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Monday, December 20, 2010

The One Where Elizabeth Almost Hit a Deer

I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because it's such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her. –Ellen DeGeneres

We live in a sleepy little hamlet nestled up against the Rocky Mountains. Evidence of deer in town {in the form of droppings in your yard followed by the lack of tulips in your spring gardens, where once there were tulips} is not uncommon and sometimes you even catch a glimpse of them. I myself have only spotted them a few times in our neighborhood, because most often they come into town on cold winter nights when food in the mountains is scarce and I tend to stay indoors when it is cold and dark outside.

The other day I was heading out to run some errands. I was about half-way between my house and the stop sign at the corner, when I caught some movement in my peripheral vision. I moved my foot to the brake to slow down and turned to see what it was. I saw a deer coming into the road, running flat out as he had just passed through a large, open church parking lot. The moment became surreal; it was incredible how many things passed through my mind in only a few short seconds. I counted four points on each of the buck's horns {so does that make him a four-point or an eight-point deer?}. I was awed by the beauty and grace and determination of this amazing creature as it refused to alter its course. And I was horrified at the possibility of not being able to stop in time. Instinct kicked in and I slammed on the brakes. I jerked to a stop just as the deer passed in front of me. After the panic had passed and my heart rate slowed, relief flooded my mind and I I felt like Someone had been watching out for me.

8 comments:

  1. So glad you and the deer are both okay. I live in a rural area and many times see how this ends up badly.

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  2. That would be an 8-point. :) Glad you didn't turn it into Venison-burger.

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  3. Glad your encounter with nature had such a happy ending. Our latest one was also a happy viewing of a deer running parallel to the road, like it was racing a car. The one before that was much less fortunate and still disturbs me to think of it. Lane

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  4. Scary stuff E!

    That happens here with kangaroos a lot too. Not much fun I suspect if one ends up in your windshield.

    Glad you survived to blog about it.

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  5. I agree with you, it is so surreal to watch a gorgeous wild animal trotting around in the city. There are some deer near my mom's house. They used to live in the field behind her and live off of her vegetable garden. But she put up a fence this year. So they will walk around her fence and saunter their way up the street. Three of them, all walking in a line. It's amazing. Glad no one got hurt. Hitting a deer is one heck of a repair job for your car!

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  6. Whew, glad you avoided a collision! It's always scary to be surprised by any animal on the road, but a deer especially.

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  7. Whew! Glad you missed.

    By the way, I like your funny titles that are Friends-esque.

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  8. so scary Elizabeth! we hit a deer a few years ago on a family holiday; thankfully none of us were hurt but we destroyed our truck(and the deer). they can move so quickly! glad you were able to stop.

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