Oh Dear!

Perhaps there is a deficit in my attention department:

I had just flipped the frozen hamburger patties that were slowly thawing in the frying pan when movement out the kitchen window caught my eye. A DEER was crossing the street from the apple orchard next next door to the neighbor's peach orchard! WOW! That didn't happen every day! I stood transfixed as she gracefully transversed the railroad tracks and suddenly it hit me - MY CAMERA!

I raced to grab it where it hung by the door, dashed through the office and jumped out onto the side porch. The passengers in an SUV were smiling incredulously as they looked at each other in disbelief, but all I could see of the deer were slender legs glowing golden against the green orchard. Dang! I missed her!

Well, she is still in the orchard...I stupidly yelled for my husband to come and see, but he didn't answer....no time to wait...should I follow? I dashed across the street, through the prickly weeds, up and over the rail road tracks and slipped in among the cool leaves of the orchard. No sign of her! I ducked under branches. The neighbors dogs barked in desperation to join the hunt. I pushed through the last row of trees and on the dirt path I was rewarded with perfect hoof prints: She had been here, but lingered no longer. Could I follow her tracks? No, she was probably halfway to the hills by now.
I headed back towards home, looking longingly down every row of trees.
Back over the railroad tracks gleaming in the sun. Across the street, through the office, into the kitchen, where I found the poor hamburger patties sizzling sadly on the stove. Sorry about dinner, dear!