Animals Have Much To Teach Us

 I marvel at how quickly inter-species relationships form here on the farm.  Animals, who in the wild would be mortal enemies, can form bonds that last with just a little encouragement.

Yesterday morning, the sun rose on a cold, crisp 44 degree land.

  It didn't take long to warm up to a comfortable 60 degrees as everyone scampered around busy in their normal morning routine.

You might remember me mentioning that there is a doe (white-tailed deer) that lives close to our house , between the woods above the pond and the woods beside our driveway.  We see her almost daily.  For the early part of the summer, we would see her, alone, grazing in our yard.  Then as summer progressed and her fawns were big enough to be adventurous, we would see all three of them - Mama (who I call Beauty) and her two spotted babes.  Although she hastens into the woods when she sees us, I think she is quite used to our presence after these past few years.  

Yesterday morning, she and her fawns were alongside the driveway as we headed back to the house from morning chores.  Upon seeing us, she led her twins down into the shelter of our lower yard.  We stopped the gator on the driveway, directly above her and I began to talk to her in a soft voice.  The dogs were with us, but we told them to "leave it" - so they stayed at the gator with us.


"Good morning, Beauty," I called softly.  She turned and looked our way, then as I kept talking to her, began to walk towards us with her twins in tow.  They kept a safe distance, but were intrigued with the conversation.  She stood there, contemplating us for a couple of minutes.  Then, another doe entered the yard from the woods...

and they all took off running into the woods together.  It was quite a magical moment!

We have quite a robust deer herd in the woods surrounding us, and I never tire of seeing them.  They are beautiful, graceful, and peaceful creatures.  It is mating season for the deer, however, which makes them a hazard on the roads.  At dusk and dawn they tend to be on the move - so we stay very vigilant when behind the wheel of the car.


By mid morning it was time to bring the horses in from the pasture and scoop the morning's droppings.

With Moll cat as my co-pilot, I systematically searched the pasture for manure.  

When we reached the gate into the pig yard, I opened it so that the sheep and pigs could graze.  The sheep immediately begin eating.

The pigs, however, have to inspect the gator and use the tires as butt-scratchers.

We said our hellos and I got back to work. 

By the time I finished, MaryAnn had reached the dry-lot and was trying her best to engage Chloe in conversation. 

 Using that grunt that she reserves for those whom she is truly excited to see, MaryAnn was trying her best to get through the fence to Chloe.

Chloe was slightly less enthused, but engaged, none-the-less.  Luckily, I caught much of it on video to share with you.... 

Pete got in a few good sniffs and, I think, finally realized that even though the pigs look intimidating (especially MaryAnn with her scary under-bite), that they are actually quite friendly and nothing to fear.

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Comments

Anonymous said…
How neat about the deers living so close I am jealous!!!
Just love watching the see bring up their babies every year. We saw so many in our back pasture before we moved here in August. I do miss seeing more wildlife though we do see the small ones here and they entertain us on occasion watching them in the yard.
So neat to see how all the animals interact with one another.
Wish people could do the same.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
and what is amazing is that chloe enjoys it or she would have moved away.
Lynne said…
Loved the deer close up . . .
And look how brave Pete is . . .
Closer and Closer . . .
And this gorgeous weather . . .
Cool nights, warm days!
Sherry May said…
Once while hiking alone on a remote path in a Minnesota State Park, I rounded a bend to find a young Doe not more than six feet in front of me on the path. I stopped, put my hands behind my back and in a soft friendly tone, started a conversation. She stretched out her neck, curious but cautious, listening to my words, and taking in my scent. She came so close that I could see myself reflected in her beautiful brown eyes. I was tempted to reach out and touch her, but maintained my respectful distance. She walked several circles around me, nose and ears twitching all the while. Finally she decided that while interesting, I was not a threat, and no longer distracted bent her head to graze. I left her in peace. It was a bit of magic that I will never forget.
Marcia LaRue said…
Such a peaceful way to start my day ... the last day of September! Wow! I think Chloe and MaryAnn did have their little private conversation!
Loved the little interlude with the doe and the twins ... it is magical, for sure!
Little Pete is getting braver by the day ... and bigger!
Eileen in Fla. said…
Is it deer hunting season yet near the farm? Are you posting 'No Trespassing' signs? Shame but these beauties are so vulnerable, especially during mating season.
THE BEARDED ONE !!! said…
WONDERFUL...SO VERY ENJOYABLE....LOVED EVEERY ASPECT OF THIS POST...WE SEE DEER OFTEN ON THE FARM HERE IN TENNESSEE...THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH !!!''KEEP SMILING !!!!!!



EDGAR C. BEARD
This N That said…
I also enjoy seeing the Deer here..often daily..Yes..it's mating season..Last wek a herd of 5 or 6 Buck wandered behind my cottage..I have seen as manny as 16 at one time but they are usually Doe with their fawns..I don't thnk I have ever seen that many Buck together..Always fun to see them all..
It looks like Pete may be getting pretty piggie friendly..Love the video..Sorry MaryAnn was unsuccessful with Chloe..but she didn't run off!!
Another beautiful day..Enjoy!!
Karen said…
Oh my gosh! What a adventure today - enjoyed every.single.second. I can just feel those bristly hairs of Maryann . . .and how I love her pig-talk! I wonder what she would have done if she DID get in with Chloe? Thank you SO much for the wonderful time today - always feel so much love from everybody:)
leslye said…
As soon as my daughter comes home from work I will share this with her so that she can have a smile as big as I did.You really know how to fix my day by always making it brighter.
deodar said…
My KuneKune, Percival and mini donk, Winston are great fence friends. Percy does the same 'ah ah ah' that he greets me with. We have a lot of deer here in east central Wisconsin. Unfortunately they do a huge amount of crop damage and if we have a hard winter the mortality rate can be terribly high so the hunting season is necessary.
What a great post! Thank you Bev! Loved the video too.