Terry's had company.

Let's see.

Terry called last Monday (or maybe it was Tuesday) to say she had been awakened not by the cats' meows but by something in the yard huffing and puffing. She looked out the window to see a big doe standing looking at the raised bed garden in which we have onions, beans, lettuce and spinach growing. Apparently, the doe didn't like my having a screen over the lettuce and spinach. She raised her nose in the air and trotted off into the woods.

Then last night Terry called to say the raccoon had showed up again. That was actually something of a relief as the last time I saw it, I had put a pellet from the air rifle into the west end of the east bound critter just as it ducked under the shed. I figured it might be getting pretty ripe if the shot had turned fatal. Terry said it lit out like a bat out of hell when she opened the door so maybe it's learned a lesson.

Tonight she called to say she had more company. A sow bear and a yearling cub were at the bird feeders at 3:30 in the afternoon. She tried banging pots and pans together but the mama bear (Cindy?) just sat down a short distance into the woods to wait her out. Needless to say the feeders did not get taken in tonight. They did get emptied, however. And one of the metal poles got bent in the process.

Meanwhile all I've seen in the mammalian category are a ground hog and a chipmunk.