death of a pumpkin

We should have seen it coming. Tahoe—especially its West Shore—is known to see some bears. Chris’s uncarved pumpkin received a flesh wound from a bear about a week ago, and our friends down the road were recently victims of a break-in, losing some $400 worth of food to an ursine belly. But, it was Halloween after all, and we displayed our freshly carved pumpkins proud last night.

Yet, upon waking, a ghastly scene greeted us on our patio. My pumpkin’s hat left on the front porch, a trail of guts leading to the body, FACELESS. Yes, some sicko bear decided to rip off the face of Owlette (so she was dubbed for her small stature) and leave her hallowed body lying prone to the sky.

And what’s even stranger is that the bear decided to leave Chris’s pumpkin unscathed, except for the earlier wound it likely inflicted (you can see the marks on the pumpkin’s back in the photo below).

At least Owlette lived a glorious, though short, life. Last night, she dutifully greeted our trick-or-treaters and a few passersby earlier in the evening. And her seeds, which we toasted, topped our salads last night. R.I.P.