We don’t lie down to read and sleep until close to midnight. Sunday near the witching hour, our Blink camera system alerted us to activity in our front yard. Alerts at night are a moth flying around, winds, or the occasional spider web. But this night was different.

We have rooted our lives in this home for nearly 26 years. We enjoy the land our home sits on, providing us with a mini-forest of Douglas firs, a few cedars, yews, and one lone pine. At first, our visitors included raccoons, who loved to challenge Bob to fight. Then there was the mama opossum who somehow built her nest under our house. Finally, we saw footprints on the ground near our bedroom. Bob to the rescue to close off the vent in the foundation, and no more Mama O and her babies.
 
A hawk and his mate chose one of our firs as their summer nesting site. We enjoyed the babies’ arrival for the first time and watched them grow until they fledged. They returned for a couple of summers. As well, we had a mama hummingbird who built her nest near the ceiling of our front porch for two or three summers. Her babies were also a delight. And I must not forget the squirrels who were abundant at one time, but their population has dwindled.
 
Not once in all that time have we seen any coyotes that roam nearby, no bobcats or bears, or other forest animals. That is not until Sunday midnight. Did you think I skipped the deer who roam the woods? No, I didn’t skip the deer. I saved our mystery visitor until last.
 
Our first deer visited us on Sunday night. The doe (we think) is lovely with her big ears held high, a beautiful coat, and a graceful walk. It was as if a miracle had arrived! She waltzed her way to our drive and moved up and across it. Here is where Bob panicked. The deer headed for our garden patch. It is the only place we receive enough sunlight to grow sun-loving plants. Our strawberry plants thrive in this small area. There is a gooseberry bush, several tomato plants blooming, and a cucumber plant or two. Monday morning Bob checked those plants, and our visitor hadn’t touched a thing!
 
We were so excited when we viewed the video showing us who had set off the alert that we couldn’t stop rerunning it. It was hard to wait until Monday morning to save the video and post it on social media. For your viewing pleasure, I’ve posted it here:
 

If you caught the video on social media, forgive the repetition here.

Here’s hoping you have a great summer,

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Featured Image: Dylan Furst on Instagram