Page 14 - Sentinel Novemberl 2017

CONDOLENCES TO THE FRIENDS BEAR WISE
AND FAMILY OF MYRNA BEEN who Howdy, folks. Beary Bear here. I
passed in her sleep on the night of October thought you might enjoy seeing a pic-
20-21. She was 79 years old. Myrna served ture of me in my costume from this
on the Larkspur town council through the past Halloween. If you couldn’t guess,
‘90s and was elected mayor in 2002, serv- I was a “Blind Football Official.” A
ing in that capacity until 2006. She was a throwback to the season a few years
force to be reckoned with. ago when we all had to endure foot-
ball officiating replacements who
subbed for the then striking real of-
ficials. I don’t know about you, but it
IN THE “FOR WHAT IT’S seemed that some of the replacements
WORTH” DEPARTMENT... appeared to be a bit sight challenged.
Based on what I’m seeing so far during this football season,
From The Old Farmer’s Amanac (found- I’m suspecting that some of the subs have landed permanent
ed 1792) comes a long range forecast for officiating jobs within the league with no improvement in their
the High Plains (Canadian border south eye sight. Critics are everywhere, even in the forest.
to the Texas Panhandle, covering Den-
ver and Colorado Springs). Bear Eye Sight
Believing that we have poor eyesight is actually a common mis-
NOVEMBER 2017: temperature 31° conception. This myth comes from thinking: “that humongous
(5° below avg.); precipitation 1.5” (0.5” nose probably makes up for his poor eye sight.” This may be
above avg.); Nov 1-3: Showers, mild; Nov 4-11: Snow show- true for your uncle Eddie, but not for us.
ers, cold; Nov 12-19: Sunny, mild north; snow showers, cold
south; Nov 20-23: Snow, then sunny, turning mild; Nov 24-30: In addition to having an amazing sense of smell, we black bears
Snowy periods, turning bitterly cold. actually have excellent eyesight including seeing most colors.
We bears can see just as well as you do during the daytime, and
Annual Weather Summary: November 2017 to October after dark we have fantastic night vision. So, don’t be fooled....
2018 we will either see you or smell you before you see or smell us.
Winter will be warmer than normal, with slightly above-normal
precipitation. The coldest periods will be from late November Bear Questions: I received the following question recently
into early December and from late December into early Janu- from a read-
ary. Snowfall will be below normal in the north and above in er: I was on
the south, with the snowiest periods in mid- and late Novem- a hike and
noticed what
ber, mid- to late December, and early to mid-March. April and appeared to
May will be cooler than normal, with precipitation a bit above be bear claw
normal. Summer will be a bit hotter than normal, with slightly marks on an
below normal rainfall. The hottest periods will be in early and aspen tree
mid- to late July and mid-August. September and October will trunk. What
be cooler than normal, with slightly above normal rainfall. gives?

Answer: In
order to es-
tablish ter-
ritory domi-
nance, guy
black bears will often claw trees. Female bears evidentially
don’t need to prove their dominance – they already rule. The
highest marks on the tree are associated with the most dominant
electric male, unless the bear was standing on a ladder. In that case, the
highest marks on the tree trunk represent the most creative bear
– like yours truly. Dominance is way overrated. Being creative,
not dominating, is the ticket to a more fun and happy life.
Continued on page 16
Pete Dunbar 1341 Quartz Mountain Drive
Larkspur, Colorado 80118
303-681-3809 Happy Thanksgiving
Cell 303-638-6762

Page 14 - November 2017 Perry Park Sentinel