Sunday, June 28, 2009

A Visitor

It was the last day of the work week; a day for cleaning and catching up for the upcoming Stampede weekend. The weather was sunny and warm...we had just received a few days of Rain, and every Leaf and Flower sparkled from the leftover drops of Rain in the rays from the golden Sun.

All in all, it seemed like an ordinary day.  But soon, the quiet of the countryside would be shattered. And I would be caught up in an inexplicable event.

I am not very surprised when a group of Mule Deer wander through the property. They generally browse outside the fence...and even if the Dogs bark, the Deer are well aware that there is a fence. And so, they feel safe.  They have, as well, grown somewhat accustomed to our Dogs, especially Lucky.


Lucky is a strange one. He has an empathetic ability which allows him to speak (or bark) with the animals that visit.  Should an Eagle fly by, for example, Lucky will be the first to see him.  And then when Eagle calls, Lucky will sit, ears up, and bark once or twice, never taking his eyes off Eagle. Eagle will often return the favour, circling over Lucky, and calling to him. This has happened so often, most times I am not even aware of it any longer.

There are many stories we have collected concerning Lucky and wild animals...he is our ambassador to our wild friends.



The Mule Deer who visit here, however, generally travel within a group. This particular morning, there was only one.


I was inside the house when I heard the Dogs barking. I went out to see them railing wildly at a Deer by the lower gate. The Deer was not at all concerned with our foolish Dogs. Her nose was pressed right against the fence and she exhibited great interest in these two Beings who could not contain themselves.


And since she did not project fearful energy towards our Dogs, they settled down. And I watched as the three communed for what seemed like a very long time. I was about to get my camera, which I was once again without, when Deer lunged forward, towards the Dogs, setting them off all over again.


And then she raced up her side of the fence, the Dogs in hot pursuit on their side. She raced back down, the Dogs again running with her, barking wildly. At the gate, she stopped, then again she lowered her head, bounced on her front hooves, and raced back up the draw once more. Again, the Dogs gave chase.  This behaviour happened over and over.


I was completely perplexed. I watched as the three of them rested, with Deer browsing and making very sure to keep out of my sight, but very close to the panting Dogs. Her behaviour was very odd to me.  And when she raced up and down our fence line, my heart was in my mouth.


Inside the fence, there is a cleared trail.  On her side, there are stumps and branches and windfalls everywhere.  As Deer raced with our Dogs, she would jump and fly over obstacles in her path.  It looked so dangerous, to me. It looked as if she could easily get hurt...and what was I to do with a Deer with a broken leg?


When she thundered down the draw, towards the gate, my legs went weak.  There was so much power in her race with the Dogs! It  was phenomenal to watch.


Deer was here for a couple of hours.  The racing with our Dogs stopped after awhile. Nate is getting on in years; his figure is not what it once was.  I watched him with trepidation as he raced, over and over again, with Deer.  He has Arthritis and is overweight... But there was so much joy!



And Lucky, after his initial confusion at Deer's strange behaviour, recognized Deer's playful lunge, since he does exactly the same thing, when he wants to be chased. Lucky loves to run and is fairly fit. He raced alone with Deer two or three times, jumping over Nate who had decided to collapse and rest. There was much hilarious, happy barking when Lucky almost beat Deer to the gate.


I could feel and hear the laughter in the voices of these animals who should not, by all accounts, be friends.


Yet, I could feel, as well, that these three had bonded their energies, possibly for life.


What odd behaviour I had witnessed! Both Dogs and I were a wee bit apprehensive at Deer's bold approach at first...but it was soon evident she only wanted some company, since she could have retreated into the bush at any time. And her gaze, when a resting period arrived, centred on Lucky, whose colouring is similar to Deer's.


Nate, as well, this time, allowed his wariness of wildlife to recede. He enjoyed the races, as much as Lucky (even though he's slept and rested since!)

I could not help, as I watched the three of them flying along the fence at full speed, comparing Deer to an extremely finely tuned athlete.  She used every sense she had when she raced over the broken, obstacle ridden ground. It reminded me so well of long ago, when I rode cross-country.  There was never any assurance of what lay ahead, only the sure knowledge I was going to go ahead...on an unknown path.
 
And Deer, using all her acute senses, gave me a gift, this day.


I will never forget the awesome, terrifying, stupendous beauty and power our Visitor showed or the lesson she gave.  We are all connected, us Beings. It only takes a little patience, sometimes, to understand one another.

She stayed with us for the rest of the morning. Eventually, the Dogs retreated to the house and their beds. But as I went out to begin mowing the lawn, I saw her large ears as she peeked around Guardian Rock. 


And ever after, my intuition tells me eyes are watching as I go about my gardening chores.


Watching and waiting for her pals  to be free.


16 comments:

  1. Oh, how delightful. She was looking for playmates. My dogs give that little lunge when they are ready for play time.

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  2. What an amazing post! Thank you so much for sharing this...it was a timely reminder for me to listen, learn, and re-connect. We sometimes we remove ourselves from nature in our day to day, subsequently removing ourselves from pure playful joy. The animals always seem to get it right, don't they?

