Here’s What a New England Family Did When They Found a Bear Under the Deck

Happy New Year! You just found a hibernating black bear under the deck of your house. What the hell do you do?

I know, I know: DON'T WAKE IT UP! Obviously. This isn't a hypothetical, though. This happened to a family in Plainville, Connecticut back on December 30. Boston.com had the story, and it's pretty wild:

On Dec. 30, Vinny Dashukewich and his girlfriend, Olivia Unwin, were playing with his 3-year-old pit bull, Cali, in his backyard in Plainville, Connecticut, when the dog began acting strangely, growling insistently near a raised outdoor deck.

OK, sure. Dogs will be dogs. They growl at stuff. They chase their own tails (not as much as cats, but still). They eat their own poop (not all the time, but still). Of course, when you're outside and your dog starts growling at something hiding under your deck, you have to investigate:

Unwin yelled that she’d spotted a bear. Dashukewich didn’t believe it at first. He scanned the woods behind the house, which he shares with his parents and his sister Tyler but spotted no such animal. Then he locked eyes with a large black bear underneath the house’s elevated deck. The bear, fat and groggy, was nestled in a crawl space, stretched out on a bed of leaves and a tarp.

So yeah, they didn't wake it up. Good move. Instead, they posted a TikTok video, which has since gone viral. And they set the sleeping black bear up with its own Instagram account. As the Appalachian Mountain Club points out: warmer winters make for more bear encounters in the Northeast. "When in doubt keep your distance, talk in a calm voice, and slowly back away."

And please, by no means give the bear a hug. The bear does not want a hug. The bear just wants to sleep.

Before we head full-on into dining in 2023, let's look back at a handful of beloved Boston restaurants that closed in 2022.

A few weeks ago, Boston.com shared this list of restaurants we lost last year. For whatever reason, the list broke my heart a little more than I was expecting it to. I supposed it's because so many of these restaurants were survivors. Actually, they were all survivors. Every one of them made it through the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, only to have 2022 become the year that they would close their doors for good.

The one that hit hardest for me was Brato Brewhouse and Kitchen in Brighton. For a stretch of time, Brato would pop up at Idle Hands Craft Ales in Malden. They even teamed up for beer dinners--both in-person and virtual--over the last couple of years, with Chef Jon and the Idle Hands brewers walking diners and drinkers through the menu, highlighting the way the beers and food complimented each other. I'm gonna miss that burnt ends sandwich big time.

And the Boston location of the Hard Rock Cafe! It blew my mind to be reminded that they've been in their Faneuil Hall location for 15 years. I remember when they were in Copley Square back in the day. Lots of memories from that location, like bringing Dropkick Murphys on stage for a private show. And lots of memories from Faneuil Hall, too. My oldest was in grade school and my youngest was a toddler when we brought them there the first time for the Hard Rock Cafe experience.

To those two I've added another half-dozen Boston Restaurants that closed last year. Remember them well, and watch this space for more news on the restaurants we love that are still open for business!