The Buck Stopped Here

Laying on the couch, fire dancing in the woodstove, a chill in the night air of late fall.

A clatter on the back deck picques my curiosity, but I’m too comfortable under my blankie to get up. The clatter ceases.

Some time later, the clatter again – louder. My imagination soars. A bear seeing fit to rearrange things on the deck? Wouldn’t be the first time one had come to visit.

I rise from my warm cocoon and flip a switch on the wall. The warm glow of a lamp in the loft casts a misty light across the deck.

There before me stands a most beautiful, majestic four-point buck. He stands at alert for a moment, then hooves make the familiar clatter as he makes his way into the security of the dark night.

We’ve seen him with a doe and fawn often, nesting by the pond at the edge of the woods just outside the front door. He’s looking for a warmer nest for the winter, and our deck, nestled inside the south-facing courtyard of our U-shaped home, provides warmth and protection.

I am pleased to see him again, and marvel that he’d feel safe enough to come right up to our home. Heart smiles.

Repeat performance

A couple of days later, repeat performance. This time in mid-afternoon. I am working upstairs in the loft when the clatter begins. I make my way down the stairs and come face to face with the buck through sliding glass doors.

Breathtakingly beautiful lines in his face, colours in his fur. A moment of peaceful gratitude in my day.

He’s in no hurry to leave. Meanders off, only after he’s investigated the scent of apples in the crate just outside the door.

I am thankful for the visit – a reminder to stop now and again and spend some time with inner silence.