Old Bear, New Bear

The Original Next Door Bear

 

For those of you wondering, the Bear emerged from the fire unscathed. The neighbor’s garage went up in flames, but the Bear survived without a mark. A true ursine miracle. So, he is still there, in the wilds of suburban Connecticut, in all his glory. He continues to mark every season, holiday, and world event with his own brand of style. And I will continue to visit periodically if only to keep up with the season's fashion.

Obviously, since I moved, I no longer live next door to the Bear. I was feeling a little lost until I came upon this guy for sale. When I saw this face, I knew I had to rescue him. He looked like a good listener. And he is. 

Dubya times two

When I got him home and looked at him closely, I saw a distinct resemblance to George W. Bush. He’s got that same goofy, confused wince to his expression. 

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce… Dubya. 

I love having him here and talk to him daily. He’s a constant reminder that even though I have strong opinions and sometimes see things in black and white, given the right context, I am fully capable of changing my mind. 

For example – I did not vote for Bush#2 and when he was POTUS I generally regarded him as the WORST PRESIDENT EVER. 

And now… looking back… Damn, I miss him.

Forget Politics - Help your neighbors

I like to think this is Sandy

We lucked out in this part of CT. While Sandy raged all around us, those of us who live in the central part of the state made it through relatively unscathed. Our family lost power for less than a minute and we sustained no damage.

The same can't be said of those in coastal CT, NY and NJ where the storm surge caused devastation. And now, we're looking at a Nor'easter heading in our direction this week.

We are a community. Whether a town, a city, a neighborhood, a country... or a planet. We are all linked together by our humanity.

Here are just a few ways to help via the Red Cross:

Donate to the Red Cross online,  HERE

Donate $10 via text - it couldn't be easier. Just text REDCROSS to 90999 and the $10 donation will be added to your next phone bill.

Donate by phone:

Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

1-800-257-7575 (Español)

If you can't give money or items, go to your local Red Cross location and inquire about giving blood. That doesn't cost you a thing.

Here's a site  for residents of Rockaway, Breezy Point and Broad Channel to get information and assistance. If you live nearby and have power, go HERE and see what you can do to help.


Show your humanity - find a way to help.


 With the elections coming up, I for one am tired of all of the negative political posturing. We're up to our asses in Radio, TV and print ads, lawn signs, mailings and phone calls, rhetoric, lies and Bullshit. So I propose that we all take a day off from politics.

Tomorrow, for just one day, let's forget politics and focus on our fellow citizens.

Do something. Do one something to help another person.

Mitt and Barak can take care of themselves for one day.

Her Strange Addiction... This is getting serious.

After 4 full days of torrential rain, today the sun finally made an appearance. So did our neighbor, the Secret Gardener. I knew you wouldn't believe it unless you saw it, so I took this pic through my laundry room window. (I have mad stealthy ninja skills, yo.)

WATER, WATER, WATER!!!

 That's right... The ground is so saturated that she can't move her riding mower around, and the weeds have surrendered to her relentless whacking.  But she NEEDS to do something!

She is watering the lawn mud.

 I'm thinking we have a contender for that reality show on TLC called "My Strange Addiction." This is just as bizzare as the chick who was eating her couch or the guy who married his life-size doll.  (Although not so crazy as the woman who was eating her husband's ashes - that was way over the top.)

Keep watching, folks. If you see "Foliage Fetish" on the TLC previews... you'll know who it is.

This is why there's so much reality TV these days - writers couldn't make this shit up.

And so it begins...

The Bear is our next door neighbor.

At one time, in his place stood a majestic pine tree, but someone decided to remove the tree, leaving an eight foot high stump.

Now, we wondered why anyone would leave a stump that tall. Then they stripped the bark off the stump and left it - nekkid. It had an unusual shape,rather lumpy with a flat top. I thought it bore a bizarre resemblance to Bart Simpson, but my husband insisted it looked more like an 8 foot erection protruding out of the grass. Bart or Penis, for more than a year it was an eyesore.

Then one weekend in March, we went out of town. We returned home to find that the stump was no longer a stump. It had been carved into the Bear.

A raw pine nekkid Bear. Eeewww.

A week later, they painted him. Brown. Just ...brown. He stands on a rock (painted gray of course), one paw across his chest as if he's saying the pledge of allegiance.

Not a scary, ferocious Bear (as bears should be), but a goofy, non-threatening, patriotic Bear.

I hated him. Despised that stupid Bear. Each day, I'd plot his demise. I'd fantasize about borrowing a rifle and blowing that stupid brown woodie out of the yard.

Then came Easter.

What I didn't know was that when they carved this monstrosity, they also drilled a hole under his paw.

So there he was, Easter weekend, surrounded by bright yellow daffodils, sporting a huge pink "HAPPY EASTER!!!!" flag clutched in his paw. However, because the paw is permanently poised across his chest, he looked like he'd been speared through the heart by some demented Easter Bunny.

I swear I could see a definite wince in his painted eyes as he stood there on display for the world to witness his ultimate indignity.

I began to see the Bear in a completely different light.