UPDATE: My prediction was wrong. The deer on Norwood Road was gone by early Monday morning!
We have deer in Montgomery County, too many to count. How many would you like? The deer along Emory Lane are so smart they look both ways before crossing. Not so in Olney.
Driving to work early Friday morning, I saw a deer on Route 182, near where Doctor Bird Road becomes Norwood Road. Norwood is a two-lane country road with heavy suburban traffic. The deer was on its side, lying on the white stripe at the edge of the black pavement. Cars swerved slightly to avoid the carcass. You might call it a traffic hazard.
Coming home Friday evening, the deer was lying on the white stripe. I swerved around it. Traffic had been swerving around it all day. But the carcass was invisible to police and highway workers.
Saturday morning, driving to work, the deer was there. Saturday afternoon, same thing. I pass the Ale House and the Theatre, and a few minutes later, there’s a deer I hadn’t noticed before, on the shoulder of Route 108 near Montgomery General. I predict that both deer will be in place on Monday morning.
We have a rule in Montgomery County. No deer carcass is removed for at least three days. Four if it has the misfortune to be hit on a Thursday or Friday. Leave the animals where they drop as a warning to the rest of the herd.
Government and society are coming undone in the Maryland suburbs. From the General Assembly down to the unincorporated shopping centers and subdivisions, government is more and more dysfunctional. Residents avert their eyes.
In Mayberry, a responsible constable like Andy Griffith and an officious busy-body like Barney Fife would be on that deer before the first turkey buzzard. Barney would post flares in the road and direct traffic. The town truck would be summoned on the double. If it’s a very small town, Mayor Pike might drive the truck himself.
In incorporated towns, the job is handled. In big cities, the job is bungled. In the suburbs, the job is ignored.
Just a small example of government dysfunction. – Bernie Hayden
1 Comment
July 15, 2008 at 9:28 pm
of the people, by the people,and for the people…..be interesting to know how many concerned citizens took the time to make a quick 911 call after their first (or fourth ) swerve to report said hazard?