Scary Drive Home

Tonight I had a very terrifying drive home from work. I was driving along Alamo Pintado where all the apple orchards and wineries are and I was talking to Jay on the phone (on my Blue Tooth - I'm a safe driver!) and a doe and two fawns scurried across the road right in front of me. I wasn't driving too fast (probably between 40 and 45) and just got new front brakes on Saturday, so I was able to stop in time to miss them, but still had to stop rather abruptly and D2's birthday gift went flying to the floor of my car. Fortunately for D2, his birthday gift is not fragile this year! Unfortunately, the white SUV on the opposite side of the road wasn't so lucky and she hit the last fawn and knocked it onto the highway. As I was braking, I felt the animal bump into my wheel. I am not sure if I was completely stopped and it just bumped into my car from the impact or if I hit it as it was coming off of the other car. The woman who it the fawn pulled over and stopped immediately and I could see the little fawn in the middle of the road flailing about and my heart completely sank into my chest. I knew it wasn't the driver's fault, she had no warning, but seeing that poor animal flailing about while it's mother and sibling ran off into the apple orchard just shook me up. I pulled over as soon as it was safe and got out of the car (still talking to Jay.) Meanwhile, in my rear view mirror I could see it get up, then stumble back down to the ground, then get up again and stumble back down to the ground. I felt so bad and didn't know what to do. I was afraid that if it was severely injured I would have to call animal rescue and have them come out and get it and possibly put it down. Jay advised me to make sure I didn't get too close because it's still a wild animal but I did get out and safely started to walk back to the area the incident occurred. Meanwhile, several other vehicles stopped to check on the animal and the driver. The Santa Ynez Valley is a very small community full of animal lovers and just about everyone knows each other. When I got out of my car, a woman across the street that had just pulled over ran over to me and told me that the fawn had gotten up and ran off into the apple orchard. I could not believe it! I didn't think it had the strength but somehow, someway, it was able to get back up and run to safety and hopefully find it's mother and sibling. The woman that pulled over and talked to me told me she lived across the street and she was going to go and check on it and reassured me she would make sure that everything was ok. Jay was so concerned about me driving home and about me being shaken up. I know he's used to seeing deer in the road from living in rural Kansas, but it's just something I can never get used to and especially seeing a fawn, it just broke my heart. He was so understanding and supportive and just reminded me how blessed I am to have a husband who cares about things deeply, simply because I do and for no other reason. I think that deer are some of God's most beautiful creatures and I just wish they would cross right next to those deer crossing signs! Anyway, I hope that little fawn is ok and I've been praying ever since that there were no broken bones and no internal injuries and that it was able to find its way back to its mother and sibling.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a much better end to my day! I absolutely love seeing deer on my way home from work, but not in the middle of the highway.