I know that dance. They can really make you feel stupid sometimes.

Two of my buddies

Very cute!! What are they Ginger?

#1 is an adult skink
#2 is an anole

I have been meaning to ask: what is the difference between the racoon and bear badges? Do they represent different kinds of interest in lovers?

I think they are just options, although I could be wrong. I am terrified of bears so opted for the raccoon even though they are nuisances.

Glen,I think it came about because a lot of folks get racoons and not bears, and like Deb are afraid of the bears. No racoons here, lots of black bears, I am not that afraid of them, but respect them for sure.

I'd get excited if I ever saw a bear here...since I've never seen one outside of the zoo or pics! Texas used to have plenty, from what I hear!

It is quite amazing after all my travelling I am yet to see any species of bear. I always worry about big animals with tooth and claw coming from Australia where there is very little danger when you walk the forest.

Although I have never seen one, I am fairly certain I have bear in my back woods which makes me pretty leery about walking out there by myself. I do take my dog with me and make noise, but as my rural area becomes more developed, there is less and less habitat for all the wildlife, bears included. My neighbor with a bit more woodland than I encounters the smaller black bears quite regularly, sometimes in his back yard or up in one of his fruit trees. He reports that the bears are as quick to beat an exit as he is, but I would be totally paralyzed and/or a screaming idiot if I ran across one.

Worse than the black bears are the cougars, they are sneaky and you can't see them, they are in our area too, now they are scary!!

Yikes, yes -- I'm sure glad I don't have cougars to worry about - they are more common on the east side of our mountains.

Yikes! Glad there are no bears or cougars here!

Cougars are freaky. Very stealthy & unbelievably fast.

Not good for people!

Good morning all. Actually I'd give a lot to see a cougar. I only have to see it once and I would be happy. Same with the bears. One of the highlights of my life has been sitting amongst gorillas in the Congo. But once was enough.
This is Mahatma in 1990 - he was shot six months later during the Rwanda conflict. Not a good copy of my slide. I am still trying to digitalise all the old ones. Quite painful.

That must have been very interesting going on safari. As to bears I am very happy not to ever have seen one outside of a zoo.

Oh my Glen, sitting among the gorillas must have been thrilling & terrifying all at once! I would love to do that. I can also imagine that once would be enough.

My girlfriend, whose property is further out of town than mine, told me that she ended up garrotting the cougar that has been hanging around her place last night with her Christmas lights.

She had strung several strands of lights between some trees along her driveway, but hadn't turned them on, yet. Her dog alarmed around 1am and she went out to check things out. She saw eyes and shot off her pistol just to make enough noise to make whatever was out there scared so that it would leave. Then she heard a crashing sound by the trees near the driveway.

When she went out to check this morning, she found large cougar tracks. Her Christmas lights were torn off of the trees, so she thinks the cougar ran through them.

She's had a time with critters this year. First it was a 400lb bear that wasn't afraid of people and now the cougar.

Even tho' we do get the cats and bears in town now and then, I haven't had any on my property. The bears are across the road down in the park, but, thank God, the cats are usually found on the other side of town.

Nope. I do not want to meet up with either a cougar or a bear. Not me. I am too much of a wuss.

Smiles,
Lyn

Lyn that is so exciting a story!!!