Deer, oh beloved deer, why don’t you show up the nights I bundle up, lace my snow boots, and cross the treacherous ice covered driveway, walk far out there into the dark unknown to place the trail camera “just so” in order to capture your likeness in the dark bitter night?
Don’t you realize how hard it is for this city girl used to bright street lights to walk intentionally onto a dark road. Trained from birth never to walk out of the reach of street lights, I don’t feel comfortable being out there at night. It’s cold, dark, and who knows what lurks out beyond the shadows of the feeble house light. It could be anything, but obviously it’s not you, my beloved deer.
Do you know how much nerve it takes for me to stand my ground and not run screaming back into the house when the dogs growl at some still shadow late at night? That in my mind there could be anything out there. Don’t laugh, it’s not funny, and yes I know that you have spent your life dodging dogs, darkness, and coyotes, but I haven’t.
Oh deer, why can’t you decide to eat the frozen pumpkins and squash we put out for you on the nights when the trail camera is up? Why did you bring a whole herd of your friends, we counted 8 of you through the windows, and there was no trail cam out that night. The joy of seeing you cancelling out the discomfort of our icy toes as we watched your blurry shapes enjoy the feast below. But our regret for being camera less was like a hangover the next morning.
The dogs were wild with joy, over your scent, left behind in the deer prints all crisscrossing the field. Since their barking continued all night, we were both sleepless, and lacking a photo.
So deer, lets make a compromise, you show up at least one of the nights per week that I have put out the trail camera, and we will keep feeding you those frozen pumpkins, and squash.
It’s a really fair deal, and maybe somewhere along the way, I can get over my dislike of the dark.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
I'm thinking of the 'field of dreams'....keep feeding and they will come.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the fear of the dark!
Good Morning Jen! Oh Deer....maybe putting a salt lick will bring them back more regularly? One of these days they'll reward you with a good shot..hang in there :) OH I hear you when you say you're afraid of the dark..been that way all my life. Does it go away? Hope your day is a good one and good luck on the house hunt!
ReplyDeleteMaura :)
Good luck capturing them. You are the nightime version of Little Red Riding Hood. Don't let the wolves eat you up!1
ReplyDeleteOh that was me 3 yrs ago. Had moved from a good sized town in the U.K, had neighbors all around and street lights. Now I recognize some of the nite sounds, trees cracking in the cold, the noise wind makes, owls and coyotes. I have deer that come round every day now, I buy a big bag of corn and put some out every couple of days in the winter. After a while they figure it out, they even watch me sometimes..at a distance still. It is great for trail cam pics.
ReplyDeleteMy brother, or actually his wife, feed deer. They live in the Texas hill country near Austin. He retired and they moved from the city to a sprawling Texas Spread. While not at all tame, the deer come near for the corn they put out. He has an automatic feeder left behind by hunters that his wife fills with corn deep in their woods. Your deer will become creatures opportunity and soon they will become more demanding and less allusive.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteI have throroughly enjoyed catching up on your blog this morning....it grey and raining here in Toronto so your site has been a lovely little piece of light and beauty on this bleak day. :) Congrats on the move...very exciting!
And thank you for Sophie's birthday wishes! We had a great day together.
Andrea
Nice to have deer around. Our regular visitor here is pigeons.... they will come in hundreds at the field.
ReplyDeleteIt is dang cold up there girl. Maybe your camera is just frozen?
ReplyDeletesuch a beautiful post, isn't it great how we are all so different, I lived all my years but the last few in the country and when moving to town it was the lights at night that bothered me the most, there is way more to fear in a city at night than in the country, you're only fear would be wolves, thats a rare occurence to have them attack, just make lots of noise and if the dogs are with you you'll be safe, I hope you see the deer soon,
ReplyDeleteI've lived in the country (along a fairly busy secondary road) for almost 35 years and I still am afraid to go beyond the house light in the dark. Your photos are so beautiful. I love the last one with the dogs walking away and the puffs of snow on the fence posts. I hope you 'catch' your elusive deer on camera. Pamela
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way. Walking alone in the dark or on a creepy cloudy day with no one around while searching for something is rather unnerving:)
ReplyDeleteI think when it is dark our imaginations go wild and spook us out. LOL! It will take a while to get use to the sounds at night again.
ReplyDeleteWe have four deer who visit our backyard every night now, to eat the alfalfa cubes we put out for them. They come through the garden. Every time I take the dogs out, I wonder if they're standing in the shadows beyond the barn, waiting for us to leave. I'm nervous that they'll come stampeding out one night and kick me to death with their hooves. My dogs both bark at the shadows, too and it freaks me out. Especially knowing there are coyotes in the area, they've been marking the trails we've made in the field out behind our place.
ReplyDeleteI love a moonlite night..but the shadows can look scary..especially to former city girls:)
ReplyDeleteWhenever you feel scared, just look up at those millions of stars above and you will forget everything else. I've lived in the country forever and I just found out this year that deer like pumpkins.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and hope to see some pics of your deer
ReplyDeleteHooooooooo....(lurking) in the woods.... **smiling** I'm sure it has to be eerie for you. My 2 sisters never 'ventured out' as we grew up and they won't to this day, even when they've visited us in our faraway places. You will, I guarantee, grow to find peace and joy in the 'wilds'. And you will get to take some amazing photos that you are so good at!
ReplyDeleteLove your photos, just found your blog!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you love taking photos as much as I do!
I will be visiting often!
Chris :o)
I hope the deer decide to give you some nice photos! The dogs sure have...
ReplyDelete