Night Sightings

I had hoped the past two days of news were just a nightmare - but when I turned on the local news this morning, the first ad I saw was Peyton Manning sitting in front of a split Denver Broncos - KUSA Channel 9 News screen, saying, "Hi, I'm Peyton Manning.  You're watching 9 News, home of the Denver Broncos."  It seems I did not dream the past few days.  It seems pretty much accepted that Tim Tebow will be traded before the end of this week.  May I scream?
  I left Kathy and Jim's house just before 9 p.m. Saturday night, to walk to the bus stop.  I had a small flash light in my hand, but preferred to let my eyes adjust to the darkness (there are no street lights in the neighborhood).  I had just past the east end of their yard when I heard the scrabble of claws on the pavement behind me; I quickly flicked the flash on, and saw a red fox crossing the road behind me.  Turning the light back off, I continued walking in the middle of the residential road toward 26th Street.  Soon I discerned a dark shape coming toward me, almost on a collision course.  It appeared to be someone bent over the handlebars of a bicycle, their head nodding with each leg stroke, as if the person was exhausted.  I said, "Hey.  You really need a light on your bike."  This got no response, so I said, louder, "It's really dangerous to ride..." and then I stopped.  I realized my mistake.  It wasn't a person on a bike, it was a mule deer walking towards me in the dark. - Boy, did I feel stupid! - I made it the rest of the way to the bus stop without incident - except scaring a raccoon, who ran up a cottonwood tree and then hissed at me, when I turned the light on it.  I enjoy walking through the neighborhood, especially in the dark, when most critters don't perceive me as a threat.
  Getting ready to go walk the red kids, and this evening it'll be feeding the Thore girls.  I have to admit I saw the Jamie Lee Curtis interview on Jay Leno Monday night, so I kept myself braced for the NCIS episode last night.  It was nice to get to see Gibbs kiss someone, and it was nice that they didn't immediately crawl into bed.... but I didn't see anything I'd get upset about.  (JLC had said that some women were going to hate her after the episode aired.  Hate? No. Envy? ..Maybe.....)