We Hit Our First Michigan DEER!

Can you believe it?! We have lived in Michigan now for 20 years and never hit a single deer. Our neighbors have hit deer, co-workers have hit deer, the boys' teachers have hit deer ~ but we never hit a single one. We have come close many times. We always live in the country and deer are quite plentiful. We even see them in our yard sometimes. We see them crossing our road in herds so large you can't count them. Especially this time of year we very often see them standing at the side of the highway or crossing the freeway, or quite frequently taking very, very long naps on the shoulder or in the median laying in what looks like very uncomfortable positions (cough, cough), but in 20 years we never hit one. Till now.

Sometimes you don't see them crossing the road ~ sometimes they just materialize like a spirit right in front of your car. RIGHT in front of your car. How they got there you have no idea, but what happens next is pretty ugly. I was not in the car when it happened. I was at home with dinner on the table watching the clock and wondering why it was taking my husband and son so long to get home from work. Then the phone rang... 

I will spare you the gruesome details except to say ~ man, deer meat is very tasty! Not tasty enough, however, to make us feel better about the damage to our favorite car. The car we used to enjoy driving ~ smooth ride, great gas mileage, no mechanical issues, low miles, low car payment, bought used and carried a higher value than what we owed. THAT car. Not the car we have paid off that has just shy of 200,000 miles on it and gets only 17 mpg. Soooooo... the insurance company totaled the car. I mean, it was just one deer, for crying out loud. But those deer are pretty solid creatures. So, today, we go car shopping and exploring our options. And life goes on... Thankfully!