Mule Deer Galore

In Alaska, every time I saw a moose, I took a picture.  They are such graceful animals, browsing their way through the woods, chomping on my friend's apple tree, and ambling down the sidewalks in downtown Anchorage.

The tradition continues here in Central Oregon with mule deer.  Over the last four days, mule deer have been in the yard every day.  On the first day, we saw a yearling with a broken leg hobbling around with a family of deer.  It was heartbreaking to watch, and I tried to convince Emil to lasso it and put it in the chicken coop as a pet.  Since Emil doesn't know how to lasso or own a rope, my scheme didn't happen.

Over the next few days, other deer families came through to munch on the grass, lavender plants, and rose bushes.

A young buck

No need to cut the grass

Hello big buck

The chickens are guarding their territory

A nice 10 point buck

As Emil makes room for his tools (shipped down from Alaska) in the garage and begins his adventure as a Luthier, he noticed some animal has been chewing on everything.  This animal ate the top off of one of my tall rubber boots.  What the what?  How did it eat the top of my boot?  How tall is this creature?  Who eats rubber and survives?  We will know soon!  A big trap, borrowed from our neighbor is baited with a big ol'spoon of peanut butter.  A kangaroo rat?  A raccoon?  A hungry cat?  A mountain lion?  I'll keep you posted on the outcome!