Happy Little Deer

Every day while driving to work I have the potential to see creatures from the animal world. After all, we pretty much live in the country so we will happen upon deer grazing in a field or a crane flying low in the sky.

This morning, I rounded the corner...and what to my wondering eye should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer! Okay, so I didn't see the sleigh but I can guarantee that I saw more than eight deer. How about 25 or so? Yep, as I drove I looked ahead and saw three deer poised near the road. I slowed down and realized that there were rows and rows of the things. All in a type of triangular pattern with one deer in the lead (roadrunner, I presume) and the rest fanning out behind--first three then six, etc. I slowed way down because heck--I am not stupid. That many deer would crush me should they be so stupid as to trot across the road. They decided not to go forward and instead all turned quietly around and threaded into the woods. No one was really hopping or leaping, just filtering through the trees and gone. Wow.

It reminded me that a few years ago on that same curve, I had a buck cross the road in front of me. Super wow. I slowed down to get a glimpse of him perhaps on the side of the road. As I stopped, I realized that he was STANDING RIGHT THERE. Gulp. We stared each other down eyeball to eyeball for a few minutes and then he jumped away. I had almost begun to sweat it out that he didn't like me and I would soon be on one of those "When Animals Attack" specials!

We often see deer in our own yard and they are truly gorgeous (the pics above are from my backyard). For awhile we had a one-legged deer that could actually bend down to eat even though she was missing her front leg. We've had twins and more than one very large group go through. I even saw a buck back there once, too. I might add that my husband has never seen one near us...it ticks him off. Ha!