At 3:45 a.m. I woke to the sound of someone hitting the side of our house with a stick. Three distinct whacks. Was it a dream? Or was someone really out there? Abby jumped off the bed and scampered away. Aha. It wasn't just me.
I suspected what caused the sound, but I wouldn't know for sure until daylight.
After breakfast I went out to check. Sure enough, the fresh green shoots coming up right next to the house had been nibbled away. Someone had been up early for a snack, his antlers banging against the siding as he went for the choicest bits.
Chickens, deer, owls, coyotes -- creatures that cackle, bang, hoot, and howl day and night. Who says rural life is quiet and serene?
