Friday, July 08, 2005

The Misfit


Yep, she's eating our peaches- Posted by Picasa

We've been seeing this female deer for the past three years, and she's always alone!

Since we've lived here, we have seen numerous deer babies born and grow up. One of the baby males grew up and mated with two females (one of them no doubt was his sister- but hey, this is the country.) Last summer he'd be seen watching over his ladies, and their three fawns as they ate.

This lone female always keeps her distance from the other deer, in fact she seems to be on a different time schedule, rarely here when the others are. The one time they were all here at once, she was chased away by the male.

You have to wonder- did she do something terribly wrong in the past? Is she the Hester Prynne of local deerdom, wearing an invisible scarlet letter? Maybe she imbibes in oleander and foxglove, getting a buzz on when she should be at work? Or could it be she's just plain ugly?

What I do know is she's getting gray around the muzzle, and probably won't be around too much longer. I hope deer heaven is kinder to her than this earth has been. Maybe in heaven she'll be beautiful.

39 Comments:

Blogger The Q said...

Awwww come on! You're pulling my heart strings here! I've ALWAYS been a sucker for an outcast and then you throw in the animal trump card. But your humorous spin kept me from sniffling at my desk, thank you!

Hope you and Mr. SB have a GREAT weekend! Is it supposed to be really hot up there this weekend?

10:02 AM  
Blogger Susie said...

You have such a lovely place there. I hope she's choosing to be solo, and not rejected by the other deer.

10:07 AM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

soozieq-
I'm glad this didn't make you cry- who wants to see the President of the company bawl at work?
Heard it's supposed to be down to the mid-nineties this weekend!
Enjoy getting your home office back together this weekend.

susie-
Thanks!
If I can talk to her, I'll be sure to give her your business card! She could probably use some counseling.

10:40 AM  
Blogger shana p. said...

I vote for her getting a buzz on.... I too, am a sucker for a outcast!

10:53 AM  
Blogger Nick Danger said...

It's what Walt Disney referrs to as the circle of life.

11:06 AM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

cheesecakey-
I've heard tell of marijuana being grown in the area- maybe that's her vice of choice!
I'm always rooting for the underdog too.

nick-
Yeah, I know.
Good old Walt, always killing off somebody's cartoon parent!

11:12 AM  
Blogger Squirl said...

I love the Hester Prynne line. That's great. I, too, am a sucker for a sad animal story. I hope she's a loner by choice. Nice picture.

11:33 AM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

squirl-
Thanks!
Maybe she's a blog addict and only comes out to eat?

11:41 AM  
Blogger Kat said...

Poor sweetheart! Maybe she is too old to mate? Did you see her young too or has she been old as long as you have known her?
We lived in the country for a while and never saw that many deer.

12:31 PM  
Blogger The Q said...

Weird...my brother (the one from my post today) just emailed me and asked if they could come out to the house this weekend. He doesn't read my Blog (no one in my family knows about it), so it kinda struck me as odd that he'd invite himself over RIGHT after I wrote about him. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing them, but that means they'll see our house all messed up! Oh well, he's seen me with tubes coming out of my nose and mouth, what's a bookcase in the kitchen after something like that? ;-)

Brrr, better get your coats out! Sounds like it's gonna cool WAY down for you guys up there ;-)

12:57 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

kat-
We've only lived in this place full-time about three years, and she's always been alone.
I feel so lucky to see the deer, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, sometimes a coyote, and once a mountain lion!
There are sometimes bear nearby, but haven't had the pleasure... yet.

1:00 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

soozieq-
Oops, you came in as I was posting!
That is strange timing. Maybe you were thinking so hard (while writing your post) that he tuned into your thoughts.
I'll be happy if it cools down enough to want a blanket tonight.

1:05 PM  
Blogger The Q said...

I'm sorry I keep hogging up your comments section, but you keep saying things that make me come back and write more!!

