Oh Deer!

This week as we left the for work we rounded a curve a mile from the house and hubby yelled, "Look at the deer."

Of course I didn't see them, so we turned around and I got to see two deer standing by the fence. At the time, neither one of us wondered why they stood there and didn't run off, which is the usual behavior when we see deer.

We turned around, and this time we saw why the deer remained. A fawn had gotten his foot stuck in the fence. His back foot was tangled near the top of the fence and his poor body was stretched as his body dangled, with half of his torso laid on the ground. The position alone would be painful.

As we neared in hopes of helping the poor fellow, he began to wiggle and try to free himself. I stayed back, not wanting to make him more afraid. Hubby moved toward his back to look how his foot was caught. The fence wasn't tight around his leg, but the metal was twisted an odd way which would make it nearly impossible to lift a wiggling deer to release him.

Thankfully we had metal cutters on the van. I ran back, the whole time knowing the deer had to be in pain, so I made myself run the 50 meters to the van.

Within the minute, I gave hubby the cutters and the deer was freed. At first he had a hard time standing. He tried to move away from us, but we boxed him, not wanting him to dart to the other side of the road. The next problem was wondering how we could get him to the other side of the fence where his friends were. He could not jump, and we didn't want to get close enough to a scared deer to lift him to the other side.

Thankfully a few feet away was a gate with enough room the deer could squeeze through. Eventually, we stepped around and urged him to the right place, and he moved through the fence. When he did, he stood and ran off.

I can picture what he said to his friends when he finally caught up with them, "Thanks guys, the moment the humans show up you abandon me."


This event has also made me think about the deer and what he does when in pain. Does he know certain plants to eat to alleviate the pain? Is he forced to endure the pain until his leg heals?

I also thought about my health. I've never been a runner. I hate running. But, when I ran to the van to get the metal cutters, I couldn't physically run the entire way back. Sad, I know. I am healthier than I was last year, but it gives me motivation to exercise more.

Have a great day everyone.
Keep the Faith.

Story in my Heart

I've set a goal this year to make writing a priority. No, I've never finished a book, but I have been writing for nearly a decade now. I can easily pull up stories that are nearly complete, but I know they aren't the story in my heart, and until I know I can take the story in my heart, and put it on paper to share, I'm not going to push to release a story.

I want a perfect story. I've been told that is my problem. I expect my writing to be perfect. That I need to accept that it won't be perfect. That I need to put my work out there for others. Do I settle for that? I've decided I can't. If I am not proud of a story, I don't want to put it out there.

I don't want to be an author with a ton of books and all of them averaging 3 stars. I want to be an author that touches people and makes them think. 

This new year, I decided to start a new story. I set everything aside and concentrated on this one. I don't have a decent title, so I've just been thinking of it as Mayor.

The thing about this story...it's nearly finished. And, it is GREAT. Yes, I am proud of this story. It excites me. I haven't gotten bored with it. Yeah, I started to get 'crazy' at one point, and I took a week long break. Then I went back at it.

After my break I did a read through. It was close to the story in my heart, but not quite there. I went back to the outline and added a few more scenes. I'm finishing up the scenes and the editing and hope to have it finished by the end of the month.

I admit, I've drawn a line in the sand before. My deadline at one point is the end of March, then the end of April, but if it isn't finished, at to my satisfaction, I'm not going to dwell on the deadline I placed. If I have never finished a story, then I have no idea how long it takes to write one. How can I set a deadline if I've never done it before?

I'll keep you informed.
Keep the Faith.