Sometimes a person has to vent! I nearly went into orbit the other day when I discovered my hosta plants, my tiger lilies, and my roses were shorn and mowed down by a herd of hungry deer. Oh yes, we live on a flood plain, and yes, we see animals of all sorts out there. We’ve got the proverbial raccoons, skunks, and opossums that nose into my potted plants and yard looking for grubs. We’ve got squirrels and rabbits. A family of foxes lives down near Cedar Creek, the little creek behind our property that’s a tributary of the St. Joseph River that flows into the city of Fort Wayne that meets up with the St. Mary’s River and the Maumee River. The three rivers run in a northeasterly direction and empty into Lake Erie. Here behind my house it’s just a creek that once was home to 27 species of freshwater mussels Native American Indians – the Potawatomi --appreciated. But I digress.
We also have deer. They are most visible in the winter, but during this time of year, they wander up the ravine into the yards and even down the street throughout the neighborhood. I find them nibbling and chewing their way happily, their white-tails flashing as we shoo them away. The way our lot is arranged on this big earth is that the back side of our yard is officially in the country, and our front yard is officially in the city. Ah, so technically, hunting could occur in the back yard but not the front. Of course, we wouldn’t shoot deer or anything because we’re not that sort and we live in a pleasant neighborhood, but sometimes the thought crosses my mind especially when the flowers I so carefully tended are chomped down like an insult. So, yes, sometimes a person has to vent!
And now that I have, I will move on to another topic which is much dearer to my heart, one I can accept with joy: America the beautiful. Although half the world seems aflame with violence, hatred, insults, and jeers, this is still a beautiful world. It’s the fourth of July, and our country is celebrating its 247th birthday. In most towns thee are little festivals, community bands, churches, parks, schools, and hotdog stands. Kids still play; theaters stage performances, and my husband plays his cornet. In the mornings he stands by the back door and plays “Reveille” and in the evening, he plays “Taps.” The deer look up and watch and listen. What can I say? What can I do? The answer is to plant marigolds! Deer don’t seem to like marigolds.
We also have deer. They are most visible in the winter, but during this time of year, they wander up the ravine into the yards and even down the street throughout the neighborhood. I find them nibbling and chewing their way happily, their white-tails flashing as we shoo them away. The way our lot is arranged on this big earth is that the back side of our yard is officially in the country, and our front yard is officially in the city. Ah, so technically, hunting could occur in the back yard but not the front. Of course, we wouldn’t shoot deer or anything because we’re not that sort and we live in a pleasant neighborhood, but sometimes the thought crosses my mind especially when the flowers I so carefully tended are chomped down like an insult. So, yes, sometimes a person has to vent!
And now that I have, I will move on to another topic which is much dearer to my heart, one I can accept with joy: America the beautiful. Although half the world seems aflame with violence, hatred, insults, and jeers, this is still a beautiful world. It’s the fourth of July, and our country is celebrating its 247th birthday. In most towns thee are little festivals, community bands, churches, parks, schools, and hotdog stands. Kids still play; theaters stage performances, and my husband plays his cornet. In the mornings he stands by the back door and plays “Reveille” and in the evening, he plays “Taps.” The deer look up and watch and listen. What can I say? What can I do? The answer is to plant marigolds! Deer don’t seem to like marigolds.
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