Stranger than Fiction. Part 2

This post is another strange thing that happened to me while I was in Sweden.  I had been living on a farm in the small town of Holmestad, near a little bit larger town called Gëtene.  Every day I would ride my bike into the town, crossing a main highway with two way traffic, and attend the language school.  The school consisted of many people from all over the world who didn’t speak Swedish.  But that is another story. 

This particular day, I went to school as usual.  After school, I don’t remember why but I needed to get back to the house quickly.  I started on my bike, and when I got to the main highway I stopped until traffic cleared, then proceeded on.  The first thing I noticed upon crossing that main highway was a deer on the other side of the road in a field.  He was eating grass when he looked up at me.  He was big and beautiful, but seeing a deer is not uncommon in the area.  The road leading to the farm is a two way road and the cars are driving on the opposite side of the road.  I was on the right going against traffic.  The farm itself was situated on the right side of the road. 

I have my books tied to the back of the bike and I was speeding along, the wind in my hair and my legs pumping.  I was admiring the surrounding area with its amazing simplistic beauty, the green grass, and yellow mustard flower fields, the small farms here and there. 

I looked down for a moment and when I looked back up, my head jerked to the left.  There was a deer, the same one that I saw earlier.  He was running along side me, but not on the road, on the grass.  He had his eyes on me as a rival for speed. We were running together neck and neck.  Why he was following me I cannot say.  But what happened next was unexpected.  Somehow the deer tried to cross onto the road.  I’m not sure what he was doing, but he moved towards me, like he was going to run with me.  Just as he was about to cross, a car was in his way and he swerved.  The deer turned towards me in an effort to avoid it but the deer didn’t realize its consequences.  The deer slammed into me at a great speed.   Me, the deer and the bike went airborne.  A small yelp was all I was able to get out.  We landed in the ditch in a great big heap. 

This all happened in a split second. 

The bike was on top of me and the deer on top of the bike.  The buck quickly got up and took off unhurt.  But my right leg and knee hurt.  Pain filled my body, but I was too stunned to do anything. 

The driver of the car was out in a flash and at my side.  He spoke quickly, his face concerned as he lifted the bike off me.  In those moments I was unable to form anything coherent.  It registered that I better say something. “I’m okay.” I said. 

He stopped for a moment then switched to English.  He gave me a barrage of questions.  I shook my head.  “No don’t call for an ambulance, I live up the street.  I’m sure I can get there in a few moments.”  The man waited until I was able to get on the bike and was peddling away before he left. 

Back at the farm I told my friend who invited me to Sweden what happened.  He looked at me stunned, and then he started laughing.  I could have killed him.  Here I was hurt and beat up, bruised and still in shock, and he was laughing.  I had a big black and blue mark on my right knee and surrounding area.  No broken bones, thank God. 

My friend had a good time telling all of his friend and anyone who would listen about my little bout with a deer.  I think him laughing hurt more than the bruise.  What Americans think is funny is different from the Swedish people. 

Until next time. 

Stranger than Fiction.

I thought I would write something funny today. 

You’ve heard the adage, life is stranger than fiction.  A few weeks back I saw one that I thought was strange.  Well, not really, but it was cute.

I’m taking the bus now since my car broke down about a month ago and the amount to fix it is beyond me at the moment.  So I’m walking home from the bus stop down an ally to get to my house on the cul-de-sac.  When I first entered the ally I heard dogs barking, easy since the sound is echoed throughout the entire ally.  I’m minding my own business, watching my step, because if I didn’t I would trip and fall.  I was thinking about all I had to do that night when I arrived upon the loud barking.  Mind you this was before the time changed and it was still light out.

That’s when I noticed a rooster walking along the rooftop of a building in the back of a yard.  the  dog that was barking at it was the one I heard upon entering the ally.  The rooster went from one side of the roof to the other and the dog was keeping pace with it.  I started laughing.  Know why?  Because the poor rooster just wanted to get back to his home, the chicken coop, and be with his hens, and the dog wouldn’t allow him to do that.

One thing about chickens and roosters, they do get out once in a while.  But the easiest way to get them back in is to leave the door open.  How do I know this? Well I had the opportunity to spend some time in Sweden back in 1994.  While I was there I took care of chickens and sold the eggs.  I also taught line dancing.  The Swedish people loved it. Well my students did.  Anyway I gained first hand knowledge about chickens and a rooster getting out of the coop. 

One of my roosters got out of the coop.  Not knowing what to do, I went chasing after it. 

That thing was fast. Those little legs can move and boy did it ever, clucking the whole time.  I chased the darn thing while it ran -- well, like a chicken with its head cut off.  After a while I finally sat down, too tired and defeated.  I’ll be darned that darn rooster after a few minutes strolled back into the coop and cozied up to his hens.  I could have killed it.  But he was in, and I could then get to my day.  So never again will I chase a rooster or chicken. 

All you have to do is open the door.   

Oh and another funny thing happened while I was there. Well, that’s for another day.  

Until next time. 

Pictures from Pictures.com royalty free.