” Oh Deer” …

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Becky Dingle

Dear Reader:

I believe this is supposed to be a Christmas ornament, but I for one, wouldn’t want the reminder of the damage the deer have done to my hibiscus this summer on my Christmas tree… it has saddened me seeing those beautiful beautiful blooms chewed up.

Two nights ago… they returned apparently and walked right down the garden path stopping at each hibiscus…. only the hibiscuses and leaving everything else alone… but took the beautiful 3 bloom orange blossoms on one, the bright yellow and pink hibiscuses… gone!

The only thing that stops them is a fence and I can’t afford that with my large back yard… the deer’s other eatable selection is … hostas but for some reason this second time around they weren’t in the mood for them.

I even moved two hibiscus to the deck and ” dog gone it” they climbed the steps to the deck and ate both plants-they are really brazen!

BUT… it could be a lot worse… they don’t bother any other garden flowers and “knock on wood” … have never touched any flowers in the side garden ( if they simply walked in that garden they would trample it badly… so I am very fortunate!!!)

One of my neighbors has a mother fox and her three little cubs in the wooded area behind her house and another neighbor found a copperhead snake on her steps… so I will be thankful for what I have … and leave well enough alone!

Kaitlyn sent me some pretty pictures of the floral and fauna right outside a diner they went to for lunch yesterday called Thyme Out” 😆… the beauty of Ireland!

So until tomorrow… Take time to make a wish, blow a dandelion, free a fairy… and utter a prayer of gratitude for one more day of life!!!

***

An important lesson learned Tuesday is that these days poverty is all around us… we see it in grocery store lines as customers return foods they can’t afford at checkouts ( and many of you commented that you have helped someone pay for their groceries when the opportunity arises… ) many families live from month to month and inflation on essentials pays havoc on these families. I have made a mental reminder to myself to keep some cash with me at all times now for these exact occasions .

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

My first hydrangea bloom!!!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”
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