On Tuesday of this week, we were on our way out of the park to head to watch Jaxen for a couple of hours, when our nextdoor neighbor, Pat, called to tell us they have spotted a bear in the woods next to our house!! WHAT??
Let me show you the woods next to our house — it is a circle of woods that Max and I walk around at least a couple of times a day.
Really a bear?? Now most people that know me, know I have an irrational fear of bears….LOL…yes, I know irrational because any campsite that we stay at my first thought is of bears and their possible neighborly visits!! It can be a campsite in a National Park, State Park, or a KOA near highway campgrounds!! Camping and bears just seem to be like peanut butter and jelly for me!! So really…a bear!! If only one person said they saw it behind our house, I would say, ok time to stop the afternoon cocktails….but 2 people saw it and the park even sent out a text and email indicating it had been spotted….so I guess it was likely this….
….the only true image I have of a bear….wouldn’t that scare you too??!! Well, I am just telling myself that it is really like this…
…especially as I am walking Max around that wooded circle!! Believe me, he will not get that long walk when it is dark out at all!!
Although I am still a skeptic in that no one has reported seeing any bear scat, and I have always heard that is a tell tale sign that a bear is around. So until I see something like this, I am going to encourage the skeptic in me to stay active!
I can tell myself that as much as I want, but even that night, I had dreams of bears in those woods, not 1 but a whole family of bears!!
Although maybe we now have an explanation of whom stole our propane tanks!! They needed them for their winter hibernation!! 🙂
Return to AZ
So enough talk of bears….now to talk about snakes, scorpions and javelinas! (is that better??) Right now we are planning to head back to AZ on 9/17, but we will not plan to arrive until about the 29th or 30th. We will take a route back where we will stay a couple of places in certain areas: Lewis & Clark Recreation Area, Glendo State Park and Grand Tetons area. Although we will be flexible since we planned something like that the first year we had the 5th wheel and we started to head south quickly as snow was being predicted in the west direction we originally planned. I am hoping that will hold off, but we will see. I will have some alternate plans on my excel spreadsheet so it could be easy to quickly change routes.
Roni Rona
Jenny’s family seems to be recovered, although they still tire easy so they found they may need to take things slower than they originally thought. Another person in the park was positive and has already been through his quarantine period. The original couple that was diagnosed here…they are both back home, the wife doing ok, the husband ok, but on home oxygen for the time being. The friend from David’s book club is being released from the long term care facility and will head home, although will continue with PT since his legs are still not back 100%. Caley and Darcee are now waiting out a quarantine period and did have a test on Thursday, waiting for results on that. They play on a mixed softball team and found out that someone on their team tested positive. They have no symptoms, so hopefully the tests will come back negative!!
Max
Max had his yearly checkup about 2 weeks ago. All was pretty good…1 pound overweight 🙂 but also had an infection that had to be treated with antibiotics for 14 days. Because of that he could not get his yearly shots or his 3 years rabies shot that was due. Yesterday we went back to the vet and everything was cleared up with the infection and he got all of his shots. The vet tech comes out to the car to get Max and then the vet calls once she is in the room with Max so we can talk while she examines him. All else looks good although they do want to do some dental cleaning under sedation, so we will see. Shih Tzus always have teeth issues so I suppose a one time good clean when he is older like this would be a good idea.
Jaxen
That little boy just gets cuter every day. We watched him this week for a couple of hours and he told me when I had to wipe his “boogies”! 🙂 So of course now his mom and dad also have to wipe their own boogies because he was nice enough to share his cold with them!! That time of year!! Since Jackie is pregnant she can’t take anything other than Tylenol, which does not help her symptoms much. Hopefully it will be a quick recovery for mom, dad and Jaxen. He loves to climb and was showing off when we were there. I know he will have some great tricks to show his little brother one day!
And he does love being outside, running with his friends, JT and Lilly, in the front yard or venturing to a near by park to play on the slides. Only when I take him there, he always wants to go UP the slide rather than down!
Well I think that is about all for this first week in September. Hope you all have a good Labor Day weekend and the kids have a fun start of school, whatever their learning environment!
Stay safe!
TIFN
Dandy Ventures 