I know for my Craig friends this isn't an unusual scene. Pretty common around these here parts. Back when we were considering relocating to Craig, I would drive around in the neighborhoods and couldn't get over seeing deer all over town... just wandering the streets. I thought it was so CHARMING. During our first months here, we would get so excited to see a doe and her little 'Bambi' in the front yard or a buck out behind the garage.
You could say I've had a change of heart since then. My heart started changing right about the time they ate all my tulips. And my petunias. And my geraniums.
Until this fall, we had only seen a buck in the backyard one time. He was having a face off with the lab that we were dogsitting. Zoe (the dog) was so excited and wanted very much to play with him. The buck had other ideas and I don't think 'playing' was on his list. He really just wanted to get the heck out of there, and she was blocking the only exit.
This fall, however we have seen what we think is the same buck in the backyard at least a half dozen times. I'm not sure why he likes it here. I'm pretty sure it's not the rowdy kids... or the trampoline. We do have a crabapple tree, and he enjoys the apples. But the neighbor has one too. In the front yard. With no fence around it. Go figure.
Sometimes he will make himself at home and hang out for a couple of hours. This annoys me on many levels. 1) He likes my roses. 2) He leaves dung (Owen's word - When I asked him why he calls it that, he said, "Mom. That's the nice way of saying poop) all over my lawn 3) I have children in my yard ALL the time, and he's bigger and pokier than they are.
Anyone have a tag they need to fill? I won't tell.
Oh, that is so funny. I went through exactly the feelings you predicted: first I thought, "OH, how ADORBS, I just LOVE him, how CHARMING! _I_ want a deer in MY yard!!" Then you mentioned the tulips, and I thought about how much I loved my tulips this year, and how I would feel if some DEER just went ahead and ATE them. Yeah. Now you've got my sympathies.
ReplyDeleteA side note is that whenever I see your family photo I think, "OMG that is SO MANY children!!" And yet it is exactly how many children _I_ have. I guess this explains why everyone looks at us with interest when I take them out shopping.
Don't they say deer are kept away by urine? Maybe you should encourage the boys to stop using the potty. :)
ReplyDeleteActually Merf, I think the boys would be in LOVE with that idea! The neighbors, however... not so much.
ReplyDeleteSwistle - It IS so many children! :) I have been feeling the 'largeness' of my family lately. I think it has to do with school starting and getting back into all of our over-scheduled craziness.
When I first got married I totally planned on having six or eight kids. Then we had two, realized that parenting is HARD, and decided to stop there. My hat's definitely off to you; it looks like you're doing an amazing job. And your family is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure the peeing trick would work- just have the boys pee around the perimeter of your yard! Daily! (And now I'm wondering if that IS a good idea, after all.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, my hometown is Rapid City, SD (where I grew up, not where I live now) and they have so many deer within city limits that they now have a SEASON for HUNTING them, IN TOWN. I think it's bow hunting only, and I think you have to have some kind of... game warden... blessing? training? not sure. But still- hunting in town!
@ Marie Green - Thought you might be interested in the turn of events regarding the deer the last few weeks. The DOW is considering bringing in marksmen to hunt them at night IN TOWN. I said I thought that sounded more like 'Mission Impossible' than 'Mission Deer Removal'. It has been a really divisive issue in the community.
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