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Date Posted: Wed, March 30 2022, 21:16:36
Author: Betsy Snorts at Deer.
Subject: QOTD for Thursday, 3/31/22

Two years ago, I was working in one of our gardens, close to the road. I toodled along, happy and content (I'm always content when I'm barefoot in the dirt and have my hands getting dirtier and dirtier in the soil,) quietly listening to folk music. Plopped in the dirt, on my hands and knees pulling weeds and planting flowers, happily hiding behind tall flowers and the manure pile, I worked away paying no particular time to how long I had been bent over.I sat up, stretched, and slowly stood up. Right in front of me, less than 20 feet away, a large doe raised her head at the same time. We stared at each other, both of us doing imitations of lawn art. Some of the other deer were farther back in the field, including two wee ones, spots still bright. After a bit, the doe twitched her tail and snorted at me. I was thrilled that she trusted me enough not to bolt, and even tried to communicate with me. It was an amazing few minutes and I honestly felt blessed to be a part of it. I snorted back. What the heck. She was "talking to me," mother-to-mother in trust. She snorted back (have you ever heard a deer snort? It sounds like they"re trying to blow their nose with dry boogers stuck inside their nostels.) My snorts were much cleaner, just plain clear snorting. We traded snorting for quite awhile, maybe five minutes, and I blazed the image and the "conversation" in my heart. I think I was channeling Dian Fosse and HD Thoreau.

Last year I was reading some wildlife manual and I looked up communicating with wild deer. When a deer snorts at you, it's an act of aggression, mostly ending with the deer charging and stomping the perceived threat.

So much for Communing with Nature.


The following quote is taken from 'Seven Stones To Stand or Fall,' by Diana Gabaldon. Copyright © 2013, by Diana Gabaldon. All rights reserved.


"He is an old friend, Leopold," she said, gazing affectionately at the snake. "I brought him with me from the West Indies, many years ago. He is a "Mystery," you know."

I didn't, no." Rakoczy drank more wine; he had sat long enough that he was beginning to feel sober again. "And what is that?" He was interested -- not so much in the snake but in Fabienne's mention of the West Indies. He'd forgotten that she claimed to have come from there, many years ago, long before he'd known her the first time.

The afile powder had been waiting in his laboratory when he'd come back; no telling how many years it had sat there-- the servants couldn't recall. Melisande's brief note-- Try this. It may be what the frog used-- had not been dated but there was a brief scrawl at the top of the sheet, saying, Rose Hall, Jamaica. If Fabienne retained any connections in the West Indies, perhaps...

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[> I really need to re-read this story. Certainly DG will bring some of this back in Book 10, and I'll be wondering what the heck she's writing about. -- DianaH, Thu, March 31 2022, 6:54:53


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[> BBS, we too, often get deer in our yard, though not as many as you. I think they mostly keep to our woods, coming out to graze in the yard or browse the peach tree when it has fruit. When I kept my horse at home, Seeks would often get excited to see the "girls" just on the other side of his fence. He'd prance and flag his tail to show off to them. The does would mostly just watch him, neither threatened nor overly impressed. One morning while coming back to the house after feeding, the group of 6, including 2 spotted fawns, merely watched me instead of running off to the woods. As I slowly walked, murmuring as I would to a nervous horse, one of the littles edged toward me curiously, so I stopped and held out my hand. The fawn, nostrils flaring for scent, came within a foot of me before Mama Doe snorted, and the group bolted for the trees. It was very cool. -- DianaH, Thu, March 31 2022, 7:03:36


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[> [> I think you both had a moment of grace with the deer. Most animals are smarter and more communicative than we give them credit for - if we just give them a moment. Diana, it is so cool that you have a horse! And I love the name - is Seek a girl or boy? My childhood into tweener was filled with an obsession and love for horses. It was an impossible dream but we did have a riding academy close which was wonderful. -- Kathy in PA, Thu, March 31 2022, 11:13:09


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[> [> [> Kathy in PA, I agree about a "moment of grace." Living where we have some land with grass and woods is what I always dreamed of growing up in the city. I no longer have Seeks (Secret Permission, a great grandson of Secretariat), as I had to put him down because of his back issues, but he was a very handsome Thoroughbred that I bought off the track at 3. I now own Land Rover, a 9 y/o Friesian Sporthorse who is the love of my life. (Yes, DH and the kids know where they are in the pecking order!) I wish I could post pictures for you.;) My childhood obsession with horses started in 3rd grade. I finally convinced my parents a few years later to let me take riding lessons. My Mom's thought was, "This will either last 6 weeks, or the rest of her life." I'm pretty sure it's the second one, Mom! -- DianaH, Fri, April 01 2022, 8:42:36


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[> [> [> [> Diana, that is so amazing about Seeks and just wonderful that you’ve been able to keep a horse in your life. Does Land Rover look like Phillip Wylie’s beloved pony? They sound so beautiful with flowing black hair. -- Kathy in PA, Fri, April 01 2022, 15:18:49


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[> This novella is confusing to me in many ways. Each time I read it, I find something I hadn't noticed before. Trying to figure out where in time the Comte is at the moment, and how many times he has traveled.... it's hard to keep it all straight. I find it addicting. The Comte is one interesting character. I don't compare the Starrz version of the story to the books; If I don't separate the two, I get peeved at the series. However, the scene in the palace when the Comte drank what he knew was poison made me look at him just a bit differently. I think it was the tears in his eyes..... For whatever reason, he intrigues me. The "brief scrawl" at the top of the sheet on the box of afile powder that said 'Rose Hall, Jamaica,' what's THAT mean? Who will we see again?? -- Betsy BFS, Thu, March 31 2022, 19:39:08


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[> [> Each season I’m more grateful that I’m a book reader first. Knowing the whole story it’s easy to see how they’re going for the “instant shock” because they only have three minutes instead of thirty pages. I also hate the idea of Claire self medicating because it just doesn’t seem that she would. I do think there’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back but I think for Claire it would be harm to a loved one not herself. Just my opinion. The Starz production in itself is magnificent - I never thought anybody could come close to getting it on screen and positively dreaded a movie attempt. -- Kathy in PA, Fri, April 01 2022, 5:45:27


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