this skirt, or if flats would be better. This movie, which I have since deduced must have been the 1976 film Grizzly, featured a rampaging, human-eating grizzly bear. I would never have watched an entire non-Muppet-or-animated film as a child, but I clearly recall viewing a scene in which a woman and child were hiding in a cabin, ostensibly believing themselves safe from becoming dinner, when a bear claw slid underneath the cabin door. I’m sure it ended in their deaths, but at that point I stopped watching and just started screaming hysterically, probably to my long-suffering mother’s exhausted chagrin. Wasn’t she just playing with her paper dolls a second ago? That scene is so indelible in my mind that when I saw it again while babysitting years later, again on a background television, I gasped out loud and went to check on my tiny sleeping charge, just in case a grizzly slid its claw under the door to break it down, without my knowledge.
The rational, lived-the-vast-majority-of-my-life-outside-the-Rockies me knows there is a big difference between black bears and grizzlies, particularly Jaws, But Make It Bears, fictional kind of grizzlies. Chances are that our visitor is more Baloo than Murder Bear or Governor General Award-Winning Soft Porn Bear, but still.
As an aside: once again, what was happening in the Canadian literature world in 1976?
Anyway. Isn’t it funny that within only six weeks in my new environment, I have faced not one but two of my greatest childhood fears? If, as the lululemon shopping bag says, we should do one thing every day that scares us, I guess I am living my best life just existing here. What’s next? Is someone going to force feed me celery with peanut butter and raisins? I hope not. If anyone is going to eat Ants on a Log, it had better be our Baloo, and involve actual ants on an actual log.
Weekly Reading
An Unquiet Mind. This is a memoir of a woman who has her PhD in psychiatry…and suffers deeply from psychiatric illness. She is what is now known as bipolar disorder but she refers to as manic depressive illness (this was written in 1995). In fact, there is a whole section where she argues against the term bipolar. Anyway, she describes her psychotic breaks, her experience with lithium, and the ethics of treating psychiatric patients when one has a very serious, potentially debilitating mental illness. Some parts are fascinating, others really dragged for me, but mostly I thought it was an educational look into a first-person account of such an illness.
Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls. I posed this question on Instagram to my fellow Sedaris fans: after reading Happy Go Lucky, do you find your rereading of his old essays to be…disturbing? What I mean is, any essay that mentions his father, I see it through a completely different lens, and believe me, even before Happy Go Lucky I found it weird that his father would walk around pants-less constantly, and comment on his daughter’s appearances. Anyway, I thought I’d reread this collection and I enjoyed it significantly less than before, and not just because it contains a few fictional essays, which I tend to dislike due to their over-the-top mean-spiritedness. A friend who had gone to one of his readings responded to my question, and said that you could see his mean-spiritedness come out in his interactions with his fans and with book signings, mental note, never go to a Sedaris book signing. Don’t get me wrong, the essays that hit really hit, and I did find myself laughing out loud at times. It was just less than before and had me wondering if I would feel this way about all his essays.
Calypso. I had to try it. I had to see if I would have the same reaction and I did not. I still love this collection, and the parts about his family – specifically his father and his sister Tiffany, who died by suicide – are moving and nuanced and thoughtful. This has always been my favourite collection and I’m glad it held up for me.
Same Time Next Summer. I really loved this author’s first book, so I was really disappointed with this one. I guess it’s the premise that I really disliked: woman goes back to her childhood summer home with her fiance, runs into “the one that got away,” The One being the guy she dated in high school. Maybe it’s because I just cannot relate; all of the relationships of my youth blew up so spectacularly that I could never fathom ever speaking to any of them again, let alone rekindling lost love. So I didn’t love the storyline and I didn’t love the weird little twists, and I especially didn’t like the fiance painted as the Stiff Wrong Guy who had Serious Opinions on things like wedding invitations and what kind of cake to serve. Show me a guy who has a real vision of what colour of napkins should be used at a wedding reception and I’ll show you a wedding planner. Anyway, your mileage may vary but I thought this was a very silly and trite romance, albeit a quick and easy read.
