Flash three times for deer
Last week, my father, husband, son, and I decided to drive out to Marion County Lake and look around. We took a back route, rounded a corner, and came upon a field where a herd of deer were grazing. They gazed at us — pretty much unconcerned — and went about their business.
After dark, we drove around town. Turning onto a dead end street on the south side of town, we found a new home complete with three deer in the yard. We knew they weren't yard art because they all raised their heads and looked at us like we weren't supposed to be there.
With all the deer in the area, this reminds me of a letter to the editor I read in the Smith Center newspaper. The writer was suggesting that whenever a driver sees a deer and manages to avoid a collision, he or she should flash their lights three times to warn oncoming traffic that a deer is nearby. That way the approaching driver could slow down and beware.
The only problem is most motorists would have no idea what the flashing lights meant. But it sounds like an idea worth some merit. I usually find its easier for me to remember things by putting it to music. So try this: Think of the song "Knock Three Times" by Tony Orlando and Dawn, and sing these words instead:
"Flash three times if you see deer by the highway
You could even go on:
"Twice on the horn, means you need to go slow
Well, enough of that.
My family and I are now bonafide Marion residents. We moved all our big stuff Jan. 4. Usually, moving weather for us is miserable — snowy, rainy, or hot as blazes. I figured we'd be in for an ice storm since we hadn't experienced that yet — but it wasn't to be. The weather was perfect — warm and sunny, not at all like January.
The previous time we moved it was 104 degrees with about 60 percent humidity. That, plus the fact our friends had to carry stuff up two flights of stairs, made us very unpopular.
As I tried to find movers for this event, I found it coincidental that two of my friends had to be in Kansas City Saturday morning for unrelated reasons. One said he just happened to be planning a trip to Kansas City at exactly that same time to take his daughter to the airport. The second said he just happened to be attending a wedding. Initially, he didn't plan to leave until later in the day, but for some reason, all of a sudden, he needed to leave early. Uh huh.
Husband Gary and I then decided it would be smart to find a whole new set of movers. People who didn't know they'd be required to carry heavy sofas down two flights of stairs and commute 50 miles. But the four helpers we roped into it were all very cheerful and seemed OK with the whole thing.
It's good to have friends.
— KATHY HAGEMAN
