Once upon a time there was a quirky TV show called Northern Exposure. The sets were iconic and so were the cast members, especially the Moose who wandered Main Street from time to time. Instead of wayward moose, I have bears. They wander thru my town, poop in my yard, and usually drive my cats crazy. One cat in particular, my small, fat, often startled by her own whiskers and afraid of everything, Queen Margot. Let me add that despite all her fear and nerves, she is a very opinionated feline. She knows what is hers and guards it with great fierceness.Where I enjoy seeing a bear outside my window, Margot does not. She sees a rival. Not a giant, scary beast with teeth that is 20 times her size and weight. No. She sees a trespasser and then she sees red.

Margot is my bear alarm and the neighborhood security system. A bear wanders into the side yard and before he can steal my bird seed and leave giant poop patties behind, Margot is at the window doing her best feline opera rendition of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. Seriously, she sounds like the scariest operatic chorus I've ever heard. The other 3 cats instantly teleport beneath the bed and I hold my hand to my heart and remind myself to breathe. And the trespassing bear? He runs. I have seen one so frightened, he has knocked over a small tree in his haste to get back to the safety (and quiet) of the woods. 

We humans are just as much a mix of the piteous and the amazing, don't you think? I treasure my timid cat who thinks the world is ending when it rains but with one well timed yowling chorus can put the fear of God into bears and even cougers. So maybe it's time I thought about embracing my own less than loved traits. How about you?