One sunny Saturday my best friend and I went for a drive. The scenery was beautiful – the hillsides were several shades of green – all the new leaves made everything fresh and clean after the barren months of winter. The sun was shining and the sky was a very bright blue. Off we went to our favorite little chunk of paradise in the very rural area around where we live.
Once we arrived at “our” spot, we lit a small fire, had some snacks, and visited. We watched the sap-suckers beat away at the trees, and the deer graze along the edge of the road. We listened to the “quiet” of nature – the sounds of the birds singing, the frogs croaking (actually they were quacking), and a lone squirrel chattering away at us for being in his territory. We were “unplugged” from the technological world and were “plugged” into the beauty of the natural world.
All too soon it was time to leave. As we packed up our things and left the area cleaner than when we found it, the natural world actually did get very quiet. We looked up and sure enough there were storm clouds gathering. Off home we went. But . . . nature had a very special surprise for my friend and I. As we crested a hill we saw two black bears at the bottom. Normally black bears will run at the sight of a human, especially two humans in a truck, but these two – a sow bear and her cub – stayed and gave us the show of our lives.
We were able to witness Mama Bear try to educate Baby Bear, and we watched as Baby Bear decided to take life easy and sit in the middle of the road and scratch his belly. Mama was not too happy that we were as close as we were, but we made no noise and continued to watch. Mama crossed the road at one point, and I am sure she expected Baby to follow – he had other ideas! Back across the road she came, and if we could have heard her, I am convinced she scolded him! We watched the two of them for half an hour before we left them to themselves. It was a once in a lifetime show – one that blessed us both, and renewed my spirit. Funny how just some quiet time near to the earth and it’s creatures will restore our ability to carry on. I will be forever grateful for the show, and I am also grateful that I figured out how to work the movie feature on my camera!
