Does Nature Inspire you or Surprise you?

I was wondering if there was a bear story out there! I didn't expect a story about someone owning a bear though. How unusual. Was the bear friendly enough to get close to it? What did the bear eat?

I read a story about two women who raised a lion from a cub and then released it into the wilderness. Did you catch that story somewhere?

I lived near a Nature Center for years and I enjoyed it as well. The schools took students there to learn about the trees and foliage. I learned also during my walks.

Travel lightly

You could hold the bear cub and cuddle it. But it's claws were very sharp. We wore leather chaps when we fed it the bottle. It would literally claw it's way up your legs to get at the bottle.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB!!~

Okay, now I understand. You wore gloves. It must have been an unforgettable experience. I can picture a cat climbing up my legs, but a bear! oh my!

Thanks for checking back on the conversation and telling me more or the story.

I think it sounds like you have more wildlife than I do.

I have so many questions, if you get back to this discussion. A Red Deer is a Red Dear because of its colour? How big do they get? What's a Managed Estate?

When I see rabbits I never considered the fact that they were sunning themselves. Now I learned something else from you.

Thanks for the photo, it came out very clear. Mine are always fuzzy or blurred.

Thanks for educating everyone on mylot. mylot is a wonderful place to learn about other countries and people.

Here's a little more information for You about Red Deer!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Deer
An Estate is simply a Large property of Land Owned by someone,Sometimes by a Lord..A Managed estate is one such that is run as a Business,For example,Raising Deer or Pheasant,or growing trees for timber..

Thanks for the link to the website. Those deers are huge and scary looking. I read that it is common to eat venison. Is this true for you?

I think I would be scared to hunt one, good thing I don't hunt or eat meat.

I didn't know there were still places that the word lord was still used as a title. Managed property sounds like a good idea to me.

Deer are Very Shy Animals..They'd run if you came close!I've seen a Red Stag once,but not close up. They'd only be a risk if you were hanging around in their mating season or threatening their Young,though I've never heard of someone being attacked..There was a Man in this area killed by a Bull not so long ago,and I've heard of Cows attacking someone who got into their space when there were Young Calves around..
I used to work beside an Estate owned by a Duke-The place I used to work in was formerly the Schoolhouse for the Estate workers' Children! It was renovated into an Inn/Hotel. The people I worked for set up the business to cater for Corporate Leisure interests,ie Clay pigeon Shooting,Outdoor pursuits teambuilding groups,Fishing,and Hunting of the Estate's Pheasant and Sika Deer..The Venison and Pheasant was then available for sale...If You like Meat,they're very good!

Animals will protect their young!

The place you're describing sounds so fascinating to me. Do you have any more pictures you can post?

I'll see what I can find!

Lough Erne (Lough=Lake) is a Large open waterway that is now connected by canal to the River Shannon,allowing travel by boat almost 1/2 of the length of Ireland..Much of the bird wildlife makes its home around it..Swans,Cormorants,Ducks,Geese,Kingfishers..This is the view from where I work now..

More views of the Lake..

Passing an island on a boat trip on the Lough..

SheperdSpy- why thank you! You really outdid yourself. I never expected all these pictures. They brighten up this discussion, almost like decorating it.

I didn't check your profile yet, do you have these pictures on your personal page?

I can't say thank you enough for sharing. I feel like I have new eyes!

These are all newly posted..I don't think I can reuse photos from my profile page in discussions! I'm pleased You like them! I have many more printed photos than I do have digital,and I wanted to scan some of those-I've recently bought a new computer running Vista,and my scanner that I had for my old machine won't work with this one!

I checked out your photos on your profile page. I like the yellow car. What's the story behind that one?

I'll try to leave a similar comment on your page, but last time I tried to leave a photo comment, it didn't work.

So, if it doesn't show up, you'll know I tried.

I was visiting Charlottesville Va. Last Year,and that's the first electric car I'd seen on the road-it looked interesting,so I took the photo!

Thanks for Best Response!

nonymouse- I had so much fun reading your post. I would keep that frog a secret as well. Humans do interfere too much with Nature. Is a Golden Bell Frog yellow?

We had some Bald Eagles that were on the endangerd list. They made a nest on a telephone pole of all things! The nest was on a road often traveled. Everyone kept pulling over, straining to get a peek.

