The Summer with Our Deer Friends

Yep, this one is on Lisa and I.  TJ accuses us of being old and doing "old people" stuff.  

We started putting out food and water for the deer that wander into our back yard. What started out as a "let's see if the come by" has turned into, "they're here again."  

I started by putting the food on the edge of the tree line. Now I put it in the yard, about 25 feet from the back door.  Now, the doe walks into the middle of the lawn and if she finds no food there, she waits, staring into the house until I come out.  She will step off a few paces so I can go to the bin, get the deer corn, and pour it out for her.  Then she will come back and eat.  

We started putting out apples too.  A bag of red Delicious apples costs about $2.  When the deer show up, I go outside and roll one - sometimes two - out to her/them.  I sit on the back patio while she munches.   

Lisa puts fresh water (sometimes with a little sugar) in the bird bath because the deer drink from it.   

We are both content to sit in the sunroom and watch. We have named the first doe, "Goldie Fawn,' and if your old enough to know the play on words, you know.  Goldie Fawn has recently brought a friend with her.  A deer yet to be named, but suggestions are welcome and encouraged. 

Lucie is incredibly indifferent to the deer and they are wary, but indifferent, to her.  Several times Lucie has been outside while the deer are there and she just sits or lays down to watch them.  She has even walked out onto the lawn, just feet from them and everyone shares the space.   

A few times at night I turn on the flood lights and find one or two bedded down inside the wood line.  I guess we are the equivalent of a deer "safe space."  

And now we find ourselves looking out into the backyard seeing if they are visiting.   

My goal is to hand feed them by the end of summer. TJ is opposed to us making them reliant on our feeding them.  I understand his concern and try to put out only enough food for a small feeding and not enough for them to gorge themselves.  Now I only set out food when they show up making us a semi-reliable source of food.

If this is what old people do to pass the time, well, okay, we are getting good practice.