Observing the Deer.
Weird thoughts I had this week…do animals discuss the weather? Do they play games with each other? As I sit here and type this up I have been observing the deer walking through our backyard, picking their way through the timber, trying to find sustenance. It looks like three does with a couple younglings.
The poor fellas must have it rough right now.
Well….maybe not these specific ones I am seeing, for they live in the valley, protected from the wind. Regardless, the temp is -15F° with windchills reaching -30F°. Uff-da, that felt disgusting to type. Its warmer in Alaska…
I like to picture the deer having full on dialogues about the weather just like us humans. Their conversations have to be more fruitful, for they would be more focused on survival than we are. We are just focused on comfort. We humans have gotten soft since the invention of HVAC systems and somedays I am fine with being a softy haha. Especially as I get older.
Preference wise though, I would rather it be cold than hot. I can always bundle up more to keep myself warm, or lay by a fire to raise that body temp. On the other end, I have a hard time cooling myself down during the high heat of summer and I can only take so many layers off while still being respected in public.
Which do you prefer? Heat or Cold?
Sometimes, my wife Sarah and I will give the deer voices, names, and backstories. It can go like –
Luke as Deer 1 – “Must be nice to have a shelter, and fire, and clothes, and a box that has food in it at all times. They couldn’t survive out here. Pansies.”
Sarah as Deer 2 – “Now, now Frank, lets just be thankful for what we have. We made it through hunting season, so that is a praise!”
Luke then Sarah then Luke again until we are both either weirded out by ourselves or we are laughing uncontrollably AT ourselves. We’re massive dorks and a little cuckoo.
Games with Friends
One great thing us Midwesterners like to do in the colder months, also happens to be one of my favorite social things…playing games! Man do I love them. I will play board games, card games, party games and video games. I am an equal opportunity gamer! Now that I have gotten older it seems harder to get people together to play games. Between the technology that we have now and the fact that we all just have busy busy lives in adulthood is making it difficult to take time out together to play. (I am struggling with grammar and how to construct that last sentence. Forgive me.)
What I love so much about in-person gaming is seeing a friends face after I destroy them in one giant fell swoop. Just kidding hehe. Although, there is some joy in winning the game with a master plan that was executed perfectly, there is greater joy in being with others. Games around the table can facilitate deep conversations, hearty belly laughter, and fanatical story telling. These are what make the games fun. These are what build bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime. We need to focus on these things.
I can recall countless times where a game has completely halted, with zero hope of being finished, due to the crew of us being out of breath from laughing so hard. My Aunt Josie would always start everyone off with the laughter. She is always so jovial. She would get to wheezing, and crying because us nephews would be reenacting a story, and then everyone else would start to join in. It would get to the point where we would all ‘one-up’ each others stories. It wasn’t a competition, but it was just to stack laughter on top of laughter. Man those were fun times.
Don’t get me started on the amount of games played with the Subra clan (our best friends from childhood). We would stay up so late anytime we were together, either playing a classic game we all knew, or creating some new game full of wonder and mystery. Many games involved cowboys in our younger years. In later years it would have changed to Middle Earth themed games. I miss my buddies.
What are some of your favorite games? What do you like about games?
Have your games been sidelined by laughter? Don’t you love it?!
Here is a list of my favorite games (Not a complete list)
- Table Top Games (Board and Deck Builders)
- Dominion (with expansions included)
- Munchkin
- Chess
- Axis and Allies
- Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
- Monopoly Deal
- Standard 52-Card Deck Games
- Gin Rummy
- Michigan Rummy
- Euchre (With Jokers)
- Jokers were invented for Euchre
- Klondike
- FreeCell
- Party Games for Large Groups
- Telephone Pictionary
- Mafia
- Scattergories or similar
The chill in the air has a way of revealing our playful side. Whether it’s imagining serious conversations between deer about the weather or bursting into fits of laughter during games, winter becomes a season filled with joy and lighthearted moments.
Stay safe my friends.
Cerebral Jumble 