the buck stopped here
Laying on the couch, fire dancing in the woodstove, a chill in the night air of late fall. A clatter on the back deck picques my curiousity, but I'm too comfortable under my blankie to get up. The clatter ceases.
Some time later, the clatter again - louder. My imagination soars. A bear seeing fit to rearrange things on the deck? Wouldn't be the first time one had come to visit.
I rise from my warm cocoon and flip a switch on the wall. The warm glow of a lamp in the loft casts a misty light across the deck, and there before me stands a most beautiful, majestic four-point buck. He stands at alert for a moment, then hooves make the familiar clatter as he makes his way into the security of the dark night.
We've seen him with a doe and fawn often, nesting by the pond at the edge of the woods just outside the front door. He's looking for a warmer nest for the winter, and our deck, nestled inside the south-facing courtyard of our U-shaped home, provides warmth and protection.
I am pleased to see him again, and marvel that he'd feel safe enough to come right up to our home. Heart smiles.
A couple of days later, repeat performance but in mid-afternoon. This time I am working upstairs in the loft when the clatter begins. I make my way down the stairs and come face to face with the buck through sliding glass doors.
Breathtakingly beautiful lines in his face, colours in his fur. A moment of peaceful gratitude in my day.
He's in no hurry to leave. Meanders off, only after he's investigated the scent of apples in the crate just outside the door.
I am thankful for the visit - a reminder to stop now and again and be peaceful.