Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Oh Dear, Deer!


Yesterday the sun came out in the Glade and melted alot of our snow in areas where that gorgeous sun hit!!! There's still quite a bit of snow left in the shady areas. Our temperatures are still below freezing and have been for over three days. BUT--the forecasters say the weather will get warmer beginning tomorrow!!!! It was a nice snow and I loved it. BUT--now I'm ready for some sunshine and warmer temperatures, at least for a few days.


Late in the afternoon, I glanced out back toward the golf course. There they were----seven beautiful deer on the fairway, enjoying some fresh grass on some of the areas where the snow had melted. We live in a protected area --so all wildlife can live here safely, except for all of the construction and clearing of the woods. Here are some pictures of the deer enjoying the day yesterday beginning above with all seven of them!!!! Note the left-over snow! (More pictures are below!)





In the picture above, I could hear them talking to each other. The one on the left said, "Oh My, don't you love this sunshine?" The one on the right said, "Yeah--I do, but I like eating this grass even more. I was hungry."





It wouldn't be a group of deer pictures without the BUTT shot!!!!! ha ha





"Okay, Mama, I'm coming. Just wait a minute so I can take one more bite."

50 comments:

Kim said...

Lucky you to be able to witness and take pictures of them. They are so sweet!

Cedar ... said...

Wow,... what a wonder to have that many deer practically right in your front yard. I think they are one of Mother Nature's most beautiful animals.

SmilingSally said...

I'm glad that they're munching on your lawn and not on your shrubbery.

Kathleen McQueen Wright said...

Yayyyy!
I know the feeling ...HURRY Get The Camera!!

Just Beautiful!!

Peggy said...

I think deer are so graceful. One of my favorite animals to watch. What a great view for you to have!

Connie said...

Beautiful animals. I'm sure glad you got some pics to share with us.

amelia said...

That's so nice and great that there's grass for them.

I honestly don't know how the deer and moose and all other things, survive around here and places like here where the snow cover is three and four feet deep and more in places. I think about it all the time and wish I could feed them all!!

Karin said...

I love deer!! Did I mention that I LOVE deer! They are graceful, they have the biggest beautiful brown eyes, they are so vulnerable. Thanks for the wonderful picture! I think they were saying, "Hey, were going to be famous. Did you see that journalist with the camera!" How do I look?"

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photos. You can see their winter coats. I never get tired of seeing deer here. I really love that last picture of the little one!

I Am Woody said...

I love deer! There are several that live in the little section of woods by my house and I get to see them almost daily. Last year one of the does had twins!

Anonymous said...

We have a lot of deer in Chesterland too. Last summer they ate up all the broccoli from my garden. They are pretty creatures though.

Busy Bee Suz said...

awww...I love them. SO cute.
We have some around our property, they are really small though. So sweet.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

What a blessing to have the wildlife so close to you.Thanks for sharing them.
Blessings,Ruth

Anonymous said...

And what a cute little tushie it is. Love those deer with their 'flags' up, too!

Mary said...

What a wonderful view you have and such nice visitors....better then golfers, any day :-) Great shots, Betsy!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful encounter with nature.

Susie said...

I love your pictures Betsy, those deer are so pretty. Lots of people complain about how they eat up their plants and flowers but they are such pretty animals. I think you heard their conversation about right!

MB said...

I love it when the deer hang around. For several years Mama had her twins in the shrubs. They were fun to watch. You do have a beautiful blog and live in a lovely area. I need to visit. MB

MB said...

I love it when the deer hang around. For several years Mama had her twins in the shrubs. They were fun to watch. You do have a beautiful blog and live in a lovely area. I need to visit. MB

Small City Scenes said...

Oh oh, I posted under another blog---I hope you find me. MB

And I posted the same thing twice. I am going bonkers!!! LOL

Shelley said...

How lovely you have this deer nearby to watch and enjoy! Loved these photos and glad they had some green grass to eat! Please send some of your warmer weather here and I'll trade you for some more snow!
Big Hugs! Shelley

Anonymous said...

It was nice that you got to enjoy some snow and now it is going away

Anonymous said...

How very beautiful Betsy. In that one photo they look like they are asking one another, "is my nose shining??" ha

Leedra said...

Like that last comment. The little ones always tag behind, no matter what species.

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Unknown said...

What great pictures. You are so lucky that they come and visit your yard. We used to get deer in our back yard--before we put up the fence for the dogs. I think the dogs are more of a deterrent than the fence.

Scooby, our oldest sheltie, will spot deer from her lookout on our deck and take off to the fence to chase them away. They look up, then continue munching. I frustrates her so much.

Gill - That British Woman said...

you are so lucky to be able to get that close to deer, they also look very healthy, they must have had a good winter?

