What a day!  Mark had a doctor's appointment so he left at noon.  We girls were working on researching the ancient indian mounds & realized we needed to break for lunch.  We gobbled up lunch & I tucked Meredith in for her nap.  I am not sure what happened next except to say the girls shouted "Mama...deer!"  at about 2:15.  Out in the front pasture were three does meandering about grazing.  There hadn't been a deer in sight since the season opened Monday morning.  Mark had been out hunting most of yesterday & saw not one.  Anyway, I said to the girls, "well then, I need Daddy's gun".  I had not been paying any attention to where Mark had been keeping the gun cabinet key, which ammo box was ready, nothing.  Harlie walked me through getting everything gathered. 

 

I opened & carefully & quietly popped the screen out of the dining room window, set up pillows to prop the gun barrel on the window sill, sat down on the carpet, loaded one bullet & started working on getting the doe's sighted into the scope.  That gun is so terribly heavy for me & I was having a terrible time getting, & then keeping them sighted in.  At one point I thought they were gone into the pinecone woods for good.  I just sat there praying, asking the Lord to provide.  I got better settled & just sat & waited & watched.  The doe's came back up out of the woods into sight.  I followed one in my sight for a while trying to get a good, clear shot but by then she had crossed the road!  Ugh.  I kept praying.  She meandered back across the road onto our property & after a few more minutes turned & stood still giving me a perfect shot.  I prayed & squeezed the trigger.  The other two that I couldn't quite see at that point bolted across the road & into the woods as she dropped liked a rock straight to the ground.  Wahoo! 

 

I had Harlie dial Mark on the cell, praying he was back in range (no service at the dr ofc).  He had just arrived at the feed store nearby back in range so he jumped back in to the car & came right home.  I knew I could not field dress the doe without his help - I have never done it alone.  While I waited for him to get home I walked out & sat next to the doe & just prayed, thanking the Lord for life & His provision.  Mark pulled up in about 15 minutes, we field dressed her & then drove to the check-in station.  So, the doe is now hanging on the girls swingset for the night & we will get the meat cut up to sit in the 2nd fridge in the garage to season for a few days.  It was 60° today so we cannot leave her hanging outside for long to season as usual.  Mark will be back out in the morning looking for another to hang alongside her, Lord willing.

Praising Jehovah Jireh, our Provider,

Martha