Surrounded by acres of land, 3 of which need to be mowed (I’ll get to that soon – I’m enjoying the wildness for now) I realise that true peace can be pleasantly quiet or talkative. Either way, it’s happy and so am I.

Non-human creatures on Pender Island seem to be peaceful too. For example, Pender has more deer than people – there are no predators to keep the deer population down.

I asked a Penderite, “How often do people get injured by hitting deer with their car?” “Less often than you would think,” was the reply.

Penderites are watchful on the roads and know that if you see one deer crossing the road, there are bound to be others that follow right after. A good thing to remember! So far, I haven’t experienced any truly close calls.

The deer like this property. I don’t have a garden, which is just as well because I don’t want to bother putting up high fences to keep them out. There is plenty of space for them to roam and munch here. They seem to like the heads of flowers that naturally grow here the most. But they avoid the foxgloves which are poisonous.

I often see a doe with up to 2 fawns in the early hours. The fawns sometimes race each other around the trees in the craziest way! It’s fun to watch. If they catch sight of me, they stop. Their vision is amazing and they’re very cautious. They bolt off if you get too close.

The droppings they leave are annoying, but not as annoying as I would have thought. They don’t really smell. Before I moved here I thought that I’d have to wear thick boots as I wandered the land – boots I would need to leave outside because they would be so encrusted. Instead, I’ve been fine in light sneakers or sandals.

Will I ever come to have a love/hate feeling about the deer, as some people here do? They are pests if you have a garden, I understand. I guess tics can be a problem sometimes. And if they run out in front of your car, yikes. But I can’t see myself hating them, ever, because they’re peaceful, and I’m peaceful, so there is some kinship perhaps.

~ Lillea Woodlyns

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