As we quarantined in our homes, a lot of wild animals took over our yards. Most of them, my wife Linda and I have enjoyed. But not all of them.

One night two weeks ago, a bear tore down and busted our bird feeders, right in front of our kitchen window. That bear also visited our neighbors and tore apart two of their beehives. Linda quickly put out new bird feeders, which she brings in every night. I recommend that you do that, because we have a lot of bears (45,000, give or take) and they are not just in rural Maine. They’re even showing up in our cities.

We’ve enjoyed seeing a doe deer with last year’s fawn, and the turkeys that feed all over our yard. We also have a stunning array and number of birds, including a bunch of warblers, lots of orioles, woodpeckers, goldfinches, a beautiful cardinal, and more. We also have a couple of geese, which parade across our lawn with their six babies. That’s quite a sight. And we have everything from loons to turkey vultures and eagles flying up and down our stream.

And then there’s the critters we’re not happy to see. One is a huge porcupine, which Linda can walk right up too without worrying it. We also have two woodchucks, which love to feast in Linda’s gardens. I always shot every woodchuck in our yard, but because of my illness, ALS, I can’t hold or shoot a gun anymore. And Linda won’t shoot them. She is trying to trap them, but no luck yet.

I’d love to see a moose in our yard, but sadly, I haven’t seen a moose in Mount Vernon in years. I used to have a bunch on my woodlot. I think they must have been killed by ticks, which have significantly reduced Maine’s moose population.

Today, I’m very worried about our outdoor industry — especially guides and sporting camps — and our small businesses. A lot of sporting camps will not open this year, because they depend on out-of-staters and they won’t be coming to Maine this summer. Guides have had almost all of their trips canceled. I encourage you to book a day with a Maine guide — I’ve spent many days with Maine guides and every day was a great experience. You should also book a stay at a Maine sporting camp. They need you!

And you know that lots of small businesses have closed for good. Linda and I loved Kennebec Chocolates in Augusta and were so disappointed when they closed for good about a month ago. During the seven years that we wrote weekly travel columns for this newspaper, we got to know many wonderful owners of small restaurants and inns. And we learned that for many, 80% or more of their income came from tourists. Without those tourists this year, many will not survive.

Of course, not everything has been bad in this pandemic — and I’m not talking just about wildlife. So many great Mainers have reached out to help their family, friends, and neighbors.

Several ladies from our church are doing Linda’s grocery shopping for her, and we even had two friends cut up all the downed limbs in our yard. We are so grateful for all this help.

My illness continues to progress. In addition to being in a wheelchair, I am losing strength in my hands and arms, and it’s getting harder to breath during the day. When I’m sleeping, I wear a mask and a machine blows air into my lungs. My voice is also getting softer.

But I am very lucky to have Linda as my wife, because she has to do a lot for me.

And I feel lucky I am still able to write my columns. I hope you still enjoy them!

George Smith can be reached at 34 Blake Hill Road, Mount Vernon 04352, or [email protected]. Read more of Smith’s writings at www.georgesmithmaine.com.