Category: Nature

Frailty
animals · Grief · Love · Nature · Writing

Frailty

Amy32 Comments

April 2, 2011

A young deer collided with my mom’s car this morning. We were driving back from the grocery store, trunk full of food, discussing something mundane about the week; something I can’t recall now. We saw one deer dart across the left lane of traffic and we gasped. My mom applied her brakes. We momentarily believed we had escaped what could have been a horrific situation, and then, just as suddenly, two more young deer darted from the brush.

My mom did what she could to slow down, but there was no way to avoid what was to come. The third deer ran head first into the driver’s side of the car. A loud thunk was felt and we pulled over. Already I was sobbing. I did not look back. I COULD NOT look back. My mom was shaking and sobbing. People began to pull over, maybe wondering if they could help us, maybe wondering if we were ok. Some did come up to the car and talk to us, making sure we were all right.

Physically, we were fine. The car was not damaged. Emotionally we were not fine. I am still not fine. That young deer didn’t die right away, it lingered for maybe 10 minutes before dying. Someone – I don’t know who – came and took the deer away. I don’t know if it was the County or a person who was planning on utilizing the meat. I don’t care. A deer died a traumatic death in the middle of the road because of a man-made vehicle that could not stop in time. The people inside that car do not agree with killing of animals for sport, and one of them (me) is adamant against such activities. So, to accidentally kill a deer – or any animal – is, for me, excruciating.

To unintentionally kill a beautiful animal that has every right to live is a horrible, horrible feeling. I took my mother’s hand and held it. And we cried. I cried not only for that young deer in the road, but for all the other deer who meet similar fates, and for others who are cruelly killed for sport.

Finally, the police arrived and said they do not file police reports for deer collisions, and since there was no damage to the car, my mom would not have to fix anything, so need to contact the insurance company.

Deer hair lingers on the driver’s side window, though, and I can’t bear to go over to that side to see the small dent I have been told is there now.

So that’s it. Nothing can be done. We just go on about our day? What about the two other deer? Where did they go? Do they wonder what happened to the young doe?

Are they waiting for her on the other side of the road, off in the distance?

Sorry, I just can’t finish this. I can’t stop crying.

Please, whatever you do today, hug your dogs, your cats, your ferrets, whatever pet you know and love. And hug your people, too. We are all fragile in this life.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

Letting The Light In
Flowers · Nature · Nature photography · Photography · poetry · spring · Trees

Letting The Light In

Amy29 Comments

My flowers are starting to come alive now that we’ve sprung into Spring. I’ll have a post about my favorite tree – the Eastetn Redbud – coming soon, but until then, please enjoy these photos of what’s happening around here.

The Gerberas have started to thrive again, though I do still have to cover them at night.
The Dianthus is massive. it’s been like this all winter. The blooms on this are really cool. They might happen as early as next month.
This is my mother‘s Weeping Cherry Tree. As you can see, it is very much alive and soon will blossom. I have written two poems involving this tree. I will link them below.

Cherry Blossoms – a poem about my mom and her beloved tree.

Ashes To Dirt – a poem about spreading my mother’s ashes underneath her tree.

©️2024, itsamyisaid.com, all rights reserved

That Time I Saved A Deer
animals · Nature

That Time I Saved A Deer

Amy15 Comments

Facebook reminded me yesterday of a thing that I did in 2018. I was driving to work at about five in the morning. At the time I was working 30 miles away, and had to be there by 6:30. I had to be very careful because it was still very dark and deer are prevalent. I would also see fox, but the deer are by far the most prevalent. They can do the most damage to themselves as well as to humans. It breaks my heart when I see deer deceased on the side of the road. I can’t even look. I can’t look at any animals that are deceased on the side of the road. I believe this stems from the time I saw my dog get hit by a car and killed twenty feet away from me, when I was about five. So now, whenever I can save an animal life, I will. Even a fly – and I despise flies. Even more, I despise their children. But back to the story at hand. In 2018 on a cold February morning, I encountered the following:

Bert Pinkfoot
daily prompt · Nature · Writing

Bert Pinkfoot

Amy7 Comments

If I started a sports team, it would be racing pigeons, and their mascot would be Bert Pinkfoot.

Bert Pinkfoot was a racing pigeon who absconded a race and somehow ended up in my backyard. I knew he was a racing pigeon because he had green bands on both ankles. He was also rather tame. He arrived several Septembers ago, and I knew he wasn’t from around here, because we don’t have many pigeons where I live. That and the bands, as I mentioned. There are plenty of mourning doves, but no pigeons.

I immediately called the local bird sanctuary, and asked about this racing pigeon in my backyard, who had attracted a local flock of doves. As a matter of fact, all the female doves were quite impressed with Bert and tried to get his attention. Bert was a working man, he was a racing bird, and he was not interested in any female attention (this is when some doves cried).

The woman at the bird sanctuary told me that Bert likely left a race. My understanding is these birds race from point A to point B and back to point A, as pigeons are trained to do. She told me it was likely if I tried to return the bird to its owner, the owner would likely kill the bird because he absconded the race and lost the owner money. She also said that there had been a race about 300 miles north, and that he probably was from that race.

I wasn’t sure what to do with Bert. I had already been feeding and giving water to the “normal” birds, so he had a bit of an all-you- can eat buffet and sanctuary in my backyard. The woman also told me that he’d be likely to be eaten by hawks because he was raised to be a racing pigeon, and had no true exposure to the outside, natural world. At least not while he was trying to sleep.

Bert hung around for several weeks, though he never joined in with the doves. He tolerated his distant cousins, and maybe he found solace with them. We’ll never know why he left the race – whether he was seeking freedom or he got lost – but after about two weeks, Bert was no longer in my backyard. I didn’t see him again. I like to think he found his freedom and flew to a nearby city to be with his brethren city pigeons. I don’t think of the alternative.

Bert Pinkfoot

©️2023 itsamyisaid.com, All Rights Reserved.

I Was A Park Ranger
daily prompt · Nature

I Was A Park Ranger

Amy1 Comment

Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

It was always my dream to be a park ranger. Ever since I was a small girl, I imagined myself out in the wilderness, wearing rugged boots and heavy clothing topped off with a nondescript brown hat. Flowers and trees and plants as far as the eye can see. I never knew if I would realize my dream. I worked hard toward it, but life interrupted.

That’s what I told my Acting 101 class as I pretended that I’ve always wanted to be a park ranger. While it’s true that I love plants and trees and the grass beneath my feet, mosquitoes have an unrequited love for me, and I do not like the smell of leaves, nor being cold at night. Sleeping in a tent? I’ll pass, thanks.

My performance earned me a round of applause. They believed me.