LOL . . . Dooley . . . you had my mind reeling when I began to read your post . . . I pictured all these 400 or 500 bears coming down in your yard . . . then I read further, and realized what you meant! THANK GOODNESS!!!! I have been reading a book copyrighted in 1925. It's title is "Haps And Mishaps At The Old Farm" by C.A. Stephens. It is set in Oxford County Maine, USA, and he writes about 1801 as being the "great bear year" when suddenly bears became so numerous and bold as seriously to menace the settlers' families and stock. I guess I was still in that mode of thought! My, but you have been busy!!! How long have you been collecting bears, and what made you start? I collect snowmen, but I have them in my office at work . . . I put them out around November, and need to put them away soon. I started to do away with them last year, and then I saw one that a friend in Colorado gave me . . . she died in August . . . so I changed my mind. I wish I had a curio cabinet to keep them in at home, so I would not have to go through the ritual of putting them out each year, and even worse trying to find a place to store them each spring. Calomaar: I love the pic . . . your bear must be a teenager or younger. When I was coming home from work on Wednesday . . . There were two elderly men with a truck beside the road . . . they were selling bears carved out with chainsaws . . . I did not have my camera with me, or I would have gotten a pic . . . they were very grand . . . all painted black and all. I did not stop, but I bet they cost a lot.
I've been collecting bears for about 25 or 30 years. The boys started giving me stuffed animal when they were young. Then my oldest son started making bears when he was in college and gave me several that he made. Then, I started making bears and have quite a few of them. The homemade ones are the ones I've kept out. Gradually most of the other animals went by the wayside and the collection turned into just bears for the most part. It seemed a harmless hobby until they started taking over every surface and available chair in the house. I'm not sure what I will do with them. At our age a bigger house doesn't seem an option. dooley
