Deer have really been a theme for this trip back east to visit my family. Like so:

• Gifts purchased (by me, on the advice of dad) for my brother-in-law to aid in the killing of deer using a military-grade sniper rifle


• Various family members' cars being totalled by encounters with deer, more and more recently and frequently


• An actual deer getting killed, by my dad, with a bow, from a tree, while I was sleeping in on Christmas morning.


• A different, previously killed deer starring in a meat pie served to me today at a party


• Discovering that my uncle's method of skinning deer involves a tree, a truck, a trailer hitch, and some rope


• My cousin making a fair point that the trouble with deer and cars has two solutions: fewer deer or fewer humans.


• Seeing literally scores of deer lurking near the freeway as I drive to my Mom's house tonight


• Attempting to navigate the aforementioned Ford Bronco between the aforementioned deer as they fling themselves in front of my truck from the edges of the freeway


• Noticing (titularly) that deer are easy to avoid on the freeway if you are watching for them, because their eyes are reflective in the headlights.