[3.0L]

After serving 12 months with the 25th Infantry Division (Army) in Vietnam, I don't often get wrapped around the axle about scary things, but something happened in our yard a couple of years ago that was a bit unnerving.

My wife spotted several buzzards descending into our upper side yard, so sent me to investigate. I soon located a small deer near our bird bath. All that was left was the rib cage, head and legs plus the untouched digestive system. The bones were clean as a whistle and there was no dismemberment.

At first I thought coyotes. Curiosity got the best of me and I looked it up. The carcass was a perfect example of a mountain lion kill.

I spend almost every afternoon sitting on my upper patio, not far from where I found the deer remains. You can bet I frequently looked over my shoulder for many months to come, despite the fact we live in a residential neighborhood and about 2 blocks from open space, hills and fields.