This is a photo of a cougar that I took at a local zoo. This large cat is also known as mountain lion, puma and various other names. These animals are dangerous if cornered. When I was about 10, a cougar cried at night in the rural area where we lived. I would lay in bed and chills would run over my body as I huddled beneath the covers and listened to its cries. It was amazing how much it sounded like a human baby.

When I was in my 20s and Michelle was about 5, a cougar roamed the woods and fields near my parent's home once again. I was always careful to have Michelle in the house when darkness fell. Tracks had been sighted very near to the house. For years we didn't have another cougar sighting around here. Then, about five years ago, the city was clearing a small forest and brush in the north end to put in a highway. Apparently a cougar had been living in the area and when the workers destroyed its habitat, it began to roam near where Michelle and Barry lived with the boys.

In the last two weeks, a cougar has once again been spotted in this area. A police officer was sitting in his car near a busy street when the cougar walked right past his driver's window. He tried to follow it, but the cougar lost him. The following day, it was seen in an area where a father and his children were tobogganing. This is on the outskirts of the city, but not far from a residental neighborhood and a school. There hasn't been a sighting for several days now.

Cougars are not native to this part of Ontario. It may have traveled down from northern Ontario in search of food, or maybe it's an offspring of the cougar that lived there five years ago. Maybe it is the same cougar and it has just not been sighted. This has been a hard winter and the animal may be moving into the populated area because it is hungry. This makes me fear for the lives of small children and animals. Since no one has reported seeing it for a few days, I do hope that it has moved on. Though I love all animals and think that cougars are beautiful creatures, they have no place in the city or populated areas. They usually try to stay away from humans. I would hate to see the animal killed just because it wandered too close to town.
Update on Michelle:

Michelle is moving around nicely and a nurse is coming twice a day to irrigate the infected area with saline before packing it. This morning she saw her GYN and she said that this is normal. I have never heard that an incision opening is normal, but then I'm not a doctor. In hindsight I'm thinking that the large red, puffy area that appeared on Michelle's stomach after surgery was fluid build-up and that it drained into the surgical area. Whatever the case, it is being taken care of and watched carefully. The GYN told Michelle that she is to continue with normal activities and keep moving, which she's been doing. She isn't in pain but is having trouble sleeping. Barry stayed home again today to take care of her. Tomorrow he is going back to work and it will be her first day home alone - unless the boys are home since it is icing and we have about 2 inches of ice pellets on the ground. The roads are treacherous, so possibly there won't be any school.

Michelle knows that if she needs anything all she has to do is call. If I can't go, hubby will. He's very good about that and it only takes us seven minutes to get to her house. So, things are going nicely and I will keep everyone updated. As for me, I was up and about today and even went out to the drugstore. By the time I got back I was exhausted. Thanks again for your love, support and kindness while I've been ill and Michelle has been recovering.

Try to do a kind deed for someone in your travels today and make the world a little brighter. You never know when you can be someone's earthly angel. ~Blessings, Mary~