‘We were all curious of one another’: This New Hampshire family had a close encounter with a moose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXY_gsRB5s0&feature=youtu.be

“Oh my word.”

That’s what Nichole DiVietro found herself saying over and over early Tuesday morning as she and her family watched a moose nibble trees in their yard.

It began around 5:30 that morning, when DiVietro and her husband, Erik, woke up in their Merrimack, New Hampshire, home.

“My husband looked out the window, and he said, ‘Oh my goodness Nichole, you got to come see what’s out here.’ He said, ‘There’s a moose in our yard by our pear tree.’”

When she looked out the window, DiVietro said all she could see were its legs — the leaves and blossoms on the tree were covering the rest of the animal.

When it stepped into view, she said her “heart sank” as she saw how large the creature was.

“I’d never seen a moose, so it was really awesome for me to see,” she told Boston.com.

DiVietro and her husband started recording as the moose strolled across the street to their neighbor’s house and began eating the leaves off another tree.

While she and their teenage daughter watched from the house, her husband went outside a few times to get more video and photos of the large animal across the street.

https://www.facebook.com/edivietro/posts/10156646865584050

“He was at the side door and I was at the front door taking the video, and I saw the moose look in our direction every time he went out,” DiVietro said. “So I was thinking, ‘Oh Erik, get in the house.’ I didn’t want to scare the moose away.”

The moose didn’t get scared away.

Instead it crossed the street to again sample the leaves of a tree in the DiVietro’s front yard before rambling down their walkway to the side entrance of their house.

“The moose literally just kept looking in our door,” DiVietro said. “He just stood at our door, and he was looking around, but he just kept looking directly at my husband and I and our 13 year-old daughter. And we were just in awe. It was amazing. The moose was peaceful, very curious it seemed.”

The Merrimack resident of eight years said she wonders if the moose saw her husband using the door and decided to investigate. She estimated the moose stuck around for about a half hour before it ran back into the woods near their house.

“We were scoping out the moose, but I think the moose wanted to scope us out,” she said. “We were all curious of one another, but it was just a beautiful moment. I will always remember that.”

The surprise visit holds significance for another reason for DiVietro. It came just a day before the four-month anniversary of her sister Michelle’s death from cancer at the age of 46.

“It’s been a rough couple weeks,” she said. “Just wanting to talk to her, hear her voice. I just really miss her. So two weeks ago, the grief wave kind of hit. It’s just been a little rough. So when the moose was gone and when we were talking to the family and reflecting on what happened, my husband said, ‘I think that God sent that moose to cheer you up and to encourage you.’”

He told his wife they should call the moose, “Mooshy,” after her sister, who went by the nickname, “Mishy.”

So far the name has stuck. DiVietro said she was reflecting on the experience as she remembered her older sister on Wednesday morning.

“Usually people say, ‘Oh, it’s a gift if you see a cardinal, it’s a message from a loved one that has passed on,’” she said. “Michelle loved to go big, so I can just picture her saying to God, ‘You know, everybody sees birds. Send her a moose, she’s never seen a moose before.’ That’s my personal take on it.”

It was a memorable moment for her entire family, DiVietro said.

“It was just so precious to be together in this moment and share this experience together as a family,” she said.