Both Sides of the Fence
A Tosa resident since 1991, Christine walks the dog, raises kids, cooks but avoids housework, writes and reads, and works too much. A Quaker and
The Aging Maven, she has been known to stand on both sides of the political and philosophic fence at the same time, which is very uncomfortable when you think about it. She writes about pretty much whatever stops in to visit her busy mind at the moment. One reader described her as "incredibly opinionated but not judgmental." That sounds like a good thing to strive for!
No better than rats?
By Christine McLaughlin
Friday, Mar 23 2007, 02:08 PM
A reader wrote about my sense of awe in the presence of backyard deer:
I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I have to take exception with your characterization of your evening guests. You may want to do something to keep the deer away from your home. Is Lyme disease a blessing? Should I have felt blessed when a deer ran into the side of my car to the tune of around $3K? We never found the deer. It likely was maimed and limped off to starve. Would it be a blessing if the deer decide they don’t like having you in “their” yard? They are wild animals, not pets. A few weeks back I saw seven “blessings” crossing 115 St. at Underwood Pkwy.
David's point about Lyme disease and the damage deer cause to people and property is well taken. Too many deer abound--probably because both of us have overpopulated the areas we live in. That creates mutual pressure, and it's not fun.
I don't think of deer as pets. That's part of the wonder of seeing them, suddenly appearing, suddenly disappearing. They're wild, and wildness is increasingly rare. I value it more for that. A world where everything's owned, controlled, registered, barcoded, and branded isn't very appealing to me.
Seems like the deer were here first. There must be better ways to coexist with the "natives" when we invade their territory.
I'm sorry about the car, David. It's a bummer. But you'd probably be a lot safer eliminating cars than you'll be eliminating deer.
But thanks for the reminder. I'll be checking for ticks. There aren't any guarantees of safety in this life, but we can all practice a little more caution, behind the ears or behind the wheel!
