Bears in the Woods

Neighborhood Gossip
I heard the other day, from my brother, that a bear had killed a moose in the woods behind my house. I thought, "That explains the smell of rotting moose that I smelled coming from the woods behind my garage."
Yesterday, at the mailbox, I was talking to my next door neighbor (east side). He heard that my neighbor, two lots to the west, had actually seen the bear take down the moose in his yard. That would be around 600-900 feet to the west of my house. He also heard that the moose remains were buried deep with a backhoe to discourage the bear.

So I wasn't smelling that dead moose two days ago. There must be another dead moose behind my garage. I don't think I'll check it just now.

Two years ago I had a dead moose back there. It didn't appear to be a bear kill however, as it was whole and was slowly scavanged by smaller animals.

The neighbor at the mailbox also told me that early last winter he found that someone had poached a cow and calf moose in his *yard. He called the Alaska Fish and Game and they told him they already knew about it. In fact they had caught the poacher. He was one of our other neighbors and he moved the moose meat by sled leaving a trail from the dead moose to his back door. Criminals are so smart.

*For those unfamiliar with the "yards" in my area. I have a 9 acre yard. The neighbor to the east has a 15 acre yard. The neighbor where the bear killed the moose has a 5 acre yard.

Back at Work

Day 7 of the rest of my life.

Kate's wake-memorial went well, large turn out of friends and family.

Starting yesterday my brother is car pooling with me now and walking at lunch. It helps, gives me a little something to anticipate.

My posts may be sparse again for a while. I don't want to broadcast my feelings. I'll post if and when I have thoughts, observations and or images not related to my emptiness.

Cookie

I am still numb. Everything happened so fast that the whole thing seems unreal and dream-like, (an awful dream.) Personally, I don't know when it's going to hit me that she's really gone.
In my mind I am still composing my next conversation with her, then I realize I am not going to call her on the phone. I am not going to pick her up in the morning to go to work. We are not going to meet for lunch. When I go to her house only her sons will be there.

Her little dog, Cookie, met me at the door to her house yesterday. She rushed me barking, jumping up on me and nipping at my hands. It was far and away the most enthusiastic greeting she's ever given me. I picked her up and cuddled her for a few minutes. When I put her down she when to the other side of the room, sat down and looked at me. When I called to her she would not come.

My Kate

Katherine June Hale 2/28/1955 - 9/16/2008