Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Yesterday morning as I returned home after walking my seven-year-old daughter, Mika, to school I would have run into a deer if I had not been paying attention. I was hauling tail at full wheelchair speed (eight miles an hour), when a buck walked out about eight feet in front of me. I was able to stop and allowed the deer to cross the street undisturbed.
I believe it is mating season now and since males can be more aggressive at this time, I choose to keep my distance. The deer and I were at an intersection and I was very impressed by the way he used the crosswalk and kept walking on the sidewalk. I was headed the same direction as the deer, so I crossed to the other side of the street and proceeded slowly.
We walked/rolled parallel to each other about half a block before the buck decided he had enough sidewalk and went into a neighbor’s yard for a snack. I took that as my cue to high tail it out of there before he changed his mind and decided I was a threat.
Mika stays after school on Tuesdays for a club, so we walk home later in the day. After we crossed the street at the same corner at which I encountered the deer in the morning, that same deer and a friend were snacking at the same house (they must have really yummy bushes). Deer are common in my neighborhood in the spring and fall, in the morning and evening.
I told Mika to make sure I was between the deer and her in case we spooked him, and he decided to impale us with his antlers. This morning when we walked to school, the deer was there again, loving those bushes. This time we were on his side of the street, however Mika immediately stopped, waited for me to get in front of her and then walked into the edge of the street to keep me in between them. She walked right back when we got to the next house.
Deer, wildcats, and bears… oh, my! All are common when you live so close to the mountains. A couple of weeks ago I walked Mika to her piano lesson (she started last month and loves it). On the way, one of the homeowners a few doors down from her piano teacher’s house told us a bear had been seen in the area. I left Mika for her lesson and started back home.
When I got near the end of the block, a man turned my direction in his truck. He stopped and told me the bear was two blocks down the street. I live one block down the street so I figured I could get home safely. As I turned onto the main street and rolled my one block home, all three cars coming my way stopped to warn me about the bear. I asked all three if it was still another block away. It was. I got home safely, and Mika's sister picked her up from her lesson in a car.
My piece of advice to you is to actively protect yourself and others. All four people who saw the bear and saw me unprotected warned me. I am sure if the bear was between me and my home, any of those drivers would have rang the bell at a nearby house to ask if I could hang in their garage for a while. And I am sure the homeowners would have said yes. People are good and the world is beautiful, however you still need to pay attention.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Yesterday morning as I returned home after walking my seven-year-old daughter, Mika, to school I would have run into a deer if I had not been paying attention. I was hauling tail at full wheelchair speed (eight miles an hour), when a buck walked out about eight feet in front of me. I was able to stop and allowed the deer to cross the street undisturbed.
I believe it is mating season now and since males can be more aggressive at this time, I choose to keep my distance. The deer and I were at an intersection and I was very impressed by the way he used the crosswalk and kept walking on the sidewalk. I was headed the same direction as the deer, so I crossed to the other side of the street and proceeded slowly.
We walked/rolled parallel to each other about half a block before the buck decided he had enough sidewalk and went into a neighbor’s yard for a snack. I took that as my cue to high tail it out of there before he changed his mind and decided I was a threat.
Mika stays after school on Tuesdays for a club, so we walk home later in the day. After we crossed the street at the same corner at which I encountered the deer in the morning, that same deer and a friend were snacking at the same house (they must have really yummy bushes). Deer are common in my neighborhood in the spring and fall, in the morning and evening.
I told Mika to make sure I was between the deer and her in case we spooked him, and he decided to impale us with his antlers. This morning when we walked to school, the deer was there again, loving those bushes. This time we were on his side of the street, however Mika immediately stopped, waited for me to get in front of her and then walked into the edge of the street to keep me in between them. She walked right back when we got to the next house.
Deer, wildcats, and bears… oh, my! All are common when you live so close to the mountains. A couple of weeks ago I walked Mika to her piano lesson (she started last month and loves it). On the way, one of the homeowners a few doors down from her piano teacher’s house told us a bear had been seen in the area. I left Mika for her lesson and started back home.
When I got near the end of the block, a man turned my direction in his truck. He stopped and told me the bear was two blocks down the street. I live one block down the street so I figured I could get home safely. As I turned onto the main street and rolled my one block home, all three cars coming my way stopped to warn me about the bear. I asked all three if it was still another block away. It was. I got home safely, and Mika's sister picked her up from her lesson in a car.
My piece of advice to you is to actively protect yourself and others. All four people who saw the bear and saw me unprotected warned me. I am sure if the bear was between me and my home, any of those drivers would have rang the bell at a nearby house to ask if I could hang in their garage for a while. And I am sure the homeowners would have said yes. People are good and the world is beautiful, however you still need to pay attention.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.