Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 04:58
A Light From Afar
"What's that?" I said. "Is that a light in the hunting shack?"
It was Tuesday evening after dark, and Randy and I were taking Pixie for a walk. Because it is gun deer season around here, I do not feel very comfortable going for a walk in daylight, even if I am wearing blaze orange. Then, when the hunting closes for the day, there is traffic to deal with coming from the dirt road north of us.
Under those circumstances, it is best to wait until after dark to go for a walk. Our little Shetland Sheepdog, Pixie, has been having trouble with her right front leg. She injured it when she was only a year old, and it has periodically been giving her trouble since. Last week, one of the cats knocked something over in the kitchen, scared herself and scared Pixie, who scrambled to get out of the way -- and injured her leg again in the process. I like to get Pixie out for a little walk because it helps keep her legs limber, but I don't want to overdo it, either.
"*Is* that a light in the shack?" I said, as we approached the ninety-degree corner just a few feet down the road from our driveway. At that point, the hunting shack was about a half mile away.
"I think so," Randy said, "but why would they have an orange lantern in the shack after closing?"
We walked a ways farther and rounded the corner.
"Oh," Randy said, "it's not in the shack, it's a car parked along the road."
As we straightened our perspective on the road, I could, indeed, see that it was the tail lights of a car parked along the road.
"But why is it parked on the south side of the road?" I said.
"Don't know," Randy replied.
We walked a little farther.
"No," Randy said. "It's not on the south side of the road. It's actually on the north side."
"And look," I said, "there's someone with a lantern or a spotlight standing beside it."
"And there's someone in blaze orange next to the car," Randy said.
We walked a little farther.
"Now why," Randy said, "would someone be sitting there in a car, with the tail lights on but the headlights off?"
"And someone next to it with a spotlight? I wonder if they are dragging a deer out of the field?" I said.
I really hoped not, to tell you the truth. I always feel very sorry for the deer during gun season. I know we have too many of them. And I don't want them to get hit by a car. And I don't want them to starve to death if there's too many and we have a bad winter, but still -- I always feel sorry for the deer during gun season and am happy when they escape.
"But why would someone need a spotlight shining on the car?" Randy asked.
"Don't know," I said.
We walked a ways farther.
All of a sudden, it dawned on me.
"That's not a car!" I said.
"It isn't?" Randy said.
"No," I said. "It's the neighbor's Christmas lights! In her yard! Her Christmas display! With a star hanging on the tree in the front yard! That's what looks like a lantern -- the star."
Randy stopped and stared.
"Hmmph!" he said. "I think you're right."
"They chopped a bunch of limbs off that tree when they came through and chopped up our oak for the powerline. I suppose she's really got room to hang a star now," I said.
We arrived at the point of our property line and turned around. It was only a half mile round trip walk for Pixie, but I didn't want her to stress her leg too much.
"Hah!" Randy said. "We're just a hoot, aren't we."
"Yes," I said. "We are. We started out with a light in a shack, went to a car with tail lights and then a car with tail lights and someone with a spotlight to a Christmas display with a star."
I usually don't go in that direction when I head for town, but I'm going to have to make a point of it after this -- just to see what the neighbor has in her Christmas display that's reddish/orange. Santa Claus perhaps? Or maybe it's one of the Wisemen in a red robe? Or maybe Santa's sleigh? . . .
LeAnn R. Ralph
Sunday, November 22, 2009, 07:02
In a Fog
Saturday morning, the opening day of gun deer season here in Wisconsin, it was so foggy that the visibility was down to about 10 feet.
I had to head for a town a little after 7:30 a.m., and I really do dislike driving when it is so foggy. I was signed up to be a vendor at the craft sale at the senior citizen center, which is basically a fund raiser for the senior citizen's group, so I knew I had to drive anyway.
Turning onto the main road was a anxiety-provoking situation. I couldn't see more than 10 feet either way, so I rolled down the window and listened. Couldn't hear anything besides the sound of my own vehicle. So I crossed my fingers and pulled out onto the road.
Then, driving into town, I kept hoping that no one was silly enough to be out hunting on such a foggy morning, stirring up the deer and pushing them around, because if there was a deer coming at the road, I wouldn't be able to see it until it was much too late.
After what seemed like a very long time, I made it the seven miles into town without seeing any deer.
About mid-morning, the sun started to come out and to burn off the fog. The sun didn't last very long, though, and it must have clouded over again. The fog disappeared to a certain point, and then that's where it stayed pretty much for the rest of the day.
By the time I drove home again in the afternoon, it was not nearly so foggy as it was first thing in the morning, but there was still some fog.
It actually turned out to be a pretty good craft sale. I sold some books. And I got quite a lot of my Christmas shopping done. And I didn't have to go to a mall or fight crowds to do it!
It's kind of a funny thing, though. More often than you would think, the opening day of deer season is foggy.
LeAnn R. Ralph