Got this from today's paper the Fairbanks Daily News Miner:
Blackie does version of ‘up on the roof’
By Staff Report
Published July 22, 2006
Posted in Local
At work the other day when I saw the photo of a handsome black bear on top of a greenhouse, the old Drifters song, “Up on the Roof,” popped right into my head.
The lyrics “On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be, and there the world below can’t bother me,” seemed to fit pretty well.
The big bruin looks like he’s enjoying his adventure but, unlike the song, the world did bother this brute.
John Linnell, who lives close to the roller rink on Dennis Road, took several photos of the visitor a few nights ago.
John, who is my co-worker with Chugach Development Corp. and also works at Alyeska, was mowing his lawn when he looked up to see the bear walking on top of the greenhouse. Not your everyday sight, even if you are in Alaska.
By the time he got his camera, the bear had come off the roof and was going after a snack in a nearby garbage can. Onlookers made enough racket to move the big fellow away from the garbage and he scooted up a tree.
“After he came down from that tree one of my other neighbors who had some leftover fire crackers from the Fourth of July lit them off and gave the bear a pretty good scare because he sure didn’t stay around long after that. All in all it was a pretty fun and interesting night,” John said.
Then he added, “Oh well, just another day in Alaska.”
Another day in Alaska translates to something a lot different from, say, “another day in Mississippi” or most other places. A moose in the backyard is a way of life for us. What we take for granted astounds and amazes those from other states.
As far as critters and greenhouses, years ago a moose wandered into our greenhouse to munch on the leftovers of summer.
When the wind slapped the door shut she panicked and literally destroyed the greenhouse. There wasn’t a piece big enough to salvage and the whole works went to the landfill.
And some people wonder why we live here?
