Eight point buck

For the last week there have been three does feeding in the hayfield out back around dawn and dusk, so I wasn't really interested when I noticed a large brown presence over the fence this morning.  But then the deer came closer to the yard that the does ever have, and I stopped reading the paper and looked out the slider through the top of my bifocals.

Instead of the shy does, a brave and relaxed eight point buck was just beyond the fence.  I grabbed my binoculars and watched him for a while, then picked up a camera.  He looked healthy and fat, ready for winter.
I know that in some Eastern communities, especially in Connecticut, deer have been very destructive of vegetable and ornamental gardens. But  around here we've got lots of good deer habitat, as well as a healthy population of coyotes, so they are still good company rather than the enemy.  And that's the first time I've seen a buck in about ten years.

The last flowers of the year: Witch Hazel

My fall blooming Witch Hazel began blooming  inconspicuously when the leaves were still on the tree, but now that the leaves are gone, the flowers are still going.  The small clusters of strand-like blooms fill the air by my front door with a delicate citrus scent, and cheer me up when I come home from work in the early afternoon twilight of November.