Out Past The Gate

I was going to do a post on canning today but my pal D. had a tough day yesterday and asked me for a "tail" of dog bravery... so I told her I'd write up what happened to me the other day out past the gate. Its a dangerous place, out past the gate... there be dragons for sure...

Dogs waiting for me, from this post a while ago.

So the other morning I gathered up the Dog Horde and my tools and jauntily headed out past the gate. I had some work to do to prep that field for planting alfalfa and was happy to have a sparkling, blue sky morning. I still want to fence in this field but its not a priority. And I really don't want the dogs that close to the road. So they sit and wait for me behind the gate and inside the fence. Watching.

Just as I brought my garden trolley full of tools to a halt and stood there, hands on hips, surveying everything that I was master of... I heard the stupid neighbor with the irritating beagle hollering at something. So I turned my gaze to look uphill toward the property line...... just as a huge buck came barreling over that fence!! It was huge and flying clean over that fence! At ME!  It scared me to death so of course I shrieked in alarm.

It landed sideways and in a heap not too far from where I was standing.

"HOLY CRAP!" I thought as I heard the dogs scramble to their feet behind me.....Then I got mad, "Get off my alfalfa you flea ridden, tick laden, bag.....of..... meat."

Bag of meat? Hey.........I could use me a couple hundred pounds of free meat!

I turned and yelled to the dogs, "GET IT!"

The buck got its legs under itself and was hurtling down the hill not quite in my general direction - but the sound of panic and thundering hooves was just heartbeats away. If only I had my axe! I totally could have winged it for sure. The buck crashed thru the underbrush on the downhill side of the driveway.

To be sure, the buck was on the outside of the gate and fence where I was... and the dogs were all on the inside of the fence. But I was hoping that the deer would get the idea to jump over our perimeter fence and right into the awaiting jaws of my two curly tailed bear killers and Lucky.

As he should, Titan ran toward me when he heard me yell - Dog#1's number one job is always to protect me and he sure wouldn't leave me standing there unguarded even if there was free meat involved. He was doing a fine job of trying to find a way over, under, or thru that locked gate. He's also a little bit smarter than the rest of the Dog Horde and he knew that the fastest way to venison was on the outside of the gate. Frustrated he pleaded with me to get that gate open.

But when Ti saw me start to walk toward him, unharmed, his big tongue lolled out of his head and I could tell he was smiling. We both laughed and, still a little shocked, said to each other, in our own way, "Did you SEE that?"  I reached thru the fence and gave me some pats to reassure him I was OK. His big tail swished as he pawed around his nervous energy.

In the distance I could hear my Silent Hunters and Lucky trying to find the deer and realized that buck wasn't as dumb as he was big and had stayed on the outside of the fence. After a few minutes Zander, Kai, and Lucky emerged from the woods wagging and panting and covered with seeds and burrs.

"Good work, men!" I called to them, my crew all smiles and wags.

I looked around wondering what else was going to happen out there past the gate.... later that day I found out. I mowed over a nest of yellow jackets. Me and Ti had to run for it. But that's and entirely different story for a different day.

But I'm telling you, its nothing but danger out there past the gate. There be dragons for sure - or at least action and adventure....and yellow jackets and free meat. Good thing I have my Dog Horde.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Anybody else got free meat flying over the fence at them?