It’s been a very exciting week at the Boyhouse: my younger son started a full-time job last Monday, my husband came home from two weeks away, and my older son moved into residence at university. All wonderful things, and I’m looking forward to a busy week ahead. But first: enjoying a beautiful Labour Day! I hope you all are having a lovely long weekend. xo
First time here. I am so glad to have found your blog as you write beautifully. If no one has told you yet (although I am sure someone did), you must write a book. Your easy, clear and fun writing style is very attractive.
I agree, fires and bears are no fun for me either. I encountered a bear while walking in Canmore a few years ago with headphones no. Not my finest hour! But thankfully nothing happened.
I won’t comment on fires, as I too have terrifying thoughts about what I would do in case of one, especially with a 11 year old and a 14 year old at home.
I love reading books and I am sure that I will find new ones to me among the books you shared in the past. So thank you in advance. 🙂
Well hello Alina! Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here! Thank you for your very kind words.
I have seen bears before – in the Canmore and Kananaskis regions too! – but always from a very healthy distance. Although, the very first time my husband took my young sons camping, a bear walked right through their campsite. Fortunately, I did not know about it until afterwards. No harm done though, I guess!
I am so riveted by that lamp. Someone…CAME UP WITH THAT CONCEPT, and presented it, and someone in charge said YES, LET’S MAKE THAT AND SELL IT, and then other people PURCHASED IT FOR MONEY.
One of my most common lie-awake-flooded-with-anxiety themes is What If There Was A Fire.
Swistle, any time I think of any strange product I have that exact same thought process: someone thought of it, made it, sold it, and other people bought it. I mean.
This makes me laugh because there was only one thing where I thought of a product like this. “What was that first person to find/pick up a rodent poop and say, ‘Oh, this might be edible/delicious!’ thinking???” Referring to one of the most expensive coffee beans out there! Can’t even fathom! On one of our international travels a few years ago, we got the chance to buy some from a source — but I opted out. Even though I thought I should at least try it just to say I did, I couldn’t make myself.
M, I had…no idea this was a thing. NO IDEA THIS WAS A THING AT ALL and now I’m just staring blankly at the screen wondering, why, how, what.
Soft Porn Bear! My award for Favorite Book Review Ever goes to your recap.
I think we’ve had a bear all the way down south here? Like once but in the last few years? Coyotes have become much more common here, and our plan is relying on our dog’s 6th sense to know not to go out if there’s ever one close to our house. I remember being terrified of the possibility of a house fire as a young ‘un. In my 20’s there was a pretty bad fire in my apartment building, but everyone got out and the damage was contained to a few units. It was very anticlimactic.
If our dog ever needed to have her teeth brushed…I mean we’d figure out how to do it but thank heaven the Greenies seem to do the trick. You never know where life will take you.
We used to see coyotes all the time where I lived in Calgary, and every once in a while an outdoor cat would go missing. I never worried too much about them though, the dogs I have had were their size or (in Rex’s case) much bigger. Sometimes they gang up on a dog though, so that is a consideration.
A FIRE IN YOUR APARTMENT! That’s scary!
Oh that lamp is creepy. I see no way I could live in the same house with it. It just oozes danger, suggests demise.
We don’t have bears here, but if we did I’d have a healthy respect for them… as in stay far away from them.
Isn’t it creepy? I mean, who thought that was a good idea for home decor?
Lol…and to think that I’ve been feeing uneasy all week because I spotted several mice at the bird-feeder in the hedge outside my kitchen window. An actual real live bear in the garden would just about finish me off! Glad you, Rex and your M-i-L survived this close encounter unscathed.
Well, mice also freak me out but I will say the bear was much scarier!
When I was a kid, I was terrified of fire. This was definitely a 1970s thing! In school, we ALWAYS had fire drills. Tornadoes, too. That, I think was because of The Wizard of Oz.
I’ve never been a fan of David Sedaris. I know a lot of people enjoy his books, but I’ve never been able to get into them.
I would’ve freaked out seeing that bear!! I’m glad you are all okay.