Gill in Canada

Diane said...

Dear Betsy, I never get tired of looking at deer. Such innocent and beautiful creatures.

Jackie said...

Betsy, I'm a little concerned about these deer conversations you think you're hearing, hehehe.

Once again thanks for the comment, and I think one reason why all these other "voices" are being heard and not ours is because we've been told that as Christians we should be silent when it comes to politics, but we definitely can be heard without being political, and I don't think that being involved in politics is on its face a bad thing, if you can do it without being swayed by all the corruption, but it would be tough these day!!!

Cassie said...

Yipes.Do that many deer cause damage to your trees & plants? My FIRST tomato (4 years ago) had just become ripe & ready to pick when a deer gobbled it up.That's when the garden fence went up.;<)

Jen said...

Great pictures Betsy-
They look pretty well fed.
I'm in the country, but a nearby neighborhood is overun with deer right now and it is so pitiful to see them, they look starved.

Adrienne Zwart said...

I love deer, too. Not as much in the spring when they are munching all the new green shoots in my flowerbeds, but they are really pretty. I love the bird photos in your sidebar. I've never seen a pileated woodpecker in person before. Lucky!

Loran said...

The deer in my neighborhood like to eat the sunflower seeds out of the bird feeder, and my flowers when I have them.

Judy said...

These pictures are just wonderful. How great it must be to live so near the wildlife. It seems you have become so accustomed to having them around, that you also speak their language! lol.
I think the white-tailed deer is such a beautiful creature. Thanks for sharing these pictures. It was a bit warmer here today and supposed to be warmer tomorrow but cold again Saturday. I am so ready for spring.

Aleta said...

Nice pics! We love to watch the deer also. We feed them. We have seven regular ones that come around. We notice that for some reason some of them have darker coats than others. Looks like one of yours is darker than the rest also.

Rose said...

I get so excited when I see deer like that...I love to watch any kind of wildlife.

Tina said...

Betsy,
They all look so healthy and plump! You got some great shots..lol love the butt shot..and, as always, those little ones just make ya melt, don't they? Great post! Sorry about your snow melting..:(

Unknown said...

Great photos!! It got to 60 today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 70 tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Brit in Tennessee said...

I love watching the deer come out of the woods, and into the open fields behind the house...
We've had a lot of rain lately, and now the weather has warmed up, the grass is looking lovely and green. The deer are having a treat !
Tomorrow is in the mid sixties, I don't remember weather this warm in Tennessee in January ?
Your pictures are so beautiful and inspiring.

Anonymous said...

I miss the deer coming up to the house like this. Its nice having Nature all around us.

The Birdlady said...

Great shots of some of my favorite creatures.

Unknown said...

I wonder if the snow is what led them out ... or do they typically graze around there. For us its during high water that you see the deer in unusual places, and up on the higher road berm, which during that season is the only place without water.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Kallen--Yes, we are lucky!!! They are so gorgeous!!!

Cedar--I agree--they are beautiful--and we are lucky to have them around!!!

Sally-- We use "Liquid Fence" (spray) to keep them away from our flowers and yard. That stuff really works!!!

Kath-- I get so excited when i see the deer. Most of the time, because of my excitement, I shake the camera and the pictures come out blurry!!!

Peggy--Someone said that deer can run 35 miles per hour. I don't know if that is right or not--but they do 'take off' when they see us!!!! Yes, I love our back yard--since we have so much privacy.

Connie--Thanks!!! I'm glad we got some pictures also.

Amelia-- They will do almost anything to get food in situations like that. That's when they'll come all the way up to the bird feeders, etc. Alot of people in the north put out corn and other things for the animals in the winter.

Karin-- Aw---do you REALLY love deer???? ha ... I do too!!! Maybe they did say that---I may have misunderstand them!!! Ha Ha

Carla--Yes, the little ones are so special. They look so vulnerable. Remember Bambi????

Woody--Oh how neat. Twins???? Do you have pictures? I love seeing the Mama's and their babies.. Around here, they always seem to be in groups of 7. Wonder why???

Pigeon-- Where's Chesterland??? They will eat your garden and shrubs and whatever else they can find --if they are hungry enough.

Suzanne--Thanks!!! Hope your day got better as it went along today!!!! I did enjoy your blog!

Ruth--Yes, we enjoy having them around... We have LOTS of night critters. You can see their footprints after it snows... I take my bird feed in a nights; otherwise, something gets into it.

Deb--Yes, I just had to add that 'butt' picture...

Mary-- Yes, I'd much rather look at deer than golfers.. HA HA

Tom-- Yes, seeing the deer does fall into the category of encounters with nature!!!

