Most of you know I grew up right around the corner from the house I live in now, and the deer have been a part of my life forever. At least once a week we have paused to take in the beauty and peacefulness of the deer on the hill. It never got old. Even now, when we are at Sunday dinner at my parents house we see them cross the hillside almost every week in the summer.
I have felt almost possessive of the deer, and proud when people would slow or stop their cars to look at "our deer." My kids have inherited the same awe and wonder for them. Abby sees them almost every morning when she's waiting for the bus. Phoebe almost stepped on the most precious baby fawn one easter when we were picnicking on the hill. The morning after Owen was born, the kids were pulling in the driveway with Gramnell and there was a whole herd in the back yard. Ok, Lucy is a little bit scared of them. She had a dream once when she was 2 that there was a deer in her room. She was terrified, and still is, but she pretends she loves them...
The problem was I never captured the deer on film. I took a few last winter with my phone, mostly to illustrate how much it had been snowing to Brandon, but I didn't know how to transfer pictures from phone to computer. I once saw a picture on a blog (I don't remember who's blog it was or how I got there) of a little girl all in white with her back to the camera standing in front of a small herd of deer. Her mom had taken her in her baptism dress to snap some photos on the temple grounds (not in Utah) and the deer showed up, and they got some really beautiful shots. I would LOVE to recreate that with my own kids and my own deer, but alas, I haven't got a camera worth talking about, and...well, there's a lot of reasons that would be tricky. I won't list them.
So since I have been thinking about this post, I decided I needed some good pictures of the deer. Abby and I pulled in the driveway last week and there they were...luckily my camera had been in the van all week. Oops, no, it wasn't. I had taken it inside earlier that day. I sent Abby in for it, without slamming the door or turning off the engine. She managed to get it without scaring them away, but as I tiptoed closer, I realized my battery was dead. Ugh! I turned off the van, didn't mind slamming the doors, went inside, almost giving up. I searched my house high and low for batteries, finally finding some in a random cd player, and headed back out. The deer had been patiently waiting for their photo op, apparently. They were still there, and as I started snapping away they almost posed for me! I climbed up on the trampoline to get a better view, and more and more kept coming out of hiding to pose. I almost cried! I almost called angie b to come take some with her decent camera, and Angie P. to come see for herself. It was so exciting!
We don't have any immediate neighbors on either side, and probably never will. Sometimes my kids feel cheated that they have no friends nearby to play with. These are our neighbors. We love them. Isn't it a wonderful place that we live?
16 comments:
Thank you! Thank you! I feel special now, but its really sad that I got a lump in my throat when I read about more and more deer coming with every picture. I'm becoming more of an emotional mess by the day, I swear. Anyway, thanks for persevering with all the camera trouble. It was worth it in my mind. I also would be possesive of "your" deer if it were me.
I love this post! The only thing that would've made it better is hearing your version of Breath of Heaven whilst I read it. Still makes me smile to think of you singing that :)
look at all that open land. I LOVE that. We have deer here also and the kids love it.
I need your address so I can send out a Christmas card. My email is kyfour@yahoo.com
That was very nice of the deer to pose for you and to invite their friends to the photo shoot! So kind! I bet those deer like you as a neighbor too!!
When we used to live in the yellow house we saw them all the time too - and I think I took them for granted (like I do everything) and now I really miss seeing them out my back door. And I am an animal lover!
Perfect!!!! My kids would be in heaven. How amazing that Phoebe got so close to a fawn on Easter Sunday - I'd consider that a tender mercy:) BTW...where did you find a baby doll with curly red hear. I've been looking for one for Christmas.
How sweet...you are too clever with your post name...I love those deer, too.
I loved this post. There are some deer that come in the field down the road from us. It never seems to get old to look at them. Lucky you to have them right in your backyard. Thanks for sharing and thanks to the deer for cooperating for the pictures.
There is just something about those deer. I have pictures of some in the trees just to the side of Grandpa's barn taken the Christmas before it came crashing down. I also have some fun ones of some deer that made it down into my yard under the apple trees.
The only problem with them in my yard is one night we about hit a couple when we turned into our driveway. Could you imagine that surprise? Here we thought we just had to be on the lookout while driving down the freeway.lol
Clever post name Becky! Love it! You have a such a choice spot where you guys live. Deer being one of the great perks. I love the open land feel that you guys have.
I swear I already left a comment on here, I don't know what happened to it! Great pics, I love having wildlife around us, we see deer all of the time...but more we see RACCOONS! And they get into our garbage...ggrrr. Hope you are doing well!
beckey, we have huge issues with raccoons, too. we don't love them...
I love where you guys live. It reminds me of how So. Weber is suppose to be.
oh, and I'm dying to hear you sing Breath of Heaven now.
Aleesha, if you are in Stacy King's ward I'll be singing it in your young women's this sunday. :)
Weird, I never commented about raccoons to Beckey. Is there another Shaury out there that I don't know about? Love the deer pictures Beck.
oh, that other shaury was me, you were signed in on my computer from sunday night, I guess. I didn't notice until I tried to get on a private blog and had to sign in under my google account...sorry!
I love the deer around here. It isn't unusual for the girls and I to sit in the car for a long time and watch the deer in the fields.
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