The smoke from the wildfires in the BC interior is still thick in the air way down here on Vancouver Island. I keep trying to get the redness of the sun to show but it doesn’t come out in the finished photo. I must be doing something wrong or maybe I need a filter to get the red colour to show. I tried taking a picture of a red geranium and it was bright red, but the sun? No dice.
That smoky day, I was driving along in downtown Comox and noticed a doe and her fawn at the edge of the golf course parking lot. I’m always a sucker for baby animals so I took this picture of the deer. I had mixed feelings about them being in town. It’s a modern day phenomenon that many deer now live in town, but they do have a hard time avoiding dogs, finding food, avoiding traffic, and even avoiding people who might do them harm (yes, they are out there too).
I didn’t notice until I uploaded this photo that the doe has a lump in front of her shoulder. It could be an injury from a pellet gun, or she may have been poked by a branch. Any number of other mishaps may have befallen her. I think it will heal eventually, but in the meantime she will have to live with that discomfort.
Don’t stray too far, my little one,
I’m keeping watch for you.
Most people in this town are kind,
But some have mean streaks too.
Stay by my side and eat your greens,
They’re hard enough to find.
Most gardeners get annoyed with us,
But others do not mind.
Watch out for dogs who like to chase,
Be careful of the cars.
If neither of them injure us,
We’ll thank our lucky stars.
Look sweet and mild into the lens,
The lady sure can gawk.
But then she’ll put us on her blog,
And folks will say we rock.
August 10, 2017 at 4:00 pm
Some people may not recognize the red color of the evening sun, but I do. That color red is a sure sign og either smoke or dust from a sand storm high in the sky.
Good luck and Happy Gardening
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August 10, 2017 at 5:19 pm
I think the smoky skies are far reaching this year! May they clear up soon!
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August 10, 2017 at 4:18 pm
The camera is usually the truer image, not filtered by our brains. 🙂 Deer in town are always a problem. Sometimes they get into human food and don’t want to go back to their own. Sugar addiction is a serious problem in deer. Great poem, Anneli. I’m sure that’s exactly what she was thinking. 🙂
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August 10, 2017 at 4:34 pm
Oh gosh…that poor little fella. I hope he’s okay.
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August 10, 2017 at 5:20 pm
I think she will be. Those lumps usually burst (painfully, I’m sure) but then they heal.
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August 10, 2017 at 4:45 pm
The red sun really is a deeper red these last few evenings, and your photo captured it fairly well. 🙂 Love the photo of the deer and the little cute poem to go with it. Well done!
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August 10, 2017 at 5:21 pm
Thanks, Sonja. Hope we’ll all breathe easier soon.
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August 10, 2017 at 5:17 pm
I’m sorry to see that the fires aren’t abating. Town might be a safer place for the deer right now.
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August 10, 2017 at 5:21 pm
Yes, most likely it is a safer place for them. These are permanent residents but I’m sure they are the lucky ones.
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August 10, 2017 at 5:25 pm
I loved seeing the deer when we lived there. Our front yard was the site of one of their trails so we saw them close-up often. So graceful and the fawns so cute.
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August 10, 2017 at 8:40 pm
They are gentle creatures and we tend to love animals with fur (well, maybe not rodents so much, but the others), but I always think it’s a bit sad that these animals are in the city. Not good for their health even though we love to see them.
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August 10, 2017 at 5:54 pm
Nice shots, Anneli. That’s really quite a lump on that doe’s neck. I hope it’s nothing serious and that it will go away eventually. Hre, we sometimes see deer in town, but not often.
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August 10, 2017 at 8:41 pm
I’ve seen deer with lumps like that frequently. Usually the lumps either rupture or shrink.
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August 10, 2017 at 6:22 pm
Wow!
