So there I was, caught on my new wildlife camera in my nightgown scooping up deer poop like some back-to-the-land lunatic. Hey, you have your hobbies, I have mine. But really you guys, this is nature’s perfect slow release fertilizer! Any round pellet (goat, deer, elk, rabbit, alpaca) is perfect to put into the garden as is. It’s not hot and it slowly releases nutrients to the soil. And it’s free.

Usually folks are trying to keep deer out of the garden, but I’ve put out the welcome mat and set up a camera to take pictures. I am so thoroughly in love with wildlife. Part of creating an oasis in the middle of wherever you are is accepting that all kinds will make their way there. My gardens are safely tucked away behind dog kennel fencing and chicken wire cages, so I don’t have to worry. The long grasses and the bowl of water is all theirs. Biodiversity is the key to a successful ecosystem.

I could not wait to get our wildlife camera set up in the back yard to see what goes on back there while I am sleeping. Of course, Nubs the magical buck comes by each night, usually at dusk and hangs out near me. Last night was particularly exciting with the appearance of a fox, raccoon, deer, and the neighbor’s cat.

I am a country girl through and through. I will always long for land and privacy and a huge family homestead, but my little coal miner’s cottage in the sleepy town of 500, set in the embrace of the Wet Mountains, outside of town is just right.