Susie-- Well, we'd really complain if they ate our flowers/roses. BUT--we found the perfect thing to keep them away. We buy "Liquid Fence" (a spray)--and it definitely works. (SO FAR).

MB-- Come on to Tennessee anytime. I hope we can get to Washington someday also!!! Yes, the deer are fun to watch.... I get so excited when I see them. That's okay---I recognize you either way (MB or Small City Scenes)..

Shelley-- That's a deal.... You send the snow--and I'll scoop up some warm weather just for you!!! I'll bottle it for you!!! Hope your computer will be okay!!

Michelle--Yes, just enough snow to enjoy for a few days---and now the warmer temps are coming --along with some sunshine. PERFECT!

Mildred---HA HA---I love that.. They might even be saying: "Is my eyeliner dark enough?"

Leedra--I do love those little ones. They are just so precious!

Fiona--Oh I can only imagine how frustrated Scooby is ---when he can't get to the deer and when they just ignore him!!!! If the dogs ever get out of the fence, would they chase the deer????? I'm sure the deer can outrun the dogs though.

Barb-- I love seeing the deer. I never seem to tire of it.. AND--I get so excited. Thank Goodness I can call George to get the best pictures. I get so nervous, I shake the camera. HA

Gill--So far, our winter hasn't been too severe although we've had some very cold temps. It is supposed to warm up this week--so I'm sure the animals love that!!!

Diane--I don't tire of seeing them either. I always want to take their pictures EVERY single time I see one!!!

Jackie-- Do you mean you can't hear them talk to each other????? Get your hearing checked, girl!!!! ha ha ... I totally agree about our involvement with this country and its many needs!!!! Sometimes I think EVERYONE in politics is a crook.. I'm sure that's not true--but there is plenty of dishonesty.

Cassie-- We use "Liquid Fence" (a spray) to keep the deer from eating our flowers/shrubs, etc. It really works!!!

Jen---I hate to see more houses built in our area. We humans are gradually taking the deer and other animals' homes... Sad!

Adrienne--Welcome to my blog. Come back anytime. I enjoy checking out yours. Buy some "Liquid Fence"--and that will keep the deer out of your yard.. It really does work. Pileated Woodpeckers are SO pretty. Hope you can see one someday.

MM-- Well---deer will do whatever they have to do to live and find food. We keep them out of our yard by using "Liquid Fence." It is a spray and really works.

Judy-- I went to 'deer-speaking-school' to learn their language... HA HA.. Sometimes, when they are out--we only see their white tails. It's getting warmer here also--with rain coming tomorrow I think.

Aleta--Lots of people put out corn for the deer. I think they get plenty of food up here in the Glade.. At least, they look healthy. Wonder why they seem to always be in groups of SEVEN???? The darker one may be older---or maybe there was a shadow on him...?????

Rose-- Me too--I love seeing the deer (or any wildlife for that matter)... When we go to the Smokies, we are always looking for the bears. (Don't want them too close though!)

Tina-- I'm okay with the snow melting.. We had just enough and now I'm ready for some warmer temps and sunshine for a few days anyhow!!! ha...

Darla---Glad your temps are moderating... I always worry about freezing weather in Florida. Don't want bad weather to hurt your beautiful flowers/yard...

Josephine-- Yes, it's going to be in the 50's here tomorrow.. Quite a change--but I'm ready for the warmer temps and sunshine for awhile.. I enjoyed our snow--but the sunshine will be nice too!!!

Bernie--That's another thing I love about living here. Since the wildlife is protected, we have more of them around!!

Helen---Mine too!!! I will never get tired of seeing deer. I enjoyed your post about your daughter!! That is special.

Bob---The deer are always around... This has always been a very woodsy area--and when houses are built, you have to leave as many trees as possible. There are lots of houses now--but STILL---lots of woods nearby. Since wildlife are protected up here, we have lots of deer and other animals around!!! It's neat I think!!!

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Are they not so beautiful!!!! I love the pictures...m..

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Thanks Mary... It seems that everybody loves deer. I think they are gorgeous!!

Stephanie Suzanne Designs said...

Betsy, be still my heart! seven deer there for your viewing pleasure..what great pictures you got. You provide my nature fix while I'm awaiting the permanent stay at the cabin....on that note, I'm headed up the mountain next week just for 2 days though..

Stephanie
Queen of Dreamsz

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Steph---How long will it be before you can move to the mountains fulltime??? I know you will absolutely love it!!! Glad I can share my deer with you.

Connie said...

Loved seeing the deer--especially so many together at one time. We see deer here quite frequently too out in the country outside of town. Great photos! :D

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Daisy, We usually see deer in groups... One strange thing is that they seem to always be in groups of SEVEN. Don't know why!

Rosa said...

I love deer. Such sweet faces.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I agree Rosa. They are incredible creatures!