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August 10, 2017 at 6:32 pm
It seems so exotic to me that you have deer and bears, raccoons and other wildlife there. But then, we have koalas and sometimes kangaroos hopping into town. Not to mention snakes and lizards. May your wildlife be safe and protected from harm. And may the fires soon be extinguished. We are heading into spring soon. It has been a wet winter so I dare say the risk of bushfires will be high.
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August 10, 2017 at 8:43 pm
We each have our special creatures around, don’t we? I hope you’re spared these horrible fires!
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August 10, 2017 at 10:43 pm
So do I, but it’s not likely. We get bushfires every year in Australia.
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August 11, 2017 at 7:20 am
Australia is famous for them, sadly.
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August 10, 2017 at 6:52 pm
I love your poem, Anneli, and share those sentiments.
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August 10, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Thanks, Terry. I thought you would feel the same.
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August 10, 2017 at 6:56 pm
Anneli,
as usual, your poem rocks ! 🙂
Cheers !
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August 10, 2017 at 8:44 pm
Hey! Thank you very much, Hans!
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August 10, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Yes, even up the northern part of the island had smokey days. The fog came in everyday we were camping making the temperatures plummet.
Had to wear a winter jacket most mornings. I think if I had a choice, I would choose fog over smoke.
Love your poem.
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August 10, 2017 at 8:46 pm
I think I’d rather have the fog than smoke too. Won’t be long now and the rains will set in and we’ll be wishing for sun. We’re so hard to please.
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August 11, 2017 at 6:54 am
Sweet poem Anneli, and very thoughtful. We are breathing easier south of Seattle right now compared to a week ago. I think of all the animals who have lost their lives and their homes due to the wildfires.
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August 11, 2017 at 7:19 am
I know! It’s heartbreaking when you think of the fire victims (people and animals).
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August 11, 2017 at 8:44 am
What sweethearts! I loved seeing the deer when I was near your neck o- the woods two (is it two?!) years ago!
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August 11, 2017 at 1:31 pm
They’re still here, and a few new ones too.
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August 11, 2017 at 10:08 am
I know what you mean about getting the right color that you are seeing with your eye through the camera lens. I have a photographer friend who is always scolding me for using the “auto” setting. He tries to show me how to set it manually for color (he says it’s the white balance?), but there are so many bells and whistles on the danged camera I always forget where to find them. Sigh.
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August 11, 2017 at 1:32 pm
I know I have to get serious about figuring it out one day soon.
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August 11, 2017 at 1:05 pm
I love your poems – and this one specially. I hope the deer will be okay!
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August 11, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Thank you, Ursula. I think the deer will be fine. Just too bad they have to suffer these things.
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August 11, 2017 at 2:35 pm
I LOVE YOUR POEM!! The wildfires are so scary…there have been a lot in Montana where my son lives.
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August 11, 2017 at 3:09 pm
Where in Montana? We usually take a trip there every October. Having second thoughts this year because of the dry season.
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August 11, 2017 at 5:28 pm
I know that for a while the worst one was in Seeley Lake. This will give you a bit of an update. http://wildfiretoday.com/tag/montana/
I would be reconsidering my trip too if I were you. It’s hard to tell what things will be like then.
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August 11, 2017 at 6:12 pm
Thanks a lot, Suzanne. We’ll watch and see how it goes.
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August 12, 2017 at 10:01 am
We’re thinking about you, Anneli. The news from BC is alarming.
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August 12, 2017 at 12:15 pm
Thank you, KB. It has been a terrible summer for drought and fires. Just today our weather is changing a little bit and we hope to have some rain soon. That should help clear the smoke somewhat. The people who live closer to the fires are still having a hard time.
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August 14, 2017 at 8:47 pm
Anneli, you rock! Those sweet deer, mother and fawn, are adorable, too. I liked your poem and the ending has humor and wit! 😊
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August 14, 2017 at 8:59 pm
A couple of days later I was driving by the same place and saw another doe, this time with twins. I thought maybe I hadn’t seen the second fawn the first time, but then I saw that these were much smaller, so a different family.
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