Too close for comfort

It's been fun living here, being so close to nature. Every morning, I walk Casey a few houses down, and then straight into this deserty wilderness. The other morning, she actually chased a deer! It was too far away for her to catch up to, but it was still amazing to watch. Afterward, I swear she began leaping like a deer, over the scrub and mesquite and other desert plants that fill the landscape. We see rabbits almost every morning, hurrying into and out of neighbors' bushes. The bugs are bigger and the spiders are plentiful. And although we no longer live in Mammoth, where "Don't Feed Our Bears" stickers are on dumpsters everywhere, I've heard that once in awhile, bears are known to venture into Mono City from the nearby mountains.

Of course, being so close to nature can have its consequences as well. We learned this the hard way on Tuesday night. Brian called after work because the Bug wouldn't start, and we went to pick him up. It was about 7:00 and quite dark, and as we left Lee Vining, Brian shouted, "Deer!" There were two of them, standing in the middle of the highway. I slammed on the brakes, and the poor thing began moving out of my path, but I still hit it. The only way I can describe the experience is surreal, hearing the thud of a large living creature at the front of my 50-mph vehicle. There was someone behind us, so I couldn't stop right away, but as soon as I could, I pulled the van over so we could regroup and inspect the damage. We switched seats and I bawled the rest of the way home. Not sure if I cried more for our van or the poor deer!