I finally got to work in my yard yesterday. At last the sun and temperature working together as I put on my Secret Garden apron, grabbed my gardening gloves, shears, and walked out the front door. Azalea sat on the edge of the porch, confused by the fact that I did not go directly to the car and open the door for her, as we usually do when the gate to the outside world is opened. Instead, I took a hard right toward the pink rhododendron with the blackberry tentacle growing out of it. She cocked her head, first to the left and then to the right watching as I dug my arm deep into the bushel of green and clipped, chopped the prickly leg. 

As I went around the corner to get the yard waste barrel, Azalea followed me. She has become more and more agile under my legs and was none so happy to get caught between my foot and the brown plastic wheel of the hefty container. She quickly followed her nose and meandered toward the shade of the Holly tree leaving me to my task of wrestling with the sticker bush and getting it into the tub. 

Then to the fallen leaf debris that has accumulated over my beds during the cold weather months takes my attention. I am grateful for it providing natures blanket to my bulbs, and I delight in seeing the purple and yellow of the crocuses popping out. One single tall lanky daffodil has protruded through, and her golden top is just starting to unfurl. Filling my yard waste barrel, I notice Azalea has taken to devouring the delicacy of deer droppings! She is gleefully face full into the disgusting pile. She is not happy with me as give her a stern "leave it" and pick her up, moving her toward the porch and back behind the closed door. She takes to her perch on the back of the blue velvet couch and looks forlorn out the single pane window. 

With hands on my hips, I look over the cleaned up front yard, nodding with a sense of beginner’s success, then I too make my way to my door as the time for my next Real Estate appointment has arrived. 

Later, when I open my car door and stumble out with arms full of groceries, I stand at the top of the walk and feel a sense of gratitude and accomplishment. That is, until I see that all the darling purple heads have all disappeared! Every single precious top has been munched and is gone!  A sudden realization comes over me, that as a result of my dedicated weeding I in turn created a much-desired Deer Buffet. 

If I had arms free, I would have raised them toward the sky and cursed the tick ridden animals. 

But instead, I walked down the cobblestones toward home and simply say to myself, "Fucking Deer"!