Safe Travels, Deer

I hit a deer coming home from Bible study last Tuesday night. Or he hit me. I’m still not sure how it happened and, thankfully, the memory has pretty well faded away.

But let me tell you, that experience brought to the forefront yet one more time how precious friends are that you know you can count on. I was riding with Faye and, since I was pretty well hysterically crying and moaning, she spoke with the man who pulled up to see if I was all right. They determined that the deer was probably dead. I couldn’t bear to look. Faye quietly told me how to drive the rest of the way home, since I seemed to have forgotten where everything was on the car’s instrument panel.

As we pulled back onto the highway, I began to cry again, afraid that he was injured and would go off into the woods to suffer. I remembered that Tom is a hunter and went directly to his house. Again, since I was sobbing, Faye stepped in and went to the front door of a dark house to ask him if he would go and kill the deer if it was injured.

I dropped Faye off and somehow found my way home. Steve met me in the driveway and showed me where the front door of the house was. Later that night I got a call from Faye to let me know that they had not found the deer. I immediately assumed a conspiracy – everyone was hiding the truth from me to protect me. And that was fine. Somehow it got me through that first night.

The next morning I called Faye and Lynda and Tom to say thank you. I found out that Lynda and Tom on Tuesday night and then Faye the next morning had gone back and searched the ground, ditch and the woods for signs of the deer and/or blood. They found nothing and so I choose to believe that I simply stunned him and he got up and shook it off and trotted on home.

After making sure I was all right, Tom asked me what kind of shape the car was in. I told him the front left fender was dented in, but that was okay, because it now matched the front right fender where Steve had hit another deer almost a year ago. Tom made me aware that we have now bagged our limit. I started looking around and there are a lot of cars on the roads with bent doors and fenders. I believe we’re taking out more than the hunters!

All of which got me to thinking…and remembering. We used to watch “The West Wing”. One day a year, the president would open the White House to everyone who had any weird request or idea that they would like addressed. President “Jed” Bartlett would make his reluctant staff available to hear these bizarre demands.

Press Secretary C.J. Cregg was stuck in a room with a group who were concerned about the endangered wolves that had to migrate to Canada. They were certain that if the government would spend millions of dollars on a highway system for the wolves, they could save them. Asked how the wolves would know to use the highway, they said special signs could be made for them, much like the ones we have with the deer leaping.

That got me to thinking. I don’t really want to run for office. But I would be willing to raise some money – I don’t think it will take millions – to build some overpasses for these poor deer. Post some signs to guide them and let’s get them safely across our roads!

If you wish to contribute, please send a check (made out to me) at 11 North Lake Circle. Thank you for your support. Let get them safely home, shall we?