Good point, thanks for that tip. My wife is scared of the bears.

We've been experiencing an escalating black bear situation here, too. One home break-in video shows a bear stepping through a screen door, pulling open a freezer drawer, taking something out and stepping back out the way it came. The homeowner later reported it had taken a lasagna. In another incident, a catering van was getting loaded with designer cupcakes when a bear strolled over and started eating them. And in yet another, a bear entered through a slider after following the scent of fresh-baked brownies. These incidents took place either in our town or in the one next to us.

Our bird feeder has been pulled down many times, even with the spicy hot pepper blend inside. We've stopped hanging it until hibernation season. Thing is, it hangs in front of the kitchen window, and now the bears look us in the eyes through the window. That's a new thing -- they used to be shy and avoid eye contact.

All things considered, I'd rather see a bear peering into my window than a human.