October 2012
Hibernation
01/10/12 14:40
Monday, October 1, 2012 was a beautiful day. It was good to wake up in Custer, but early in the day, Edward R. Bear sensed that it was going to be the day of hibernation. After breakfast, while Susan was sweeping the floors and cleaning up around the inside of the camper, Ted was draining the water and getting ready to winterize it. Soon the pink antifreeze was coming out of the faucets and into the toilet.
The beautiful day lent itself to a beautiful drive through Custer State Park. The leaves were bright yellow and there were lots of animals to see. Big Horn Sheep, antelope, deer, chipmunks, squirrels and buffalo all came into sight. When they got to the house, Ted and Susan set to work unloading everything from the camper – the refrigerator was emptied. The bedding was removed. Cupboards were checked and cleaning things in bottles were all removed. Edward senses that hibernation was coming.
Then it was off again. Ted backed the camper into a narrow space next to another camper in a field full of campers. It was after they unhooked from the pickup that Edward began to get a sense of what hibernation would be like. A big cover was pulled over the entire camper and it got darker inside.
Edward was glad that his belly was full and that he felt comfortable in his bed in the dinette of the camper. It seemed like spring might be a long way off and Edward was getting sleepy. He clutched his fish to his chest and allowed the sleep to come.