Drop in

I had been digging hawkweed out of the lawn for a couple of hours, and was finishing up in a corner when something made me turn around. And there was a young deer, standing on my freshly-cleaned grass, head up, ears perked, hesitating; nibble or run?

And I stood there, both hands full of hawkweed roots, afraid to breathe.

My landlord drove by with his dog in the car, and stopped to look. A long, paralyzed moment, and the deer made up his mind. He pivoted, walked two steps, then broke into a run and disappeared around the house towards the apple trees.

I see a deer or three every time I go for a drive, but I never hoped to see one on my front lawn, here a stone's throw from city centre.

Deer among the daisies. Not on my lawn.

I think I'll plant some lettuce for him.