Rare Corning Spotted Fawns

Having spent more than the requisite amount of time in structured educational programs (much to my parents' joy and chagrin), not to mention the inordinate number of lessons, classes, seminars, internships and workshops I participated in during my many years in NYC, it's safe to say, perhaps despite it all, that I'm a fairly well-educated, at least well-schooled, person. Although my parents would have undoubtedly been overjoyed to see a medical or law degree emerge from the ashes of all this education, the fact remains: with their unending support and the comraderie of close friends, I've spent the better part of my adult life in pursuit of new experiences and broader perspectives - and somehow managed to keep body and soul together through it all!

That being said, there's clearly much I have yet to learn, especially when it comes to living with nature right outside my back door! I'm the first to admit (and Chris will adamantly agree) that I'm sorely lacking in the areas of wilderness survival, camping, trekking through forests or hiking across deserts. I have no idea how to kill fish with a spear, build shelters with bamboo, set traps for small creatures, find streams for clean water, or extract nourishment from nature in any way whatsoever other than the occasional trip to the blueberry farm or apple orchard with friends in the Fall - always followed by enough wine to make the wilderness experience worth the effort!

After living so many years in New York, I am, through and through, a city girl. I can find you nourishment of any kind, any flavor, any nationality, any time of day or night, simply with the wave of my hand to the nearest taxi. There's plenty of nature for me right at the corner bodega, and I don't have to catch it, pick it, peel it or even cook it. This is my kind of wilderness, and as far as the city is concerned, I've mastered the art of survival!

The interesting thing about living in Manhattan is that you have the world at your fingertips, and because of that, you feel no need to leave your own backyard. True, I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia with a big back yard that led down to a forest of sorts, and yes, we had our share of wildlife and certainly lots of greenery and bugs, but I happily left that all behind me when I packed my bags and headed for the big city. What I didn't realize was that I would become so immersed in surviving the wilderness of NY that, despite the occasional weekend trip to the country, I would lose touch with the real wilderness beyond the city limits.

We have lots of deer in Corning, and many of them, like this yearling, traipse through our backyard everyday. Spring is when the fawns arrive, and for several years there have been twin fawns in our back yard. The girls used to love watching them and always waited anxiously every Spring to see if another pair would arrive. They loved to watch their little spotted bodies and bright white tails flashing through the grass as the toddlers enthusiastically wobbled through the terrain, valiantly chasing after their mother.

To that end, and being anxious to justify the conclusion of my story, let me remind you that there are no deer in NYC, and although we had some wildlife in our backyard growing up in Pennsylvania, we rarely, if ever, saw the fawns, certainly not as close up as we see them here in Corning. Because of that, and because I have apparently forgotten every nature show I was ever forced to watch, I had no idea that all fawns are born with spots!

So, several years ago when I first spotted the tiny creatures and saw their little speckled bodies, I exclaimed, "Look! Those fawns have spots! Get the camera - the twins have spots this year!" The girls covered their mouths, holding back peels of laughter, while Chris, understanding my lack of wilderness awareness and appreciating my joyful enthusiasm, simply handed me the camera, smiled patiently and proclaimed, "Yes, honey, those are the Rare Corning Spotted Fawns!"