Tornadoes aren’t really a thing here – but we have had a few. I remember once when I was visiting my grandparents in SK, my aunt came into the TV room where all us cousins were hanging out and she screamed “ALL YOU KIDS GET INTO THE BASEMENT NOW!” She was totally not the screaming-at-kids type so we all zoomed downstairs. Turns out a tornado touched down very near where we were!
This post brought back random older/newer memories for me too. My first reaction to the forest fire candle was OH HELL NO, and then I wondered if maybe it’s a totemic object meant to ward against the actual thing happening, and then I went back to oh hell no.
When Angus was little he was terrified of fire – I had to reassure him every night that the house wasn’t going to burn down and it was heartbreaking and stoked my own anxiety. He also thought for a while that he would hide under the bed if there was a fire so HELLO TERROR.
You know I had the same chilling experience with some David Sedaris stuff. I love the stuff I love so much, but the other stuff is really upsetting. Now I’ve used the word stuff too much.
I’m so glad Rex didn’t act the fool with the bear – I would NOT be confident of Lucy being so circumspect.
An Unquiet Mind was on the shelves when I worked at the little bookstore in Etobicoke Lo these many years ago, so goodness, the flood of memories. I think I might own it, but I’m not sure I ever finished reading it – I was reading a lot of Mental Illness Lit back then (as well as living it) and it all got to be too much.
Oh I feel for little Angus. I’M RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, BUDDY. Except for the hiding under the bed thing. I think I drew an exit map and then, later, when my little brother came along I tried to figure out if I could jump out of the (bungalow) window with him.
An Unquiet Mind was so very disturbing but also pretty enlightening. I did find a LOT of it to be a slog though.
Facing two of your greatest childhood fears in under two months in the new place, Nicole? Now that *that’s* done, everything should be peachy from now on out.
Lots of big moves in the Boyhouse; bestest wishes to everyone!!
That’s what I think too, Maya. I mean, what else? If someone starts force-feeding me celery it come as no surprise after these two months!
I wondered why I had the “Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities” earworm… it was your post, Nicole :)!!
Good for you coming to grips with your fears. I know that these bears really don’t want to hurt us but I’d still be terrified. We have reports of bears near our cottage; as more houses are built it becomes more frequent. I spent hours and hours a couple of years ago building an “animal proof” composter then we dug down & sunk it into the ground. This thing was SOLID!! Well in April we discovered it way back on the property ripped in half! There is only one creature that could do that. So I’m back to bringing my compost home lol.
Pat, for years my MIL had a composter and it was supposedly “bear proof” but it would always attract bears, and they would rip it up, so she does not have it anymore. We keep the garbage locked in the shed, which is a pain, but totally necessary. Last year the bears got into her garbage and it was a huge mess, not to mention terrifying as the garbage was RIGHT BESIDE HER DOOR.
The bear sighting would have definitely freaked me out! And then finding out your mother in law was outside while the bear was right there? Aaaahhhh!
We have an occasional bear sighting around here (I think ours are brown bears) – thankfully, I have yet to witness one in person. Although, a few years ago I saw video of a young bear wandering the streets in downtown which was rather surprising – between all the people and cars, I would have thought he’d been scared off.
I can’t remember ever seeing that lamp – which is extraordinarily disturbing – but it seems familiar; so someone in the family must have had one. But…why?!
Every once in a while, there would be a news story out of Banff or Lake Louise about a completely habituated grizzly, super calm just eating garbage. It was a big problem because grizzlies need to be at least a little scared of people, as they can be deadly!
But why is a very good question as regards that lamp. WHY. Why did it exist?
Considering my black bear sighting in May on vacation, I understand being freaked out, despite their supposed harmlessness. I’m with you on the WHY do first responders scare kids during educational talks? I also remember being worried about a house fire because my parents didn’t have a ‘meeting place’ designated outdoors! I didn’t think it should be my responsibility to tell them this. Ha!
I’ve read all of Sedaris and yup, the Dad definitely was disturbing in many stories.I chalk it up to the reason David is David. That was one dysfunctional family.
