About half-way through the wonderful Disney animated film "Bambi" something sad and tragic happens. First, we get taken into this beautiful story of a mother teaching an inquisitive young son about the life in the forest. We are made to feel our hearts warm up by the terrific expressive animation while we're helped to understand how wonderful it is to have the trust and loving relationship with your favorite soul on earth.
Then, BAM!
Our emotions get smacked up-side the head like the airbag went off unexpectedly in the car!
Bambi's mother is killed.
That's my favorite part.
Well, I am kidding, of course.... sorta.
You see, in the last four and a half years I have hit 6 of these wonders of nature. I would say I've had about another half dozen near misses with these majestic creatures.
There are a ton of these over sized vermin roaming around northwest Pennsylvania.
And yes around 1 a.m. this morning I met up with one of them going about 50 mph.
So perhaps that scene in Bambi doesn’t quite bother me as much. Kidding..... sorta.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources there are about 1.5 Million white tails roaming around in Pennsylvania woods ....and highways.
That is about 30 per square mile. Yikes!
While at the rental car joint today there were a number of folks in there getting cars. The guy at the counter said, "yeah we rent a lot of cars to folks who hit deer."
My boss said, "I've noticed an increase of activity lately, but I guess its a little too late to mention that to you now." We laughed, well, he laughed, I snarled in a laughing sorta way figuring it was better than reaching through the phone to bitch slap him. Kidding.... sorta!
"Deer play an important role in our forests, and everyone admires their graceful beauty.“ the DCNR website goes on.
Oh please!
Ever try beautifying your yard with nice hostas in the shade or exotic lillies in the sun? "Everyone admires their graceful beauty." My ass "everyone" does!
These walking weapons of mass destruction are out of hand.
Now just so everyone knows, I really love nature and I truly get that humans are the ones who have developed things like roads and metal boxes on wheels that go faster than the dickens whether we think we can completely control them or not.
I get that we set up agendas and decide we need to travel from place to place and that, where we choose to go, goes through the land that countless species call home. In fact on our roads alone I'd guess millions of beings die everyday from our carelessness. Bugs alone account for probably more than 100 deaths by human each day. Worms in the rain, poor flattened out buggers.
So I get it.... sorta!
“Whitetails” have been a part of Penn's Woods for many centuries." the DCNR drones on. Non-indigenous people's have only been here a couple of those. And we really only have had these super paved roadways and cars that go speeds we should reconsider going really(I mean why do we really need to be anywhere that fast anymore?) for a hundred or so years, actually much less.
So here I am in 2020 having to deal with a day off of work, trying to figure out how to not take two days off of work. I am trying to find out what to do with an injured car that may or may not have an engine still firmly mounted to the frame. That I know now what an airbag feels like pummeled in a split second smack dab in the face. I have parts of the car sitting on top of it because... well I don't know where they go. AAAAAnd I am a bit worried I may or may not be able to afford any of this even though I'm nicely insured and hope most of this is taken care of for me.
All of these things, but at least I can say I wasn't injured, I can sit here snorting out snarky little jabs at creatures just trying to live on this planet just like I do, only without all the made up crap we deem important.
With all of this crap I am dealing with, my day is still better than that poor deer.
I tell folks I suffer from a form of PTSD when I get behind the wheel. I'm not comparing my anxiety to shell-shocked or worse members of the military, but there is sometimes dread I feel getting behind the wheel and driving through the dark roads of western Pennsylvania. I've been trying to come up with a funny acronym for PTSD that the D is deer, but haven't quite come up with one.
Person Tired of Stupid Deer maybe?
Then, BAM!
Our emotions get smacked up-side the head like the airbag went off unexpectedly in the car!
Bambi's mother is killed.
That's my favorite part.
Well, I am kidding, of course.... sorta.
You see, in the last four and a half years I have hit 6 of these wonders of nature. I would say I've had about another half dozen near misses with these majestic creatures.
There are a ton of these over sized vermin roaming around northwest Pennsylvania.
And yes around 1 a.m. this morning I met up with one of them going about 50 mph.
So perhaps that scene in Bambi doesn’t quite bother me as much. Kidding..... sorta.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources there are about 1.5 Million white tails roaming around in Pennsylvania woods ....and highways.
That is about 30 per square mile. Yikes!
While at the rental car joint today there were a number of folks in there getting cars. The guy at the counter said, "yeah we rent a lot of cars to folks who hit deer."
My boss said, "I've noticed an increase of activity lately, but I guess its a little too late to mention that to you now." We laughed, well, he laughed, I snarled in a laughing sorta way figuring it was better than reaching through the phone to bitch slap him. Kidding.... sorta!
"Deer play an important role in our forests, and everyone admires their graceful beauty.“ the DCNR website goes on.
Oh please!
Ever try beautifying your yard with nice hostas in the shade or exotic lillies in the sun? "Everyone admires their graceful beauty." My ass "everyone" does!
These walking weapons of mass destruction are out of hand.
Now just so everyone knows, I really love nature and I truly get that humans are the ones who have developed things like roads and metal boxes on wheels that go faster than the dickens whether we think we can completely control them or not.
I get that we set up agendas and decide we need to travel from place to place and that, where we choose to go, goes through the land that countless species call home. In fact on our roads alone I'd guess millions of beings die everyday from our carelessness. Bugs alone account for probably more than 100 deaths by human each day. Worms in the rain, poor flattened out buggers.
So I get it.... sorta!
“Whitetails” have been a part of Penn's Woods for many centuries." the DCNR drones on. Non-indigenous people's have only been here a couple of those. And we really only have had these super paved roadways and cars that go speeds we should reconsider going really(I mean why do we really need to be anywhere that fast anymore?) for a hundred or so years, actually much less.
So here I am in 2020 having to deal with a day off of work, trying to figure out how to not take two days off of work. I am trying to find out what to do with an injured car that may or may not have an engine still firmly mounted to the frame. That I know now what an airbag feels like pummeled in a split second smack dab in the face. I have parts of the car sitting on top of it because... well I don't know where they go. AAAAAnd I am a bit worried I may or may not be able to afford any of this even though I'm nicely insured and hope most of this is taken care of for me.
All of these things, but at least I can say I wasn't injured, I can sit here snorting out snarky little jabs at creatures just trying to live on this planet just like I do, only without all the made up crap we deem important.
With all of this crap I am dealing with, my day is still better than that poor deer.
I tell folks I suffer from a form of PTSD when I get behind the wheel. I'm not comparing my anxiety to shell-shocked or worse members of the military, but there is sometimes dread I feel getting behind the wheel and driving through the dark roads of western Pennsylvania. I've been trying to come up with a funny acronym for PTSD that the D is deer, but haven't quite come up with one.
Person Tired of Stupid Deer maybe?
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I've had worse looking deer hits, but I fear this did some structural stuff. I was only about 5 miles from home so luckily i was able to drive it. Not fun trying to drive with deflated airbags, but its safely awaiting the inspector on Monday.
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