my old neighbors

when we bought our house 14 years ago, seeing red foxes was a daily occurrence. matter of fact, sometime during our first spring, a mama fox had two kits under our screen porch. we watched, a little bit in horror, as she hunted grey squirrels and carried them home for her charges to gnaw on. we watched the kits grow, and do all that playful tumbling and chasing, you remember from mutual of omaha shows. oh man, remember those?  after a few years, the foxes started to get mange, and then slowly disappeared. we were told it was all part of a natural 7 year cycle, and that they would return. but alas, they have not. instead, coyotes have moved in.  i am not sure what to make of this little tale. i ran across this old photo taken in my backyard. i miss my old neighbors. so elegant and beautiful. and always with a hint of mystery.

red foxes