Wednesday, July 22, 2009

oh deer!


Pretend that I'm not showing you something I'm not supposed to show you. It all looks so lovely all lined up and, besides, it illustrates the story I have to tell you so well.

Alfredo and I went to the farm today. We go about once a week but I always forget until too late that we should go on Wednesday mornings for the farmer's market. (Local peeps, it's Frying Pan Park) So I remembered and we went today and had a fabulous time. Alfredo got to pet the horse. I'm one of those really nervous moms who jumps when the horse moves too quickly but I tried very hard to act very cool about my baby touching an animal whose head is bigger than all of him.

Anyway, nice morning at the farm. And beautiful tomatoes, two herbs (some sort of special basil and a little chocolate mint plant...oh yeah), and a loaf of banana bread later we're on our way happily home.

We're chatting on and on about how the sheep's wool felt and how the peacock didn't show us his feathers today and how loud the peacock is when he makes a noise and how all of the ducks were sleeping. Suddenly up ahead there are brake lights. And then there was something that looked like a cow in the middle of the road. No, it's not a cow. It's a deer. It's a huge deer who had just been struck by a cement truck. Right in front of us.

There was no shielding his little eyes from the horror in front of us. The poor deer tried to get up and then fell so many times. His leg was broken almost in two and he was so desperate. Little Alfredo cried from the back "What's happening? What's happening?"

And as we passed carefully by, I looked straight into that poor deer's eyes and saw him die. I saw that very instant when he went from living, struggling, kicking and panicking into a quiet still death.

We've been talking about that poor deer all day, saying the same things over and over. He's telling everyone he sees about it and he's echoing the same words he's heard me saying "It was so terrible" and "that poor thing" and "I'm so sad" and "I can't believe it".

What makes this a bit surreal is that we were just last night working on these little deer thingies. I gave a few to Alfredo and he happily and remarkably worked away.

You see that shininess on his deer...that's a very, very thick blob of glue. He really, really likes glue.

"What's this called?"
"Glue"
"Amy, I love Glue"
"I love glue, too."

18 comments:

Sue said...

Oh~my~gosh!! How horrible for you two!! We had the very same thing happen to us as my two kids and I were driving from Oregon to California to visit my Sister. We were only 20 minutes from leaving home, all happy and singing because we were going to have so much fun and go to Disneyland and all and then we saw the truck and the deer. Same story....I hate to even think about it. I was on the phone with my nephew telling him we were finally on the road and he heard my Daughter burst into tears etc...and thought WE had hit the deer......Bless your hearts, it is a shock! Your little boxes are adorable and so are the photos of him with the ice and toy fun!!
Blessings~LillySue

Sue said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ryan said...

Oh no... That is SUCH a horrible thing to witness. I'm sorry for both of you. Brings tears just reading about it.

Linda Jo said...

I'm so sorry you two saw that. But it sounds like you handled it well. I love your little guy and I love your stories. And where did you get such tiny deer?

Lisa said...

Oh my word! I know your little guy was terrified. I'm so sorry that happened.:(

Alice said...

Amy.....so sorry you had to witness the results of the horrible accident. I love to hear all your stories about Alfredo. I have been following them from day one, when your precious little man landed in your home and heart. My sister has been going through a similar situation.....her little man returned back to CA from New Mexico last night to stay. You can imagine how her heart is singing.
I'm surprised Alfredo doesn't call you 'Nina'....which as you know is Godmother in Spanish....and of course Nino for his Godfather. I loved the translation story.....isn't it amazing how bright children are....it's like you can see his brain working through his eyes as he is translating....do you see that sometimes? Well, again I love to read about your daily life with little Alfredo. He is so blessed to have his loving Nina and Nino. Take care, Alice in Modesto, CA

Jill said...

Oh, I'm so sorry you both had to see that deer-- so sad. They're such beautiful creatures.
On the happy side, I love that you do crafts with Alfredo! I LOVE that he loves glue! So so cute-- both of you!
PS: I love glue too- and glitter, and paper, and...

Anonymous said...

oh my that is so sad...... and ironic that you were working on those deer..... I just chatted with Joan Perry (horton now) and she said there is talk of a high school reunion sometime around crab carnival...if they don't have one, lets try to see each other around crab carnival time... I miss you!!!

hugz,
tonya

patrice said...

You'll probably talk about for years now!
So sad!
So sweet!

Laurie - Lolo So Retro said...

I am so sorry about the deer. That is so sad, it is a shame you had to see it. They are so beautiful and so vulnerable. I am glad you were able to soothe Alberto.

Josh Patel said...

Oh!!! I can understand the sadness and pain Alfredo may be suffering from. I myself gave up eating chicken when i was of his age because once i saw a butcher mercilessly chop it.
Btw, I really like your blog so I submitted it to Viralogy.com. That will help more people discover it! If you want you can claim your blog at http://www.viralogy.com/blogs/my/10068 which will also help your ranking. Hope you get more traffic through that!

Anyway, I hope you have a great week and that you will be successful in every activity you engage in!

Kim Hambric said...

How sad. Good that the deer didn't suffer any longer than it did. Alfredo sounds like an empathetic boy -- good!

Glue is such a wonderful thing. Wishing you both MANY fun gluing sessions together.

Amy M. said...

Oh, the deer incident sounds just awful! I would have been crying!

I do like your petting zoo story. We have lots of opportunities to pet animals around here in Sonoma County and I have found out that I am now less worried about the animals hurting Aidan and more worried about Aidan hurting them in his enthusiasm! We have met some of the most patient animals on God's green earth in the last few months!

-Amy
(Crafting by Candlelight)

Kris said...

I'm sure God has a special and sunny meadow full of tasty bushes and berries for that deer.

Chris Worthy said...

Oh my. I am so sorry you both witnessed that and so thankful that poor deer didn't suffer any longer. Though you saw his suffering, you saw his utter peace, too, and I hope that brings you comfort.

Saucy said...

What a horrendous sight! It would have been so traumatic for both of you. That poor thing, is right!

I love glue, too.

Elise said...

Would you please share where you found the deer. My son wants to have a deer themed birthday party and I am looking for cupcake toppers. Your's are so cute!!
Thank you!!
Elise

mysteryhistorymom said...

Such a sad day!:( Oh my... At least the beginning was good. Life lessons can be so hard- especially for little ones. I grew up in Virginia and we used to go to a Frying Pan Park. I wonder if it is the same one?? Lori