Right before we sold the cabin in Arnold, we took my parents up there for a weekend getaway. They'd never been to Arnold and had expressed a sincere desire to go to Murphys for some reason....anyway back to my point. Here we were driving around showing them this AMAZING house (it is a CASTLE, I kid you not) on the same street the cabin was on....and we drive by and everyone is "oooh'g" and "aaaah'g" and then I blurt out "Holy Shit, there's a BEAR!" Sitting on his GIANT butt, right in the front yard...just picking crab apples out of a tree!!

My Dad (being so animal savvy..NOT!) got OUT of the car and walked towards him. I swear, sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit I'm related to the man. But the bear just got up off his rump, looked at my Dad and turned and lumbered away. He was SO fat and had the stumpiest back legs that it looked almost painful for him to walk.

Needless to say, NONE of us had a camera as we were heading to the Weather Station for dinner (yes, that's the name of the restaurant).

In the 19 years that The Hubs owned the cabin, he had NEVER seen a bear before. Nor had I in the 7 years I had been going up there with him....Leave it the last weekend before we sell it, WITH my parents in tow, to see one :-)

1:39 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

soozieq-
I love each and every one of your comments!
Great story! "The time a bear almost ate my Dad."
When we saw our mountain lion (old post) we were shocked at the size. From the head to the beginning of his tail was at least 9'. I thought it was an African (female) lion that had possibly escaped from the PAWS facility in San Andreas.
It took quite a while to get brave enough to work outside by myself after seeing that!

1:57 PM  
Blogger Mahala said...

We see alot of wildlife here, especially at work (it's kinda on the side of a mountain) but I've never seen a bear.. I'd LOVE to see one. Once, a hunter made the huge mistake of bragging to me about the bear he'd killed that weekend, complete with pictures. By the time I got through with him, he probably wished he'd had his gun with him for protection.

2:29 PM  
Blogger Rae Ann said...

It seems the deer population isn't so different from the human population when it comes to its treatment of the aging females. Maybe she's got some kind of deer disease or something?

3:05 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

romani heart-
The only reason I'd even think about killing a bear would be self defense.
I could see the headlines "Mountain Ranch woman kills attacking bear with her pruning saw!"

rae ann-
Y'know, I thought about that! She's probably the bait for the mountain lion.
Maybe she has a deer STD?

3:30 PM  
Blogger Kat said...

A mountain lion! How cool is THAT?! We don't have anything like that around here. My sister spotted a coyote in her backyard once in the middle of the city! When we lived in the country we were told there were bobcats around, but they are pretty shy. You have to go in the Smokey Mtns to see a bear here.

6:58 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

kat-
We were told some folks live here for years without seeing a lion, so we're pretty impressed!
I'd love to visit the Smokey Mountains someday, it looks beautiful.

7:16 PM  
Blogger Sylvana said...

We have mountain lions here too, but they are quite shy here and stay in the woods for the most part. If I had property and saw a mountain lion roaming about, I don't think that I would ever go out by myself!

7:33 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

sylvana-
Yeah, I was scared for awhile, then read all I could about them.
Now I'm only scared when the grandson is visiting, or the dogs need to go outside at night to do their business.

8:26 PM  
Blogger Pseudo-intellectual lunatic said...

i like your pic

8:54 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

pseudo-
Thank you.

9:26 PM  
Blogger Redwood Recluse said...

Sierrabella,
WE were driving home this evening and saw four deers in a popular valley for both pigs and deer.There were two babies and two mamas.
They heard us coming and shot up the hill all in different directions causing the largest mama to stop and look dismayed.
It was as though they had the plan all laid out and the babies didn't follow.
It appeared as though they were going to get schooled by her.

10:25 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

redwood recluse-
I'll bet they were going to get a crash course!
Last year we were watching a family. It appeared the mothers were teaching the babies by walking short distances, flashing their tails and waiting for the babies to come. When the babies were slow to react, the father deer would nip at them and get them to move along. They were so patient!