I cannot believe this, but I think we must have read Same Time Next Summer at the SAME TIME! How funny is that? I actually enjoyed it, but I’m all about the happy ending right now. I ordered her first book from the library. Today, I finished a very stupid book, which should have been a DNF. Steer clear of The Friendship Break Up.
I will steer clear of that one! I thought some people might really love Same Time Next Summer – she’s a good writer! – but it just wasn’t for me.
And also, I agree with you – David is David because of his family, for sure.
OMG, Nicole…a bear in your backyard! While your MIL was outside, just a few feet away! I’m glad that it all turned out well. Good boy, Rex, keeping from that big bad bear!
I have been MIA from the comments section. It’s been busy here and I tried to read but usually ended up calling up the page but not being able to read the posts. But I’m glad to see that you’re all moved and settled — and the house pictures….gorgeous! I’m so happy for you!
M! Welcome back!!! Yes, I’m all moved and settled, although somewhat UNSETTLED because of our resident Baloo!
When I was flying home from Oregon earlier this summer, the woman next to me was watching Cocaine Bear. It looks like an exceedingly stupid movie but it was hard to look away. I’m glad your bear was more sedate.
On the way to the beach we listened to Sedaris’s essay about buying a family beach house to cope with his sister’s suicide. It’s very moving.
So is it the celery part, the peanut butter part, the raisin part, or the combination that doesn’t work for you? (I used to bring this, but with cream cheese I think because of allergies in the class, when I was preschool snack mom.)
Good luck to the boys!
Steph, it is the celery part. Celery is the only vegetable that I cannot eat. I can’t even think about it without heaving a little. I have SUCH an aversion. Even the smell of it…aieeeee
I love celery. I love raisins. I love peanut butter. But together? Ugh.
My mom had nightmares all the time as a kid about fire. It is terrifying and I didn’t know everyone is supposed to be directly impacted by fire at least once in their life!! I haven’t been so now I feel like I have a target on my back with that one.
Rex is just…those eyes…Nicole!!! What a gem <3
I love raisins and I love peanut butter but BIG NO FROM ME ABOUT CELERY! I have such an aversion, I can barely think of it!
I notice that the listing for that lamp says it’s rare, and I’m sure that’s because most of them were destroyed by sane people who felt they were possessed! Agh, what a thing to make, and to buy, and have in your home!
Lolololol yes, that’s probably why they are rare!!!
Oh Rex!!! He was probably barking to warn you, since he’s your bodyguard. I don’t know much about bears, except that black bears supposedly aren’t the dangerous ones? Still- I would have been scared. And, I’m also scared of fire. I guess everyone is to some extent, and I’m not as scared of it as you are. Like I’ll light candles occasionally but I won’t have a gas stove, because I’m terrified of someone going up in flames.
I used to love David Sedaris but haven’t read him in ages. And- congratulations to both your sons on their milestones! That’s exciting.
If you’re going to have bears, black bears are the ones to have. Other than when they have cubs, they are pretty placid, I think. Still, I wouldn’t want to get near one. Grizzlies are quite dangerous and more prone to attacking, so I guess it’s good?
I was disappointed when I heard the premise of Monahan’s sophomore novel because I hate books that use infidelity or the thought of infidelity as a plot device. I feel like it romanticizes infidelity and makes it seem like you can just change your mind about your partner in the blink of an eye. It’s very unsettling for me, even though I’ve never (to my knowledge) been cheated on.
So I, too, had a pretty scarring lesson the risk of fire when I was in kindergarten. I can vividly remember crying very hard when we were told about having a plan in case of a fire. I was in a state of panic because my bedroom was on the upper level which was not a good place to be in the event of a fire. I think the lesson on fire was overkill!
I have only read one Sedaris book – Holidays on Ice – and I said to myself: never again. I find his humor to be so mean spirited. Maybe it’s less mean spirited in other books but it was such a turn off for me that I decided never to read something by him again. I know people adore him and I am in the minority, though.
I don’t mind infidelity as a plot device in a dramatic or serious book, but I really dislike it in a romance. I also really disliked the portrayal of the fiance as a total asshole. It was cliched and I thought it was beneath her excellent writing, if that makes sense.
