Since I posted last, we’ve had about an inch and a half to two inches of rain, four or five visits from a momma bear and her cub, and we’ve moved into our trailer. Are all these things connected? Well, the first two items certainly helped encourage the third!

The first bear visit was on the 22nd, at about 6:30 p.m. We were coming home from visiting Matt’s mom because it had rained all day, and we were greeted at the parking pad by a wet and anxious dog. Jos is usually pretty mellow, so Matt quickly followed her down to camp and discovered that we had been raided. We think that we scared them off when we got there, because there was still dog food on the ground and other edibles available. They got into the cooler without damaging it, but ate all the cheese, leftover spaghetti and tore open several other bags. They also ate some excellent apples I had bought the day before. I think I was most irritated about that! Well, that and having to quickly pick up and shlep all of our food up to the cars and the trailer (still up on the well road at this point) before it got too dark to see anything… As I was picking up the dog food, Jos started barking and I heard a loud scurrying sound right near me. I looked up and she had just treed the bear cub. I quickly grabbed the dog and Gregory and headed back up to the tent area, calling Matt. Emma was still up at the tent area because she was rather terrified by the whole thing, and we watched Matt scare off the bears while I held Jos by the collar, Gregory in my arms, and had Emma clinging to my leg. The bears finally wandered off again (the cub just does not get the hint - the mother bear had to charge the cub a couple of times before he finally gave up and followed her. That cub is going to be a problem!) Emma hid under the picnic table while I packed the food, but by the time everything was up in the cars and trailer and we were getting ready for bed, she seemed fine. Matt had to scare them off again that night, and they came back on Monday night and early Thursday morning last week. As far as we know, they haven’t been back, and they haven’t gotten anything since that first night. Matt’s truck had bear paw marks on it on Wednesday, but they haven’t made any attempts at the cars or the trailer. We’re hoping they are not as determined as Yosemite bears and they’ll leave the vehicles alone. Ah, the joys of country living!

On Monday the 24th, a friend helped Matt move the trailer down to the parking pad. They got it leveled and set up, and on Thursday we had a RV repair guy come out to check everything out before firing all the systems up. It seemed like a good idea since the trailer is about 20 years old and has been sitting unused for about 2 years. He found that a board needed to be replaced on the fridge, but otherwise it was in good shape. He replaced the board and now we have a functional refrigerator! You have no idea how great it is to have a refrigerator again. I have always known they were nifty things and all, but now that I’ve had to deal with a cooler (and the ice and the water and the mess…) for two months I really appreciate just how amazing and wonderful they are. I don’t have to worry about things falling to the bottom and getting squished and waterlogged! I don’t have to do emergency runs to town for more ice because it mysteriously melted overnight! Ah, life is good. We also have a working oven and a stovetop with 4 burners, which has been great. Sure, it is small, and I have almost no counterspace at all, but it is really nice to bake in an oven again. Everyone is adjusting to living in 224 sq. ft. of living space very well, although I rather resent having to vacuum and clean floors again. It was nice when we were in camp to spill something, kick some wood chips over it, and then continue on my way. Now there is upolstery to deal with again, and floors to be cleaned. Oh well, there are pluses and minuses to everything.

Otherwise, things are going very well. The weather has settled out a bit, so we’ve been able to do more outside again. Yesterday I put in a flight of steps down one of the hillsides so that it was easier to get to the porta-potty and the house pad. We also planted some garlic in the garden and I think we’re very close to being able to harvest some spinach, kale, and lettuce. This week I’m hoping to get a third bed put into the garden, but I need to do some chainsaw work to make that happen. (Yes, I know how to wield a chainsaw now - yay me!) I don’t use the chainsaw without Matt around, so perhaps that will wait until the weekend.

Well, we are about to head off to Faith & Fellowship at church in a bit. They do a neat thing here - they provide a free dinner for everyone, then all the kids go off their ways and the adults have their own presentation. I’ve been going up with Emma to help out with the K-5 group (they have them all together for the main presentation, then break apart to tables for about 20 min of age appropriate discussion, then come back for wrap-up and closing prayer) but still I think it is a really neat way of structuring everything. Emma has been in the pre-K/K group which is way too easy for her, but she’s going to try the 1-3rd group tonight and we’ll see how that goes. Observing this brings home some of the limitations of classroom education, but it is nice to have someone else planning something and it gives me things I can work with Emma on during the week (another reason to be there with her!)

OK, now I’m really done!