I was like an expecting mother when we first moved into the house on the property.  I was looking for just the right place for everything in the kitchen and bedroom. I was trying to make the place homey and inviting. Outside was the hubby’s domain as far as I was concerned. Sure, I had to pick where I wanted the chicken coop, but that was about as far as my interest went when it came to working outside.

Then he had to start traveling for work again. I told myself, “That’s ok, you’ve got this” At first I thought I would go crazy trying to figure out how to keep everything from dying in his absence. Of course all my well-meaning neighbors that have taken it upon themselves to check on me in his absence also have all kinds of advice to share with how I should be doing things. I’ve learned to take their advice graciously, then I do my own thing anyway, which is according to the instructions I was left with.

Now I find myself wandering out to see if the corn has grown anymore since the last time I looked at it (a few hours before), and marvel at the size of the crop. I smile at how well I’ve managed to keep the corn green and growing while my dear is working hard to provide for us here. I take pictures almost every day of the terraces and corn field, the AP beds and pond, the chickens (since they don’t scowl when they see the camera like the kids do) and Bubba. It’s also a great excuse to try different settings on the camera on my phone.  I pick out the best and e-mail them so the hubby can see that we haven’t neglected anything, and he can point out things he’d like to see done differently or just be surprised at the progress.

This morning I was walking out the door to go make adjustments on the AP system when I heard a rustle in the front yard. There has been a cougar sighting on our corner so I admit, I did panic a little until I looked up and saw a deer in the front yard. I was able to snap some pictures of him/her before Bubba saw it and did his duty to bark loudly and scare it off.

I fed the birds and headed down to the AP system and while I was waiting for a bed to break siphon, I looked up at the terrace to admire the view and who was standing there, but that deer. The city girl in me looked up in awe and sighed at how lucky I was to live in a place where I could see this so close to me. And then the homesteader in me said “Oh crap! The corn!”

I kept my eyes on it as it made its way down the hill towards our neighbor’s property. I silently thought “That’s right, get away from my vegetables. Come on down the hill and no one gets hurt…” Then Bubba spotted the deer and did his due diligence in barking to scare it off for the sake of my physical protection (he was standing as close to me as he could get, I’m sure it wasn’t because he was scared).

The deer headed straight back towards the terrace, then up and away.  Phew! I don’t have to report that a deer destroyed the grapes and corn and cukes on the terrace. I finished up and came back up to the top of the property. I got the water going on the corn and walked over to the orchard (my four fruit trees) and saw that little bugger helped itself to the leaves on my apple trees. Both of them.

This is war now Bambi!