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  3. I guess fences are necessary, especially where bear may be involved; and they do create those artificial boundaries which allow closeness for the animals without actual danger of attack.

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  4. The deer photo are amazing. Thank you for a little visit to the wilderness of your life.

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  5. Jan,

    It was the little lunge that finally convinced me she wanted to play. It was odd behaviour for a Deer, for sure. They are wild and as such, I am always careful around them. But after awhile, watching them race back and forth, I finally accepted this was meant to be play.

    Susanne,

    Well, with a brand new elfin baby, you can be excused for not being aware of extraordinary things! Your babe is absolutely beautiful, by the way...and there will be much joy ahead for you with her! Congratulations, again! I hope she's doing well now.

    Goatman,

    I was very happy when we had the fence built last year. It only takes in a small part of our property, but since there is a deer reserve just below us, there are many animal trails going through our property. We did not want our dogs chasing any animal who wandered through.

    I was nervous at this deer's behaviour. It was so off the wall. There is a difference of opinion between long time residents...some say deer will play with dogs, if the dogs are receptive...and others say this behaviour was very strange. It looked like play to me after watching for awhile.

    Princess,

    So nice to hear from you! It was difficult to get pictures of this deer...she was very wary of me and hid behind trees as much as she could when she saw me. And to get a photo of the race was nigh impossible...I have some which only show brush!

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  6. My granddaughter is growing up on a Texas ranch, and is so comfortable with animals as a result. It's really a stark contrast to the way her mama and I grew up. In some ways, she takes them for granted. It's cute!

    She identified the deer immediately (they have to drive slow on their dirt road at night, due to the profusion of deer jumping in front of cars!) and said "There's a deer!"--most children of her age just know the regular farm animals.

    Lovely photos, and I love empathic dogs.

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  7. Anonymous1:38 p.m.

    Thanks Marion, for sharing this bit of magic from your neck of the woods. How safe the deer must feel in the aura and energy of you and your dogs, to want to hang out and have some fun for such a long time. You have been blessed with a great gift from this playful creature!

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  8. What a wonderful story. I was enthralled by the actions of the deer and how playful and wonderful the situation turned out to be. Like all of us when you want and need attention you going into a different mode and you seem to attract what you want and what you need into your life.
    The communication of these creatures can teach us all how to coexist in peace.
    Thank You

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  9. Daisy,

    I hope you and your granddaughter are enjoying your week together. As tiring as it is, I would not have given those times up with my granddaughter for anything! Have fun!

    Miruh,

    Even as the dogs and I were a little astonished at first...and wary...this Deer gave the three of us such a wonderful gift. When she thundered up and down the fence line, it was awesome...and I was so grateful to see her race. The only time I have witnessed something like this was on TV.

    Dave,

    At first, I did not know how great this experience would be. I actually tried to get the dogs to come in, because I thought the deer had gone loco. But they ignored me, and I'm really glad they did!

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  10. Lovely story. I am a bit envious of your closeness to nature. But even in my little town I can watch two young rabbits each morning and evening. Once in awhile their more cautious mother joins them. I hope the visitor returns for you.

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  11. We go camping on a deer preserve. The deer will come up and eat our of your hand. We had a dog that loved the deer. He hated the ducks that followed the deer to pick up the extra corn, though. He would chase them off.

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  12. Sheila,

    I know how much you love Nature and its beings. I wish you could live somewhere like this for even just a little while! It's the one thing about the Cariboo I love more than any other...the closeness to Nature.

    Cyber,

    Dogs and deer...it's lovely they can be friends. I wonder if my dogs will remember this deer, should she return.

    I'm not sure my dogs wouldn't chase those ducks, either. They've never been close to one to find out.

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  13. hi marionL: wow! what a beautiful visitor you had. amazing! i feel so calm & peaceful looking at the deer, like i have to whisper to you as i talk/write this. and lucky and nate look so funny and cute. esp. lucky sprawling on ground. :)

    i am holding a free give away for july - free reading and healing. wishing you can come play, it's on my blog post. and i would love and appreciate if you could share with your friends too. thanks for playing!

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  14. Alison,

    I wish you had been here with your camera and your photographic abilities when the deer arrived! When it comes to taking pictures of a quickly moving animal, I am not very good at capturing it. And the deer definitely gave us all really peaceful energy that day...you caught it!

    Thank you so much for offering your readings. I have sent an email to you with my questions, and I will look forward to hearing from you.

    I hope the rest of my cyber friends will take the opportunity you have given us as well. You will be busy!

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  15. Hi Marion,
    Do you follow astrology at all? I understand there is going to be a huge solar eclipse on the 21st. I'll have to look up what the soothsayers are predicting.

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  16. Princess,

    Yes, I read various horoscopes and cosmic astrology every day. Eclipses are considered to contain ten times more energy than a full moon. The solar eclipse on the 21-22 will be over Asia and northern Australia...the Northern Hemisphere. And it occurs in Cancer...Graham's sign. It will be interesting to see where it will lead. Certainly, I can bet there will be huge changes in life in the following months.

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