by Dick Weaver
It’s time for a final report and reflection on the whitetail deer who hung around Camp Mimanagish all summer.
They were beautiful, frail-looking creatures—especially compared to mule deer—smaller than I am used to seeing in whitetail deer. At least one of them must have spent the winter and maybe the entire 2020 summer season too, hanging around under the tall trees near the camp’s gazebo. When Dilynn and Jonna showed up, she even bedded down for a brief time within yards of them. Almost unheard of for whitetails, in my experience.
We enjoyed them almost all summer. Two does and a spotted fawn. We theorized about the does being a lesbian couple, but this pattern is apparently quite common. They would watch us carefully if we walked by, and sometimes they would scurry off, but occasionally they let us come pretty close as long as we weren’t focusing too much on them. It was one of my most pleasant experiences to see how they’d adjusted to this small amount of human activity.
But in late August, they pretty much disappeared. I don’t think I saw them at all as we got closer to the Labor Day weekend. It was disappointing, but I knew they were doing what deer do, and didn’t concern themselves with whether we missed them or not.
As with many animals, whitetail deer follow patterns that, while not rigid, are noticeable in their regularity. By August, the availability of food changes, and the needs for certain kinds of nutrition in their diets change, too. It’s early for the mating season, but the does were moving in that direction, following those age-old biological urges. So their disappearance from camp was not a reason for concern.
Autumn brings change. I’ve been worshiping with you, virtually or in person, for over a year, now. Who knew it would go this long—the search for your new “designated minister?” But the pattern has shifted, in a normal if somewhat delayed fashion. We have spent some time and energy being together and getting to know one another, and now we’re moving into a new phase—a new season. You’re ready for a new experience, a new period in the life of Pilgrim Church. I’m ready for new experiences, too.
It’s been a good season! I’ll miss you. I know that God has been with us in this time, and I know God will be with us in whatever the new season brings. Thanks be to God.
— Rev. Dick Weaver currently serves as Supply Pastor for Pilgrim Church