An October Afternoon with the Truckee Deer

The deer came through the yard again this afternoon. First one on her own, picking her way past the old chairlift chair that hangs from the pine, chewing something as she went. She stopped under the tree and looked straight at me for a while before deciding I wasn't worth the interruption.

A few minutes later there were three of them on the lawn, working over the grass and the fallen aspen leaves. The little one kept its head up, watching, while the others ate. They stayed longer than they usually do this time of year — the grass down here is still green while everything under the pines has gone brown and dry.

Eventually they drifted back into the trees the way they came, no hurry about it. The lawn is covered in leaves they didn't bother with.