John
Deer
Steve and Cheryl Eno are deer people who live in rural Nebraska.
Steve and Cheryl have worked hard all
of their lives in order to situate themselves in a location where they
would be able to enjoy nature from every window of their house. They
have landscaped their property to be wildlife friendly—including a
couple of ponds.
They were taking in the scenery one
day, when they noticed that the pair of Canada Geese that nest on their
property were quite upset. Now it is not unusual for geese to be
upset. I think that geese are upset when they are not upset.
Steve and Cheryl scanned the area and
quickly saw what the problem was. The geese in the pond were swimming
frantically to escape from a white-tailed deer. The spotted fawn was
intent upon joining the geese. Steve and Cheryl called the DNR, several
parks, veterinarians and even some horse owners to determine what to
do. They were informed that the fawn was probably orphaned and was
trying to make parents out of the geese. Steve and Cheryl watched the
young deer carefully for the next few days. They noticed that it had
lost most of its white tail. The bobbed tail was likely the work of a
hungry coyote. The more they watched the little buck, the more apparent
it became that it had no mother. What had happened to the mother was
never known. A lot of deer fall prey to car collisions, so perhaps that
was her fate.
Then one fateful day, the fawn
spotted Steve and Cheryl. That did it. From that day on, Steve and
Cheryl became the parents of a fawn—whether they wanted to be one or
not. The fawn followed them around like a puppy. Steve and Cheryl
named him John Deer. It seemed like a most appropriate name for a deer
in a farm community. Steve and Cheryl obtained a milk bucket used to
feed calves and filled it with milk used to nourish lambs. They began
feeding the hungry deer. John Deer made little, odd sounds of
contentment as he drank. Steve and Cheryl, with hearts as big as
Nebraska, fell in love with John Deer. John Deer, in turn, realizing
that he had stumbled upon the best parents he could ever hope for, fell
in love with Steve and Cheryl. As John Deer got a little older, he
developed a real taste for oatmeal-raisin cookies and muskmelon. He
would come each night at the same time for food and a head massage.
Now most of us who have owned dogs
have had outside dogs. These are dogs that are supposed to stay outside
all of the time, never setting paw inside our homes. Then it
happened—maybe it was an extremely cold night or perhaps those beautiful
brown eyes of the canine? The dog was allowed into the porch. Like a
well-prepared army, the dog advanced little by little until it had the
run of the entire house. John Deer must have had some canine
instincts. He made it into the house and with his endearing (endeering)
ways, he soon had the run of the beautiful house. The house was filled
with nature paintings and I am sure that they made John Deer feel right
at home. The vegetable drawer in the refrigerator quickly became John
Deer’s drawer. John Deer even went upstairs to visit the bedrooms and
bathroom there. He had no trouble whatsoever going up the stairs.
Coming down the stairs was a real problem. He wouldn’t do it. Deer
just aren’t built properly for going down stairs. Steve had to muscle
John Deer down. He learned quickly how strong a stubborn ungulate can
be.
One day the telephone rang. It was a
neighbor who went jogging every morning. He was joined each day at
daybreak by a jogging deer. It was John Deer.
Another morning, another phone call.
This one was from a bus driver who told Steve and Cheryl about a deer
that tried to board the bus with the children. It was John Deer. Steve
and Cheryl once again consulted with experts. The experts recommended
neutering. Steve and Cheryl paid for the operation. Because of this
procedure, the little buck never grew antlers. It had small buttons
where the antlers would normally be.
John Deer spent two years hanging
around the yard of Steve and Cheryl. It made regular visits to their
house during that time. Steve would put some harmless red paint on the
side of John Deer during the hunting season. On each flank, John Deer
sported “PET” written in big red letters.
John Deer has gone off to live a life
of his own. Steve and Cheryl still see him occasionally. John Deer was
lucky to have parents like Steve and Cheryl. I am lucky to have friends
like Steve and Cheryl. I have never met more giving people.
Steve and Cheryl have discovered that
you can never lose what you give to others.
©Al Batt 2003
71622 325 St.
Hartland, MN
56042
SnoEowl@aol.com |