What was happening in the 80s with fire safety classes? It seems like they engendered fear in our entire generation!
Lions and tigers and bears – OH MY. Well, bears at least. I’m so glad that Rex barked and chose not to go make a new friend. I chuckled at the photos of him as your shadow. So cute. We have often visited national parks and enjoyed bear sightings, but always FROM A DISTANCE.
I remember vividly being terrified one night when I was about 4 years old, because my mom was not home. I was either told that she was shopping for carpet or I imagined that. In my young mind, I envisioned the carpet store becoming an inferno. I screamed my head off from my room begging my dad to find my mother. I have no idea why I thought she was in danger of being consumed by fire, but the fear was real and I can remember how frustrated my father was with me and how upset I was, banned to my room and told to go to sleep.
That fire candle thing is unsettling to say the least. How awful.
Maybe you’ve mentioned it, but how far is the university where your son is going to school?
I’ve seen bears before in Banff and area, but always at a nice safe distance. NOT IN MY YARD!
Aw, I feel you, Ernie. Terrors like that when we are children are so real! I remember that scene in the movie, for example so clearly!
The university is not far – he’s certainly able to visit on weekends!
I brush Hannah’s teeth daily, too, for similar reasons. The vet was puzzled by how much tartar was on her teeth on our first visit. I didn’t imagine myself as someone who has a toothbrush and toothpaste for a dog in our kitchen, but here we are.
I went to a David Sedaris reading and signing and he was delightful and lovely and not mean-spirited at all. It was a decade ago, so maybe he’s struggling more as he ages.
Here we are indeed! Who knew! Not us.
Re: Sedaris, you might be right about aging but also, this was his Happy Go Lucky tour and it was after his father passed. So that might have something to do with it – and also, he does crazy 45 cities in 45 days tours, so he might have been tired!
AHHHHHHHH re: bear!
Also, I cried when I threw away Beatrix’s meat toothpaste.
Awww! Sweet Beatrix.
A bear! It’s definitely a good idea to keep a respectful distance! I live close to Yellowstone Park, so there are bears around, but luckily, we don’t see them too often at our place. The thing I saw yesterday was a skunk. It’s a good idea to keep a distance from them as well!
Oooh skunks! My neighbour used to keep bees and I found out that skunks eat bees! They had to do a whole bunch of finagling to deter skunks from their yard.
I would have lost my mind if I saw a bear near me or anyone I loved! Yikes. You are really living in the tundra now, aren’t you? Ha!
I am in the wilderness now!
Oh, yikes about the bear!! My neighbour, and good friend, is from Scotland and she carries bear spray any time she goes for a walk up here in FSJ. Ha ha. They also lived in Canmore for awhile before moving up here and I’m sure that’s where she picked up the habit. She says she did not grow up in a place that had any dangerous animals and the most dangerous thing in Scotland is perhaps an angry or rabid fox – ha.
My 5.5 year old is getting quite scared of fires too now with all the wildfires this summer. First we were on alert up here, then my brother was on alert down in Blind Bay from the Shuswap fires and so I guess just hearing adults talk about it a lot it was on her mind and one day she asked me “are we going to burn in a fire” *cue sobbing face!* so then we had a big talk about how even though she’s hearing adults talk about it a lot, it’s not something she has to worry about and we will keep her safe and etc. Also, that lamp is SO creepy. The things people have thought of in the past! haha
Oh god, I can’t imagine how stressed I would have been as a child, going through this summer of fire. Poor thing!
I was reading Same Time Next Summer when I first saw your post and I skipped your review so I could finish it with untainted eyes — and I see we disagree! I really liked it. I just wanted to posit that I thought Jack (fiancé) was pretty well characterized for me — my husband is a similar personality type: very disciplined, loves to work out, likes orderly things — but the huge difference between him and Jack is that he likes me for me and lets me fly my freak flag. 😂 He doesn’t expect me to BE him, and I appreciate that. In the book, Sam acknowledged her culpability in not showing Jack her true self. So, he didn’t read as an a-hole to me, just someone who needed a different type of woman. I would agree his character wasn’t particularly deep, but he didn’t need to be for this type of story. Anyway, I don’t know, it hit the right notes for me — not perfect and hardly mind-blowing, but a really enjoyable read for me!
