dual personalities

On Saturday I reported that son #2 made it to Kodiak Island. Since then he’s explored the area and had his first bear sighting, a mother and her cub!

Photo courtesy of N. Potter

This bucolic photo put me in mind of the great bear stories that my children loved and that I loved during my own childhood. There’s Winne-the-Pooh, of course,

and Rupert the bear.

And let’s not forget Little Bear — we read a lot of those books and watched the cartoon on TV.

Paddington, though very cute, never caught on for some reason.

Everyone loves bears, especially cuddly talking ones that wear clothes and are kind to children. I guess that’s one of the benefits of civilization. Once most people encounter bears in zoos or on TV we can forget how dangerous they really are. Well, at least as long as we avoid stepping on lines.

“Lines and Squares

Whenever I walk in a London street,
I’m ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street,
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, “Bears,
Just look how I’m walking in all of the squares!”
And the little bears growl to each other, “He’s mine,
As soon as he’s silly and steps on a line.”
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try to pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It’s ever so portant how you walk.
And it’s ever so jolly to call out, “Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!”
― A.A. Milne

Have a bear-y happy Monday!

*Teddy Bears’ Picnic