Bear Hunt

In March, someone in our neighborhood started putting teddy bears in their front windows, so kids out for walks could go on a "bear hunt." Within a week, there were bears everywhere.

My four-year-old and I went bear hunting every afternoon. We kept a list. Bear in a pilot's hat. Bear wearing sunglasses. A giant pink bear sitting in a rocking chair on a porch. A whole family of bears having a tea party in a bay window. One house had a bear dangling from a little parachute in a tree.

People started changing their bears' outfits daily. On a rainy day, the bears had umbrellas. On St. Patrick's Day, they wore green hats. One family put their bear in a tiny bathtub with bubbles.

My son counted ninety-four bears by the end of the month. He put his own bear in our window, wearing his favorite superhero cape. Every time a kid walked by and pointed at it, he jumped up and down.