Bears and Familiar Critters

The weather yesterday was spectacular - especially for August first - in Boulder. We had a high temp of 82, and an almost constant breeze... it was a great day for reading, lazing around, mowing the yard, grilling or just partying. Thanks to the breeze, it did not feel hot; thanks to all the extra rain we've had, the trees are still in full leaf, and the breeze caused a quiet murmur of the leaves all day. It was a truly relaxing set of hours. I read all of Fire and Ice, the new Beaumont and Brady novel by J. A. Jance yesterday, as well as re-reading One Corpse Too Many, a Brother Cadfael mystery. And I started a Wilbur Smith novel, titled Monsoon, in which Hal is fighting pirates near Madagascar during the reign of William and Mary... Having a good time stuffing my head! I've had both sets of dogs out walking, running, and playing this morning; and have finally made my way home to the kits for a few hours. As soon as my key was in the lock, Lovey started singing to me; Banichi was curled up in his favorite chair and looked like I'd woken him from a very sound sleep. The kits have eaten, and I've cleaned their litter boxes, and checked my e-mail... Is it time to go back to bed yet?

I watched the West Virginia Derby yesterday, but did not really take in the fact that it was a handicap race (the better the horse is considered to be, the heavier the weight he carries). Soul Warrior, a pretty chestnut colt, trained by Steve Asmussen won the race by half a length; Mine That Bird was 1 1/2 lengths behind the second horse. Both the first and second-place horses were carrying 11 pounds less than Mine That Bird. And Mike Smith, Bird's jockey, puts the blame for the loss squarely upon himself - saying he didn't read the other horses well enough, and that he moved a hair too soon in asking Bird to begin his one long charge to the wire. Until I read the racing reports this morning, I had thought that all the horses were carrying equal weights. Silly me! ... In one of the canyons to the west of Boulder, a family had a bear break down their door and proceed to demolish the interior their home. The family has chased the bear off multiple times over the past two years, and has reported the bear to the Department of Wildlife. This past week, the bear refused to leave the premises, tore up the kitchen looking for food, and ruined most of the furniture in the living areas. A daughter was trapped in the basement during this time, reporting to both her father and DoW via her cell phone on what she could hear. When the bear started battering at the basement door and there was no other alternative, the father shot the bear twice in the chest with his shotgun. The bear ruined more items in the house during it's death throes. DoW has cleared the family of all blame - after all the reporting on it, the bear had been classified as a "nuisance bear" and was to be either transported to the Western Slope or killed, depending upon the circumstances of the next encounter. - Life out here is never dull!