Not Quite Archeology

When the weather first got warm, I took the kids on a walk around out property to collect all of the toys and playthings that has been left outside during the winter. We found all sorts of interesting items, most of them ours. Buckets and balls had been blown into bushes. Shovels were simply plopped on the ground, waiting for the spring grass to grow so they could be hacked into tiny plastic missiles by the rider-mower.

Down at the edge of the property, the part furthest away from the house, the boys had left their boogie boards. Now, I know these are not winter toys, but apparently, to the boys, they look a lot like sleds. At some point they had taken them down to this spot, the spot that gets the most shade and is the last to let the snow melt.

They boys were arguing over who was responsible for carrying the foam boards back up to the house, when I happened to look over and see this:

In case you can't get a read on how large this is, it belonged to a deer. A full sized deer. Naturally, I was a little irked and freaked out about finding these remains right next to a spot where the boys like to play.

Andy, however, had no such reservations.

"Wow! Dinosaur bones!"

No, just the remains of a deer our hunter neighbor shot with his bow and arrow. Once he was done with the meat, he left the body for the hawks. But apparently some larger animals beat them to it. How nice of them to share.