The Mighty & the Tiny

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In the off-grid back of the beyond, my friend, who lives high at the foot of the mountain told me this autumn cautionary tale, after I mentioned... bear scat:

Her neighbors come jostling out of bed; they hear commotion on their deck. It's still dark out and chilly. A visitor at this hour? An intruder?!

They peek around the curtains and see a black bear knocking over flower pots and such.

Their son looks over his mother's shoulder. A huge bear of a man himself, before anyone can stop him, he creaks open the door and steps out on the porch. He and bear eye one another.

Son does the rise up on toes, raise arms and look bigger routine trying to scare it off. The bear rises up, too!

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At which point, the family dog, a tiny miniature dachshund, sees his boy in danger and rushes out the pet door.

The bear bends down for a closer look at the tiny yapping ferocity. Morsel-worthy? One sweep of a clawed paw?

The wee dachel, defender of hearth and home, leaps up and nips the bear on his big black shnoz!  Frenzied barking, an ursine bellow, and bear goes galumphing off into the sagebrush and pinon.

Well, I laughed till my sides hurt...

And then thought about Darth Vader hot stuff stomping around, and small doings, down home and gathering force.

Thought about kids' lemonade stands, and bake sales to pay down a friend's medical bills, and communities building homes for families, and food pantries feeding the hungry, and the girl who co-won the Nobel Peace Prize giving the $50k to rebuild the UN school destroyed in Gaza.

We've got big dark and ugly smashing flower pots, and then, we've got good hearts and miniature dachshunds!

Animal stories read aloud:

http://youtu.be/0PZUNQO7W88

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