Wisconsin deer are chicken

I was out on a cold afternoon near Willow Grove Golf Course in Pewaukee, WI. Willow trees right along the driveway - I was looking out for truth in naming. I came to the end of the driveway and saw 3-4 deer about 60 yards away. They noticed me at the same time I noticed them. They did that deer thing of looking at me for a second or two and then they took off. They hightailed it out of there.

That got me wondering about the origin of "hightail." Could it be that the origin is related to a frightened whitetail deer running away? Close:

"HIGHTAIL -- a slang expression meaning 'to leave in a great hurry,' is a Western expression and was originally used to describe the way a herd of mustangs will break and race away when 'spooked' or frightened by the approach of cowboys." From; Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins" by William and Mary Morris (Harper Collins, New York, 1977, 1988).

So why are Wisconsin deer chicken? Well at North Chagrin, you can almost whisper in a deer's ear. They do not hightail it for any reason. Ohio is the home of brave deer.

* All of us in marketing are tuned into "long tail," but as far as I know "hightail" is an open phrase for marketers. Hmm.

Running with a Cold

I have a cold so I was interested to get some advice from WebMD about sticking to my training plan.

Can I Go Jogging If I Have a Cold?

I ran yesterday and felt fine while I was running. I don't feel better today, but I don't feel worse.

Oak Leaf You're on My Way

Very bad reference to of all things a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. (I had no idea how to spell that band name.)

I ran this morning on the Oak Leaf Trail which is a part the Milwaukee Parks system. The trail took me along the banks of the Menomonee River. (I had no idea how to spell that river name.)