Friday, February 29, 2008

Sad & Dangerous

About a month, maybe longer, the logging crew started working on the site where the new school is going. It didn't take long for the deer to start heading out. It's sad to see this land depleted of trees everyday you can see a change in it. I remember a couple days after they had started and you could see when driving by the change in such a short time I just wanted to cry. I had this overwhelming feeling of sadness. It's changing so fast around here and I'm not sure if it's for the better. We love our little quiet area and it's hard watching it day by day moving closer to us.

I feel so bad for the animals that has had these woods as their homes for years and years. Now they are confused and they don't know which way to go. They scurry out every morning when the trucks show up and they must be going back at night. I can't say how many times in the past month or so that we have had to stop because a deer or several deer have run out in front of us. In the past 6 years we may have had that happen a handful of times but in the last month or so it's almost a daily event. One morning I was taking Jene` to school and one ran out and I stopped and all of a sudden Jene` said mom don't move. She could see in the woods since it's winter and there were four more headed our way. Sure enough they are jumped out of the woods and scurried across the road to the other side. Normally there was only one section that we ever had any run out in front of us but since the trucks have come in they are trying to get out where ever they can. Some of the places they have come out of I don't even know how they got through because of all the thick brush. Also on that morning when we finally started making our way to the main road and got to the open field next to the main road it was filled with deer. There was a fawn that was on a dead run and headed straight for the road and cars were coming. I clenched the steering wheel as I watched and Jene` screamed NO. Just has that poor baby got to the road he stopped quickly and and ran back toward the woods. At some point I must of held my breath because I can remeber the huge relief I felt when he turned.

I worry everytime Nick comes to pick up Jene`. I have found myself going so slow and watching in the woods as I'm driving. This morning Dale had forgotten something for school and I had to take it in it was about 9:20 when I got back to our main road. As soon as I had turned onto the wood and was about to pass the field a deer jumped out it scared me so bad. I sat there looking at where he came from and thought how in the world did you come through that spot it's nothing but thick brush that a squirrel would find hard to get through.

I guess I'm just feeling that overwhelming sadness again today.

1 comment:

Mel said...

How sad is that? Truth of the matter is it's not just in your area. That was one of the reasons we moved farther in the country. When we first moved into our old neighborhood it was a quiet place to live, but that all changed when the base started to expand. Now that neighborhood is full of new homes, more people and even businesses. Over the last five years that we've lived in our present house the traffic on our road has gotten so bad we don't dare ride the horses on the road any longer. Now, we know what our elders have endured over their life spans. Lots of changes, must be so overwhelming for them, yet just begining for our generation.