Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!



FromThe Wizard of Oz

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! 

Let’s just say that running in the woods can be quite an adventure.  Imagine running along, minding your own business, grooving on the music.  The weather is cool and clear.  I'm finally able to leave the treadmill behind and run outside.  And then I start thinking about bears.  It is the end of March and the bears could be waking from hibernation and they just might be a touch grumpy – and HUNGRY!!! 

And then out of the corner of my eye I see a large creature come looming out of the forest.  Let me tell you, I had a momentary fright before I realized that it was a deer!  (Gottcha!  You thought it was a bear, didn't you?!)  She just crossed right in front of me at her leisure.  That happened three times, but the first one is the one that caught me off guard. 

I am, however, fully prepared.  I run with a pistol in a fanny pack that is especially made for that purpose.  And a Motorola radio is clipped to the fanny pack so I’m in touch with home if anything comes up – cell phones don’t work where we live.  And I have a Spyderco clip-on folding knife clipped inside my pocket.  Just saying – I’m prepared!  But it’d still be scary....

I’ve only seen one bear in the area, though.  We have lots of deer, some foxes, coyotes, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and blue jays.  And I heard there was a mountain lion attack not far from here, but the credibility of that is under question.  And I’m pretty sure there’s a fox den in the area.  I keep getting a whiff of a skunk-ish odor which I learned at the local Wolf and Wildlife Center (http://www.wolfeducation.org/) is actually what fox’s smell like.  No wolves in the wild near here, though, thank goodness - only bears! 

I’m sure you’ve heard the joke about the two guys in the woods who come across a bear.  The first guy puts his tennis shoes on and the second guy says, “Are you crazy?  You can’t outrun a bear!”  And the first guys says, “I don’t have to outrun a bear, I only have to outrun you.” 

It’s too bad I don’t have anyone to run with, LOL!  Oh wait!  I’d be the second guy!  Damn! 

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