a fawn we call Rose

This year our old fashioned roses aren’t blooming at all. In fact they may eventually die. Recent flooding at Lake Somerville killed off the local deer feeding grounds and they are foraging wherever they can, including our roses.

Yesterday morning Bill was getting ready to do some touch-up painting on the patio when he found that a doe had hidden her fawn right in our rose bed. He quietly backed away, putting the painting off.

We watched all day and into the stormy night, waiting for the doe to return. Finally, sometime between 3:00 and 6:00 am, she came to care for the fawn and move her to a new location.

This is not the first time a doe has decided we were a safe environment for fawns to be hidden. I am going to miss visitors like this after we move. Although there are lots of deer at our new home as well, we will also have Bradley — our granddaughter’s Great Pyrenees / golden mix — who has a very loud bark and will probably discourage wildlife visitations.