The one with the bear...

So, this is Adelynne and I just prior to setting out after Nehemiah on a walk on the trail around our land...

Nehemiah found some wild raspberries to pick, and I went to investigate some odd scat while he munched away (after taking this photo)...

You see, I was going to take a picture of the scat to show Ben, because I knew it was from a big animal--as in over 100 pounds, because it looked bigger than Maltby's poop. Then again, I thought it might be puke. So I started to focus the camera to take the picture--this is how it came out...

Looks like a shot from a horror flick, and I was pretty sure it would be too, because as I clicked the button with Adelynne in the sling and an obstinate Nehemiah 30 feet away picking raspberries, there was a great rustling in the brush nearby.

Yeah, I grabbed a very perturbed Nehemiah and hoofed it back to the yard with both of them in arms to tell Ben (who was mowing the lawn), and to get Maltby (who was chasing a phantom creature under our porch, because every time he walks on it the boards squeak, and he thinks his prey is underfoot). My heart was a-poundin' because I know that there are bears, mountain lions, and timberwolves that all range through our area, but I hadn't seen a sign that close to our house before.

Ben's report was that it was black and runny like bear scat (partly why I thought it might be puke), that it reeked when poked, that the dog didn't even notice it, and that if it is indeed bear poop, it was actually a pretty small series of piles.

So either we have a little bear, or a wolf or cougar with intestinal issues.

Great! *rolls eyes; voice dripping with sarcasm*

Here we are, just keepin' it rural!