Hibernation
Sophia and Lucy are already about to turn in for the winter, they can feel nature calling them. James and myself are still very active, so we will continue hunting or fishing, until we feel nature saying, it’s time for a very long wintery nap. We also bring Sophia and Lucy some food and drinks to their beds, until they fall off into dream land. It was less than 2 days and they had begun their hibernation. It is normal for sows to go into hibernation, before the boar bears do.
Myself and James without spending a lot of energy, were able to get 2 deer and 6 possums. We also have a been going to the stream fishing, it is very low energy activity, but high fat content in the native trout. We just sit around talking and gorging ourselves, until we are also ready for hibernation. I believe that James is over 250 pounds now and I’m getting close to 300 pounds. Some of our favorite topics of the past, is talking about Oliver, how much the whole forest misses him. Another topic is Tom and Sue, I believe that James gets a little bored, when I speak so much of them. But Tom really helped to save my life, when I was depressed. But if not for me, Tom would be dead, and I never attempted to have Sue as mine, even though that was what she wanted. Then I tricked her and she has been extremely happy, ever since I did. For James his favorite story is, how much joy Lucy has provided for him. He is so thankful for Rob, and all he did to prevent Lucy being shot, without Rob she would be dead. For both, Rob is bitter sweet; bitter because he killed Oliver, sweet because he saved Lucy. He was willing to not only tell the 18-year-old, no to shooting Lucy, but as a true man, fights for his beliefs. He has earned respect by the humans around him, and the entire forest.
I asked James if himself and Lucy has spoken of any names yet; he said the only name they have come up with is Lucille, for Lucy which is her actual name but Lucille is close and that’s the name I came up with. We have tossed some other names around but have no true favorites. We decided to wait until they are born and let their personality and or markings, give them their name.
James then said how about Sophia, do you know if she has come up with any names. He said she hadn’t but I had suggested Bud. She said she likes that. Then I told her how I came up with the name. I told her it’s actually in Oliver’s honor. It’s because Dale was the first to call him the Marijuana Bear, due to his weight being 420 pounds field dressed. I don’t want to name him Marijuana Bear but marijuana has marijuana buds, so that how I came up with Bud. I then tell James that Sophia said I have a sick sense of humor, for the reasoning for Bud. But she likes Bud so we will name a boar Bud if I have one. James tells me that he agrees with Sopia that I am sick.
James said he was going in and lay down with Lucy, he is feeling nature is calling his name. I said yeah, I’m not far behind you. I will fry us a big basket of trout and bring you half of it, and I’ll eat the other half. For one last boost of protein. After they ate the Trout, they tell each other they would see each other in the spring. James said he can’t wait to see Lucille and Bud. I agreed.
Snore
Snore
zzzzzzzzz
Snore
zzzzzzzzzz
Snore
Snore
zzzzzz
Snore
Yawn, yawn
I am now waking up and trying to get all my thoughts together, when suddenly my thoughts was Bud. Do we have us a Bud. As I sprung up on to my paws, I go over to Sophia. She has 3 baby bears that appear to be around 5 or 6 pounds each, I have been told that at birth a new born black bear weighs about one pound. They will take care of themselves, living off of mom’s milk, until mom wakes up. I must know how many sows and how many boars. I reach down and pick one up it’s a sow and has a white V on her chest. I havn’t even thought of any names until after I picked her up. I hope Sophia will name her Susie after Sue. The next one was another sow, she has a little white dot on her chest. I’m worried now do we have a Bud; well, yes; yes, we do, the 3rd bear was a solid black boar. I just sat there for an hour holding Bud, I felt close to Oliver doing this. He begins to whine so, I put him back down to Sophia. He found a nipple and began to suckle. I figured I would fix breakfast now, but first I had to know how many babies lucy had. She only had 2, but I didn’t bother them I’ll let her or James whichever is awake first to check to see if sows or boars.