OMG Ariana, it just hit me – AM I JACK? Maybe I am Jack and that is why I didn’t like it? Good thing my husband isn’t in love with his old girlfriend, I guess. Anyway I am glad you like it! I think she’s a good writer but this one wasn’t for me – maybe her next one will resonate more!
Ha!! That is great. I’m confident you are not Jack; you clearly have a refined ability to see people for who they are and love them for how they are different from you! I like this author too and I look forward to more books from her — I like this brand of romance that’s not too racy, for I am a prude and comfortable with my prudeness. 😂
Ariana, SAME. I don’t think I’m a prude generally but in my reading life I AM. I just don’t like smutty descriptions in books, so her romances are perfect for me. I think they are called “closed door” romances!
It’s insane how easily it is to scar a child! You’ve carried these fears your entire existence. *sigh* While I’ve never been overly afraid of Fires or Bears, I do have nightmares about tornados/hurricanes and alligators. Does this all make sense now? I believe, yes.
The thing about bears is, they really just want some food and I don’t think they see people or dogs as food, but more of a nuisance. Right?
Can you believe we have BEARS in our neighborhood in Florida? I feel for them, they are running out of space.
I read my first David Sedaris book on your recommendation and loved it. I have another one slated to go with I have a minute.
If I lived where you live, I would also be terrified of hurricanes/ tornadoes and alligators! Aiee!
I don’t think the bear will bother us at this time of year unless he felt threatened – I’m a little concerned about the spring, with cubs, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. And yes, I do think that animals are running out of space, particularly here with so much fire damage in the forests.
My husband has been good at brushing our dogs’ teeth. Mulder would get so excited to have his teeth brushed, since afterwards he would get either a carrot or a greenie. I think that just like people, some dogs get more tartar and plaque, etc. We had his teeth cleaned once, and it was REALLY expensive. Like $1,000 I think, because they do bloodwork ahead of time to make sure it is safe to give the dog anesthesia. UGH. So yay to brushing!
Bears are indeed scary, and MOSTLY not dangerous, but you are smart to keep an eye on your dog.
Oh, things that scare us when we are kids. That forest fire thing is really creepy.
I think Rex does love getting his chew treat after brushing, he doesn’t put up a fuss. It’s like how Barkley used to get so excited when it was time for his eye drops because we gave him treats after! Oh, dogs. How we love them. I did get Barkley’s teeth cleaned once and it was super expensive – I think like $700 or something.
I don’t know if you have them around you, but my mom uses Whimzees for her dogs and they work pretty well at keeping tartar at bay! Much better than Greenies ever did. Just an option! I really need to get into a routine of brushing my cats’ teeth.
That bear sighting! How scary, but I’m really glad Rex knew what to do and you could get him safely inside.
I’ve only read one book by David Sedaris (I think it might have been the Owls book) and I just didn’t enjoy his humor. It felt mean-spirited But maybe I just chose the wrong book!)
I’ve never seen Whimzees but I’ll look for them for sure! Thanks Stephany!
Every time I go into the field for work (in the Sierra Nevada), my biggest thrill and fear is encountering a bear. I have yet to see one in real life, but my colleague (who lives up the mountains near Lake Tahoe) had many bear visitors this spring (because of the massive amount of snow that was still on the ground from our record breaking winter) looking for food.
I agree that this lamp that looks like a “forest fire” is bizarre though. I hope that none of your other fears will be confronted in real life. Bear and fire is plenty for now.
It is PLENTY! Thanks San! Bears are amazing animals and really unnerving to see in the flesh!
Nicole, I hate Bambi. I have always hated Bambi. That !(@$* forest fire. I had to watch it while babysitting one time (I offered up every other Disney movie… no go…) and it was traumatizing the second time around. Also so glad that Rex has dog sense, and did not approach the bear. Good gracious. Be careful out there in the wilds, ok?
Bambi is really a terrifying movie, if it’s not for the dead mom, it’s the forest fire. Sheesh!