first some pics of us over the last two weeks. the last one was last weekend when we ordered indian food and had a lovely picnic in our field. it was the most relaxing meal i've had in a long time.
and now the latest story:
This week, we had a deer come to our field every night, damaging the crops. She got in through the electric fence, and she kept coming night after night despite our efforts to chase her away. Ed threw stones at her and chased her out one night. Another night, he slept in the field, near the beet patch that she had been eating, and was not able to see her, but after he came back in the house, around 2am, she came and caused more damage. Every morning, we’d wake up and find a third of a beet bed all chewed up, the strawberry plants topped off, carrots chewed up, spinach, etc. It was really upsetting. All that work…We have a crop damage permit, which means that we can hunt the deer that are causing crop damage. But we knew that she had just had a baby, and we really didn’t want to harm her, just wanted to chase her out and make her stay away. But after 5 nights of trying different things, and having her come back regardless of what we did, ed went out with his bow and arrow and got her. We were both very upset about it, and it was not an easy choice. We gave her to our friends, who are going to eat the meat. I got a little bit of meat for myself. I figured the best way to honor her would be to eat some of her meat, so that she can become part of me in some way. It’s a really hard thing, taking a life. And I’m not ok with it, it really bothers me, even when it’s an insect that I squish, that’s eating our plants, or a rodent we catch in a trap, or this deer. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth doing this, if this is the price we have to pay. But I know that no matter what food you eat, wether you’re vegetarian or not, the price almost always entails a life. Some people would rather not think about it, but I think that the least we can do for these creatures that sacrifice their lives for us is to acknowledge it, and be aware.
I really hope no more deer come in. We’re working to improve our fence for that…
peace
1 comment:
Thanks for writing about this. Food for thought.... we're all part of these larger systems. It's hard to figure out the comfortable space within them, probably because it's all part of a give and take. But being mindful and respectful of that is important.
Hope to see you guys soon-
Emily
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