Doe deer stops by for a visit

One of our resident deer stopped by yesterday, and the kids headed out to say hi! You can see, the deer don't really get very close - they never come down further than that ridge, so it's pretty safe for the kids. but they think it's cool! That said, I don't think I'd let them out with a buck. There's a lot more wildlife here than I bargained for. Yesterday, we took a drive on the outskirts, and there were bear droppings all over the place. And last night, I had to run to the van for something, and the coyotes were out in full force. It sounded like they were all around the house, barking and howling. They can sound very creepy when they get going, ad they sounded so close! I was going to do garbages while I was out, but decided to just head back in and find Bailey. I've only ever seen one in person - it was a day we were out looking for Mary after she vanished. Everyone we stopped to talk to told us it was denning season, and cats tend to vanish this time of year, as the new moms hunt for extra food. We saw no stray cats on that drive - but we did see a coyote run right across the street in front of us. Not an animal I'd want to run into alone at night. They don't attack people, but one did attack a little girl a few weeks ago - the conservation officer speculated it was because the family was out walking with their little dog, which is what the coyote was originally going for - then it changed its mind to go for something bigger. Like a 3-year-old. And don't even get me started on the freak bugs out here! I've already had several spider bites. We've discovered a bit of a wolf spider infestation in our house - another creature you don't want to bump into alone i the dark. I caught one in a jar the other day - it was HUGE!!! Joan now has a fear of ants, because there are some that bite. She had a horrible reaction - the bite itself turned into a bit welt, then she erupted into itchy hives all over her belly. They cleared up themselves after a couple hours, but now she freaks out when she sees ants - not cool, considering our yard is completely infested! At least it gets her into the van in a hurry when we go out!