Deer at Dusk

 Last night I stepped out of the house at 8;10 for an evening walk. Now 8:10 used to be brilliant sunshine, but now has slowly mellowed into a pale champagne. Under tree canopy it is a musky darkness. Nevertheless, I went forth, already missing the solstice.

Across from Cornell Elementary are a couple of remote side streets—a combination of thick woods, meadow, well-maintained gardens, etc. During the summer they flourished, even now they are still lush. But, lately, the deer have been visiting. Last night I encountered whole deer families!

At first I thought it was a dog, a small doe, near the road, then another, then its mama. Leaving that cul-de-sac, I started down the second side street and saw more deer nibbling beside the road. They pricked up their ears and the mama’s tail twitched nervously. The whole time she kept her eyes on me.

On the way back home, I crossed a playing field behind Cornell Elementary and saw four more deer on the lawn, making a total of 20 deer observed on my evening walk.

It’s not a long track, but by the time I got home the crickets were chirping into the approaching night. Still too early for the Northern Lights predicted for the latter part of the week—which I hoped to catch. Still, more wildlife to come.