RyanHarne.com

After being inspired by the seasonal blossoms all around, I planted my beloved marigolds tonight. My stint as a groundkeeper last summer taught me… umm.. it taught me about.. nature… and how nature… loves us. So, in honor of nature loving me, I planted some marigold seeds I recovered from the withering plants of last fall. I scattered them randomly in open areas I could locate, hoping they’ll bloom in their time and grant me glorious arrays of maroon and orange every morning before my commute.

It’s great to see these bright colors once again. I look forward to this arrival every year. However, there is a side effect to this springtime wonder and amazement.

I would assume that all of the species of animals are getting rough and rowdy this time of year as well; I really don’t have to assume, it’s the annual truth. Rabbits makin’ bunnies; cows makin’ calves; chickens makin’ the first course of a Southern breakfast. But what happens to those animals that have reached their last baby-makin’ prime? You’d be surprised to know that I have the answer.

It’s more apparent in this rural community of Lynchburg, and the surrounding areas, but animals that finish their last heat do the humanly unthinkable.

So imagine you’re driving home during dusk and are enjoying your Sting & The Police Best Of album, when all of a sudden a deer (Doh! A deer! A female deer!) steps out in front of your car as the eye that faces you glows with a fierce outrage for its mid-life crisis. You swerve in hopes to not ruin the newly-washed body of your coupe, but NO! That deer leaps into your swerving path and CRUNCH! SPLAT! It’s time for another car wash, after a visit to the auto mechanic, mind you.

Animals that reach their prime during this fabulous spring season commit suicide in, possibly, one of the most unflattering ways. And central and southwest Virginia is crawling with unnamed suicide victims; every road has a story to tell, not to mention the guts & glory.

I, personally, have had close encounters with distraught deer, raccoons, opossums, and squirrels, while the Jetta has actually sent one over-stressed member of the deer population airborne for a solid ten yards. It’s a shame that these precious lives end up this way, but nature always finds a way to return to equilibrium.

Equilibrium, eh? I suppose that’s why we get showered down with acid rain when we keep screwing around with the atmosphere.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 8th, 2005 at 7:43 pm and is filed under , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.