Yesterday I ventured outdoors in a cold rain to check on and spend time with my tree friends…
Miss Goldie and Mister Orange. Sadly, with the passage of time, the golden-yellow leaves that were the natural beauty of Miss Goldie, and the blazing orange leaves that were the pride of Mister Orange, are quickly fading.
Their leaves have morphed into an arrangement of dull, crusty looking browns. Nature is taking its course. Soon their leaves will fall to the ground, leaving behind clusters of barren branches. But after a cold New York winter will come the spring, and with it the rebirth of my friends.
While also of interest were the deer. A group of about ten deer were standing in the field outside the prison's perimeter fence. They're a common sight around here. And as I often do, I'll stop to watch them.
There they were in the rain. Some were standing upright, their heads bent to the ground where they munched on the wet grass. But oddly, several of them were sitting on the ground, seemingly at rest, as a cold rain continued to fall.
I've often wondered what deer do when it rains. Do they seek shelter for themselves? Apparently not. Because to my utter amazement, the three deer who'd been casually sitting on the wet ground, all turned onto their right side with their legs spread wide, leaving their underbellies exposed to the rain.
I watched them with curiosity. But then I realized that by doing this they were washing their undersides. I had never seen this before. None of the deer seemed to mind the rain at all. But those resourceful females were not going to let the opportunity go to waste. Seeing them resting side by side with only a few feet between them, they looked quite content as they allowed those cold drops of rainwater to wash their bellies. God's creatures never cease to amaze me.
D.B.
Their leaves have morphed into an arrangement of dull, crusty looking browns. Nature is taking its course. Soon their leaves will fall to the ground, leaving behind clusters of barren branches. But after a cold New York winter will come the spring, and with it the rebirth of my friends.
While also of interest were the deer. A group of about ten deer were standing in the field outside the prison's perimeter fence. They're a common sight around here. And as I often do, I'll stop to watch them.
There they were in the rain. Some were standing upright, their heads bent to the ground where they munched on the wet grass. But oddly, several of them were sitting on the ground, seemingly at rest, as a cold rain continued to fall.
I've often wondered what deer do when it rains. Do they seek shelter for themselves? Apparently not. Because to my utter amazement, the three deer who'd been casually sitting on the wet ground, all turned onto their right side with their legs spread wide, leaving their underbellies exposed to the rain.
I watched them with curiosity. But then I realized that by doing this they were washing their undersides. I had never seen this before. None of the deer seemed to mind the rain at all. But those resourceful females were not going to let the opportunity go to waste. Seeing them resting side by side with only a few feet between them, they looked quite content as they allowed those cold drops of rainwater to wash their bellies. God's creatures never cease to amaze me.
D.B.
