Lions and... and bears, Oh my!

I went upstairs this evening shortly after 8:30 PM
to turn on the electric blanket on our bed. Robert
usually does that, but he was out. I turned on
lights as I went and did so as I entered our bedroom.
Usually the blinds are drawn at this time of the year,
but since my treadmill has arrived I open them all
when I am "doing my thing" on the treadmill so they
were all open. Just as I turned on the bedroom lights
the motion-sensitive light went on and there on the
patio was a full-grown mountain lion. It was headed
away from me across the patio towards the mountain.
When the light went on, it turned, slowly, and looked
back and appeared to look right at me. The light was
in its eyes so I don't know whether it saw me or not;
the bedroom light was also on. In any case it looked
back for a moment or two as I exclaimed under my breath,
"Oh, my god, Oh, my god, Oh, my god!" It then slowly
turned back and wandered off into the dark
with a flick of its tale as if to say, Oh, it's only
you. This is not the first lion I have seen out there and I
suppose not the last. Each time it gives me a start and I
admit a thrill! At the same time I would happily give up
the thrill for them to go away.

Robert, as I mentioned, was not home. He had gone to a
book signing of James Kunstler's latest book and a talk
by Kunstler. I had no one to exclaim over this new
sighting...

Ariel was here today. She and Robert split wood and
worked in the barnyard.

Later Trace Hybertson walked up from his house, after
lunch to go with us to the East Boulder Recreation Center. The
two kids swam and played in the water for from 2:30 until 4 PM
when I dragged them out. I should have left them for another
half hour because Carl didn't come until 5 PM ( the appointed
time, he often is there earlier). They played and ate snacks
from the various vending machines.