By Maryanna GabrielI recently had someone visiting me from a large Canadian city who asked me in a rather quavering tone, did the deer here bite? I stared at her. I thought to myself how appalling it must be to be so out of touch with nature. To my credit I kept a straight face and replied quietly, "No".
She countered with the question, was there anything to worry about then. "You mean bears and such? I said lightly. She nodded. I hesitated. I was not going to tell her about the time I saw a black bear ambling towards the canal road. It was only once in twenty years after all. Shaking my head, I turned from her with a clear conscience and bustled off hoping her stay here would settle the question.
It was not much later I was reading the "Salt Spring Exchange". There had just been a cougar siting on Starks Road and for folks to be careful. My friend was long gone. Deer may not bite but cougars surely do. It was a reminder for me that a little humility might not be amiss when it comes to these types of conversations. We are still not out of the woods.