UnBEARable (Yet Again)

Dateline: Cattaraugus County, western New York state

Walking up the lane early this morning - one of those days when the sun was doing its fairytale thing,

I met my neighbour coming the other way. We usually pass each other in the morning and wave a socially distancing hello, "I forgot to tell you", he said. Up there where the road goes uphill. I saw something crossing the road. I thought it was a dog, said to myself, 'that's one big dog'. Then I realised it was a bear!" 
  "A bear!" I squealed, "WOW! "
  "Yep, I'd say around 400 pounds."
"When was this?"
Oh I'd say a week or so ago.."
"A week!" Not ten years ago then. "You know I've been in America 16 years now", I said wistfully, "and I haven't seen a single bear."
"Well you don't want to get too close.."
 Alas just about everyone I know around here has seen a bear except me. And I was walking up there last week too. Of course if I do ever spot one, I won't be able to get the phone to work or it will be switched off or something. Or I'll find myself in the one dangerous black bear scenario, separating a mother from her cubs and have to play dead and pray.

  Well there are always the Highland cattle round the corner.

They must be hot. It's going to be 92 degrees today.

 And this  morning when I looked out into the back garden there was a woodchuck*.

The biggest, fattest woodchuck I've ever seen. Fortunately just eating grass, not the flowers. Though who knows what he'd been up to earlier.  I mentioned it to hubby later,
   "It was this big!"
  "Sure it wasn't a bear?"
  "No, wrong colour."

* Sadly not my photo