Saturday, September 15, 2007

The Best Laid Plans

We should be on a mini-vacation right now.

Everyone has watched MASH at one time or another, yes? Remember when the officer's latrine blew up and Henry stood there with the toilet seat around his neck, a dazed expression on his face, and said, "Boom" ? We have had a "boom" kind of day.

We hit a really nice sized doe broad-side as she was crossing the road with a few of her friends at around 6:30 this morning, and she didn't have a chance. We didn't either.

We are totally fine. My husband, the hero driver who kept the car safely on the road, has some burns on his arms from the air bag. My shoulder hurts a bit from the seat belt, I think, and everyone's throat is sore from the air bag dust smell--that is nasty. But it could have been so, so, so much worse--something I'll be saying to myself for a very long time, I imagine.

Now the occasional collision of deer and car is a way of life here; we live in rural Kansas, and even in our town of 20,000 +/- you will see a deer wandering through the Taco Bell parking lot. But this is a first for me. I've never had a ticket, never bumped a fender (ok, I brushed the side of a cattle trailer once but I was fourteen at the time and in the middle of a field) and never been witness to an accident, either.

The most fitting irony, and one that was most certainly not lost on the magnificent county sheriff's deputy who came to our aid? Today's the opening day of black powder deer season here.

"Yes, officer, we have our deer tag right here." And we did. But after a summer in New England, I can honestly say, thank God it wasn't for a moose.

8 comments:

Lenora Bell said...

Oh I'm sorry that happened to you, it must have been so scary. No, I've never watched MASH (no TV as a kid in rural Alaska). I hope everyone is feeling better now.

Unknown said...

Oh, this could easily be a Maine story. When we lived on a Maine island overrun with deer, they literally ran into cars, bicyclers, walkers all the time. So glad you're okay. And moose at night scare me to death. People don't have much luck surviving that kind of collision. Are you going to be eating venison steak in the future?

Anonymous said...

Once, when I was a kid, we hit a deer head on at 65 mph. We all walked away fine but totalled the car. There was deer hair in the trunk. *shiver*

Renee said...

Gillian,

I am so very glad you all are okay. I can honestly say I have never hit a deer. And yes, even in our 120k+ town just north of you we've seen a few deer run through McDonald's.

Gillian Layne said...

Hi guys!

Lenora, your childhood sounds like it's own book. I love hearing about people growing up like that. We lived in the country with only two TV channels, so to a lot of my "city" friends I may as well have been in Alaska. How is your arm?

Maggie, I can only imagine. When we stayed in Maine a few days, (Rockport, Ocean beach) I couldn't get over how big those guys are. And we always have venison in the freezer; hubby and father have hunted forever. But the thought of eating that one....eewwwww.

Alice-I'm shivering as well. Is it not frightening how different the same scenario can play out for different people? As I said before, we were lucky. Sounds like you were , too.

Renee, you made me smile. Once a deer walking through the KFC parking lot made the front page of the paper. A slow news day....:)

Tessa Dare said...

How scary! I remember we almost hit a deer once when I was a kid, driving in rural Iowa. They really do freeze in headlights! My dad was able to swerve off the road and avoid it, though.

Glad you're all unharmed!

Gillian Layne said...

Thank you Tessa.

That swerving thing is something we preach NOT to do around here, but whatever keeps you safe---I know it's instinctive.

Ericka Scott said...

I am soooo sorry and yet soooo glad you are all okay!