Morning Stroll

I have to wake up pretty early to hustle my son to the day camp bus stop. Since I'm already wide awake by the time I get back home, I go on a morning stroll with my daughter. I love early morning. The air is fresh and cool. It is quiet and wildlife are visible. The mommy cliques aren't out yet with their stroller brigade and I have time to enjoy my thoughts while watching a nearly hairless fox/werewolf trot down the sidewalk.

I love to nickname people, animals, places, and inanimate objects. If you've read this blog long enough, I'm sure you've realized that. I often name the areas I see on my strolls. There is the Bog of Eternal Stench which is a swampy area full of garbage. There are some interesting houses like the Colonial Williamsburg House, the Gingerbread Cottage with Strawberry Plants, and the Pirates of the Caribbean Home. My daughter has even named one area Bunny Town. She likes to run and chase the rabbits feeding on the clover there. There is one area that is a little terrifying, but I have to cross it to complete my stroll. It is Deer Crossing.

Deer Crossing
There is a paved path that cuts between my neighborhood and the next. A stream runs underneath and there are thick woods on either side. There is a small patch of blackberry bushes that we frequent every August and huge hills to roll down. In the wee hours of the morning, the deer inhabit that area. They come out of the woods to drink from the stream. The first time I saw them, my heart was beating fast enough to burst. There were about 10-15 of them drinking and when I passed, they all looked up at me. I'm short and deer are absolutely huge. Since I don't have a great track record with wildlife and they have antlers and horns, I was freaked. If I had known they were there before I had passed, I would have come back another time. I didn't want to be mauled by cloven feet. I skedaddled out of there and have been wary of the area ever since.

I had another encounter yesterday. Two does were standing right on the path just staring at me. I was pretty far away and was thinking about turning back. Even from that distance, they were startlingly huge and still had hooves on them. I'm sure deer will always have knife-like hooves. I called out to them "How about y'all go away so I can pass?" That obviously didn't work, but the excited shrieks from my daughter did. She told them "I love you, deer" and that made them hop swiftly into the safety of the woods. Crisis averted, thanks Lady A!

Today's Fresh Hell
We have a preserved wetlands area in my neighborhood and it's the home of a huge mess of Canadian Geese. Obviously, I have an intense hatred of these creatures, so I try and stay as far from them as possible. They like to cross the streets like they own them. I saw one gander this morning in the median stretching out his wings and being very king-like. Of course, I flipped him off and kept going.

As much as I think he and the rest of his family are assholes, I was shocked and horrified to see his body decimated in the street on the walk back. Someone had seriously destroyed that gander with their car. I've never seen such carnage in a carcass. I felt sick and sad. I loathe those birds, but would never want harm to come to them. They cross the street so slowly, how could someone just mow him down like that? Usually my morning strolls are pleasant, but this one I will try to forget as quickly as possible. I also vow not to flip off another Canadian Goose again.