10:37 PM  
Blogger Squirl said...

Wow! You're really getting lots of comments these days. Good for you! Ichabod and I were out driving in the country last night close to sunset and we saw, literally, dozens of deer. It was so cool.

8:34 AM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

squirl-
Yes, and I'm having trouble keeping up!
Don't know how you all keep up with it.
Did you get any more photos on your drive?

9:20 AM  
Blogger eclectic said...

Poor little dear, I mean, deer! We live in the foothills of the Cascade Mtn.s and wildlife sightings are commonplace. They stun-gun cougars for relocation into the back country when they get too bold (like strolling through schoolyards, etc.) We've seen black bears, mountain goats and bighorn sheep while hiking; coyotes and red fox, mule deer and elk, coons and otters and hummingbirds are all plentiful. Isn't it amazing how these animals adapt to human proximity? I LOVED this post of yours!

Also, the casserole was an instant favorite. The recipe has been added to the regular rotation, with your "name" on the card!

11:31 AM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

eclectic-
Your area sounds beautiful. The Cascades is somewhere we plan to visit in the future.
It really is amazing how the animals adapt to us awful humans invading their territory!
Glad the casserole worked out so well! Of course it's probably named the Sierrabella Belly-Filler?

2:20 PM  
Blogger Squirl said...

I did get shots of the deer, but they're so out of focus I don't think I can use it. Susie gets tons of comments. I don't know how she keeps up with them. I will be posting the Stonehenge pictures, though.

2:39 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

squirl-
Susie must be incredible at multi-tasking!
Too bad about the deer pictures, mine are usually blurry too.
Are you telling me you and Ichabod drove all the way to Stonehenge England??? Must be nice having a amphibian car!

4:02 PM  
Blogger eclectic said...

C'mon over, girlfriend! If you get over this way, I hope you'll let me know so we can go for coffee!!

Sierrabelly-filler...heh!

4:47 PM  
Blogger Squirl said...

Okay, the Stonehenge that I captured digitally is in Nunica, MI. Ichabod just found a couple of articles that I'll link to when I post it. Hafta leave the Open Box Buy post up for a while, though. It's only fair to Kitty.

4:59 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

eclectic-
I'll do just that, but it won't be anytime real soon!

5:03 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

squirl-
Oops, you commented while I was!
Oh, things are so slow here on the weekend you have to leave up your post for a while!
Can't wait to read about your Stonehenge!

5:07 PM  
Blogger The Q said...

I was telling the Hubs about your Mountain Lion sighting, he too was impressed with the size! They are showing them a LOT on the news around these parts too, scary huh? Hopefully one won't visit my Dad's yard or (as with the bear), he'll walk towards it like an idiot......Heeeere Kitty Kitty Kitty

Hey do you think I have a problem? You know how our home office is all torn apart because I have to paint the walls before we move every thing back in? Well I *cough* made The Hubs dig out the laptop. He plugged in the network doo-hicky and *POOF* I'm online via a wireless connection. I almost feel like I should attend some kind of rehab meeting for being so weak. I couldn't stand being home one more night without getting online.

But hey, at least I don't drink and blog...oh wait, that only applies to driving and isn't that impressive in this case. Oh well.

9:33 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

soozieq-
"Hi I'm Soozieq, and I'm a blogaholic..."
Sometimes I feel the same way!
Especially the slow blogger weekends, when you feel like everybody's gone away.
I'm not even sure whether I'll be posting today since it's cool enough to work outside and "git-r-done."

8:06 AM  
Blogger SillyBahrainiGirl said...

lonely deer are human too !

2:18 PM  
Blogger SierraBella said...

sillybahrainigirl-
Loneliness is something all of us animals suffer at times.
Although I made jokes about this poor deer, I do care about her!
I moved to the country to be a part of nature, and to observe it's cycles.
I do not trap or hunt, I just watch and try to photograph.

2:39 PM  

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