So many cars were pulling over, the cops stopped people from watching because they were disturbing the eagles.

Your surprise is an amazing suprise! I wish you had a picture of the four leaf clovers. From all my wanderings and searching and never finding one, I thought they were a myth. And you found a whole patch of them!

Your broken ankle clears up the lucky part though. Unless something good happened afterwards that only occurred because you broke your ankle?

I don't think I'm allowed any photos on here yet so I have put a picture of the Green and Gold Bell Frog in my own photo area. I think you will agree how very beautiful is is.

mental- you always have really good stories. Let me start with your last sentence about Native Americans. I decided long ago that homo-sapiens-sapiens were doomed right from the start because of what we did to the people who lived here when we arrived.

The Native Americans way of life protected the land, not raped and destroyed it like humans.

There are too many geese here as well. In every park you have to watch out for the droppings.
Picturing you flapping your arms brings a smile to my face. Did you see the movie
"Fly Away Home"? Maybe the geese think you are their mother.

The danger of bears coming near humans, again comes from humans. One showed up in town and the Forest Rangers were on their way to save and relocate the bear. Some idiot decided to kill it with a shot gun instead of waiting.

The spiders here and in other places I have lived, come inside. And they bite me. When I was raking leaves in Georgia, I got bit four times on my wrist and never felt it until the next day. It took weeks for the inflammation and itching to subside.

And one more thing - My son loved snakes. There were a few poisnonous ones, but most of the snakes were harmless. My son became well known in the neighborhood for his ability to capture snakes without hurting them. Before too long, he earned the name "Dances with Snakes" and all the neighbors called him if they found a snake near their house!

Between the two of us, we write books whenever we find each other. I enjoy our exchanges.

lamb- hi. I love that name Grace for a daughter. The name itself brings up images of peace and inner calm.

A three mile hike is impressive. Forgive me for not knowing why you are in pain.

Do you and your daughter have books and binoculars to identify the birds? Or do you already learn the species names? Do you keep a log?

You're exactly right. We can't destroy the very things that support our lives.

palonghorn - Okay, now I can be sure my little orange guy is a salamander.

I like the moss that grows in the woods on the hardwood trees and the forest ground. I try to take pictures of it, but they never look good. I think it's my camera.

Even though the American lifestyle is push, push, push and run around, getting as much as one can, there is great value in doing the things you mentioned. Maybe appreciating nature is the secret to inner peace. The act of observing Nature is a rewarding experience.

Thanks for sharing the attached picture. How do you keep the squirrels from eating all the bird food? I had beautiful pics of a Cardinal but due to unfortunate circumstances, I no longer have them.

It's nice to know other people are appreciating Nature's beauty.

I'm not sure, but the squirrels have never seemed interested in the birdseed. Of course they get plenty of peanuts, and I have a bench with one of the squirrel feeders on it.

Nice picture. thanks.

Usually squirrels will do anything to get to a bird feeder. Maybe they don't try because you feed them peanuts.

I've watched two squirrels work together to break into a bird feeder because one squirrel alone couldn't do it! Smart little guys.

snowy - this is very strange. Not your story, but I commented back on your comment and now its not here! I know mylot went down for awhile. Maybe the response got dropped.

Anyhow, I smiled imagining a dog being afraid of walking in the woods. But then I felt bad for him if the branches were hitting him in the face. I wonder if he keeps you out of the woods to protect you. Maybe he knows there is a bear waiting for you to pass by. (only kidding)

What a privilege to have both a woodsy area and a beach to enjoy. Not many of us have that.

I have heard coyotes howling at night and it sends shivers up my spine,

dragon= I never heard of birds teasing a dog. I had a huge lovable cat who was an excellent hunter. He never did catch a Blue Jay, and I watched as the birds flew down, tapped his head and flew away. Poor Dancer.

Squirrels are characters alright! I love to watch them running everywhere. One day I watched a squirrel do a backwards flip-over. I wish someone had seen it with me, because sometimes I think I imagined it!

I don't like bees landing on me and it's almost impossible for me not to jump. Sometimes they don't sting, it's true. I can't always be calm though but I won't kill them. I blow on them and they fly away.

Wasps, oooh, I watch out for those stingers. The ones near me are vicious.

What a lovely description of your experiences. How aware you are to see many facets of a rainbow others might miss.

I can feel in your words that you have a bond with all things natural.