21 Deer, 4 turkey, No Bears...

...And let me not leave out...the smell of one skunk. I've been a little over-the-top with keeping my kids away from any potential germs lately. As most of you know, we've been a little under the weather the past several weeks. With 6 bouts of Strep, 2 of us with the flu, and an ear infection (not to mention seasonable allergies that are wreaking havoc on Chip and Kendall) all within the past 6 weeks, Mommy has become even more OCD than before. Any indoor facility that isn't required to have the presence of my children, does not, in fact, have the presence of my children. So, last weekend we packed up and headed to the open air of Cades Cove with nothing to do all day but sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Loop and explore cabins and churches. We tried to leave early, but fortunately (I can't make myself say "unfortunately"), Kendall slept until nearly 9AM and Cooper played quietly by himself so Chip and I did not really make it out of bed until well after 8AM. I feel certain that if we had gotten up at our regular hour and left the house, I would have seen a bear up close and personal. However, I was still confident we would see one since the temperature was in the high fifties when we arrived at Cades Cove and the skies were overcast. We saw plenty of deer, but alas, no black bears. I'm holding out hope that I'll catch a glimpse of one before the winter months arrive!