As I go into the kitchen the 1st thing, I see is Lucys huge buck antlers, hanging on the wall. I was in the kitchen, as I’m digging around and all I find is fish, fish, fish, where the hell is the bacon. I found it on the bottom of the freezer. We had a little deer left and a lot of fish. We won’t go hungry but will have to get out and hunt if we want much of anything other than fish. We have no eggs so I have 20 pounds of bacon and an 8-gallon pot of porridge cooking. The smell of bacon sizzling in a pan, will wake almost any bear. I hear someone stirring before long I’m hearing James say wake up Lucy, we have a beautiful boar and he has several patches of white on his chest, also I want you to meet Lucille. Lucy says you have held Lucille long enough give me, give me. He reaches down and picks up the boar bear. Hey Lucy what do you want to call him. Her response was well duuhhh that’s Patches. So, James is holding and playing with Patches and Lucy is holding Lucille. I hear Sophia stirring, and I turned off the stove, I went in to be with our expanded family. I reached down and picked up Bud, and tell Sophia meet Bud she said awe, he is so precious and he looks like a Bud. Then I pick up the one with the white V on the chest. Awe she is precious, says Sophia. I quickly speak up and said I miss Tom and Sue; would it be ok to name her Susie. Sophia says Susie, I like that I like that a lot. It made me very happy that Sophia liked Susie. So, Sophia said I had a sow and a boar. I then reach down, I grabbed the one with the white dot, and said you had 2 sows and a boar. I hand her to Sophia; she sees the white dot and she says well hello Dottie. I guess everyone now has a name.
James hands over to Sophia this is Lucille, awe she is so precious reminds me of you Lucy. Then he hands over to Sophia, the boar cub and says this is patches, well with all those patches I don’t know how you came up with that name. We let all the 5-to-6-pound cubs, meet each other for the first time. They were running and rolling around the den like crazy. This den isn’t going to be boring any time soon.
James says OMG I smell bacon is that bacon I smell. I said yes, after waking up this morning the first thing I had to know, was if we have a Bud or not, I found 2 sows and a Bud. I played with Bud for an hour until he started to whine, then I put him back down to Sophia, to let him suckle on Sophia. I then went to fix breakfast, I knew the smell of bacon sizzling, would get everyone awake, what bear cannot wake up for bacon. I feel like I haven’t eaten in about 3 months, lets dig in. They said everything was delicious, we ate everything except about a gallon of porridge, and a pound of bacon, we broke the bacon into smaller pieces, to give to all the cubs, that are now tearing up the den. I had each of them a bowl full and Bud was the first to finish his bowl. He bullies his way into Dottie’s bowl and finishes it off. Then over to Patches bowl, oh no patches say, what the hell you doing, you not bulling me. He put Bud in his place, by this time Lucille had already finished hers. The 2 boars are going to be figuring out, who is the boss. Sophia said, what have we got ourselves into, with 5 of the cutest bear cubs. This is going to be a full-time job. It wasn’t bad with you and Lucy. But 5 cubs in the same household may spell trouble with a capital T.
To keep order, we know at all-times 2 of us, will have to stay with the cubs, and 2 can go out to hunt and fish. We decided that deer and turkey and other mammalian meat is the most important, since we have plenty of fish. I had an idea and James approves. We decided to cross over the mountain to the hog farm, and get us a couple hogs. We out of bacon and some ham and sausage would also be good. We knew we had to be careful, or we could be shot. We are down at the farm now, and see no one around. We enter the hog lot, as we kill 2 large hogs. That was easy, well not so fast, here comes the farmers son, he said I should go get my dad, and tell him y’all killed 2 of his hogs. But I’m not, he has grounded me, for sneaking off with the neighbor’s daughter last night. He then said, I hear my dad coming, I’ll go and distract him and y’all drag the hogs up that trail, to the top of the mountain, it will be your easiest path. He then said he may want a favor from them, at some time in the future. We agreed that we owed him a favor.
They get both hogs back to the den, and wow so much meat. Sophia and Lucy were surprised, but terrified that we had killed hogs. They knew we had been to the farm, on the other side of the mountain, to have killed the hogs. But they were also, happy to have the hog meat, All the side meat was cut into bacon over a 100 pounds of bacon the ribs were left for barbecue ribs. They have only heard of barbecue ribs, and had never eaten any, but they do have the recipe, for best ribs of the south. They had 4 large hams, and the rest of the meat was removed from the bone, and ground up. Red pepper, salt and sage was added to the ground meat and mixed up then reground. It was over 300 pounds of sausage. This family will be eating well. Ben suddenly got a big pit in his stomach. What have I gotten himself into with the farmer’s boy. What favor will I have to do? James and myself made a pack not to tell Lucy and Sophia this, they would be worried for us!
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Dale Thacker Aurthor 
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