As I came down the stairs this morning, saying a silent prayer for another day and the gift of a rising sun, I could clearly see out our front window. We’ve left the window curtainless to the view, which is always a delight. Today, as I descended into my day, I could see a doe off to the right, rummaging in the pile of leaves Antler Man made the other day, and I could see something else. It looked, at first, like an upright log or a pile of leaves left in the hauling.
I’ve learned to slowly walk toward the window so as not to stir the wildlife. I crept in. Then I saw something else, sitting, still and alert. Just sitting.
“Tom” I whispered, then again “Tom.”
The television was on, announcing the news of the day, which sounded a lot like the news of yesterday. He couldn’t quite hear me.
“Tom, come see”.
He did and we sat for at at least 10 minutes, cameras and binoculars in hand. Watching. Waiting.
If you click on the picture, maybe even twice, you can see it too.
I wish I could get that dust spot off of the lens. Our windows are 85 years old. The wavy, greenish glass distorts photos some, but, not so much that we couldn’t see what the fox seemed to be looking at.
A truck came down the road, stopping to see the buck. The fox, he turned and ran like the wind.
I was pleased to see him. Aesop. We started calling him Aesop last year when I caught him in the snow. We hadn’t seen him since.
The buck sauntered over and was joined by two others, the heat of their breath forming clouds of steam as they panted and then chased a few does in their primal dance of autumn.
Not a bad way to start a day.
That was indeed a beautiful way to start the day. Do you suppose Aesop and Mr. Buck had a little chat? You know the kind; “Beautiful morning isn’t it?”
“Yes it is, did you see the lady behind the glass? She’s in her jammies again.”
“Don’t worry, she is nice. She plants lots of good things for us to eat.”
I think they had a little chat like old friends. Don’t you think?
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Oh, a very long chat, I dare say. I do think so, Miss Country Mouse.
It went on, for quite a while. They went on with “Yes, dear fox, and do you see the man sitting next to her?”
“The one counting my antler points?”
“Yes, that’s him. He won’t hurt you, but, he put that pile for you to shed your antlers in.”
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Oooh, how exciting and what a great way to start the day! You are so close to the wildlife there – I know it’s a double edged blessing, but you certainly capture the wonder of it in this post.
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We were excited as we had not seen the fox since last February. They are rather illusive and shy. We had a lovely time watching them this morning, Juliet.
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Wow, you are right, what a great way to start the day. Your property looks amazing Penny. Keep enjoying those quiet mornings of wildlife surprises.
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Thanks, Mary Anne. I love the surprises, especially the ones with red fur.
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A most excellent way to start the day. A beautiful fox and what a grand looking buck. I haven’t see a fox in months now and the deer, due to hunting, are pretty scarce. That will change again, but for now, thanks for sharing yours. It looks like you live in a great neighborhood, with some fine “neighbors.”
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The fox are so illusive, aren’t they? The last time I saw one was last February. Because we are in a neighborhood, the deer aren’t hunted here and we get to watch them”courting”. We run back and forth with their antics, then notice a bush that has been challenged by a rack or a eaten to the ground. Sigh.
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Dear Penny,
A lovely way to start the day. I am–I’m not sure why–reminded of a lovely ending to Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s poem “Mountain.” She says,
I find the weight of air
Almost too great to bear.
And seeing that wee fox caught motionless in the lens of your camera is a weight for me that steadies my heart.
Peace.
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Oh, that is a lovely poem, Dee. Anne Morrow Llndbergh had such a way with words and a connection to the environment. I will have to look up this poem as I am not familiar with it. Thank you. Thank you.
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A fox in the yard, and apparently perfectly comfortable there — how amazing! I don’t recall ever seeing a fox in the wild, elusive as they are. Wildlife around here seems to run to the random chipmunk or squirrel, and groundhogs, raccoons, possums and skunks.
I love seeing the occasional deer, but not near the roadways. Just last week I noted my most recent encounter on Facebook: “…driving home from Sturgis about an hour ago, peering between the wiper blades, I had to nearly STOP north of town to be certain the two deer bounding through the cornfield stubble, heading toward the highway were definitely going to change their minds about crossing in front of me.” They did! These two seemed very road-savvy, but sadly that’s too often not the case. I’d far rather have seen them from my front window, and a magnificent buck such as yours would have been the icing on the cake. 🙂
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We don’t see the fox often here, Karen, and when we do they are more of a red blur dashing by. Once in awhile, they are so visible and I am so excited when it happens. This was a treat.
We love the deer, but, they are a problem here as there are so many and they wreak havoc on the gardens and trees. They usually stop for cars, but, right now they are in rutting season and the lure of the opposite sex sends them dashing about without a care for a car. I’m especially careful this time of year. You were right to be so cautious, Karen. Stay safe.
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Wow, that is really cool and a great start to morning! I love foxes and have only seen them a few times before. Usually, by the time I realize that I’ve seen on, it’s already run away from me.
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It certainly was, Katy. We watched him for about 10 minutes before he dashed into the yard next door. I know what you mean. You know it is a red fox after it goes by.
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What a wonderful start to the day, a very real blessing. I have only seen fox in the UK and we don;t have deer wandering around here either; how wonderful to have this wildlife right on your doorstep.
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We are very lucky to have these beautiful creatures so near to us, Marilyn, and they were a treat for us yesterday morning.
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What an experience! I have the nocturnal animals, but you have the ones in plain sight. I can really imagine how much fun you had staking out your position for the photography. Great photos…lens and all! I, too, love playing photojournalist–without the best equipment, I lament. I am always inspired by nature, and it’s fun to see that you are, too. I’m just grinning, Penny, thinking that you had a wonderful start to your day. Debra
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It was a fun challenge, Debra. I could have gotten clearer photos if I had opened the front door, but, that would have sent them fleeing. I was still pleased to capture them. Isn’t it fun to see what we can capture with a camera. The digital age has certain opened up so many more possibilities for a pretend photographer like me. It was, Debra, and I’m glad you are grinning.
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Aw, you know I love a fox sighting, how fantastic, Penny: and Aesop the buck too. How the wildlife have moved in to take the place of the beautiful flowers, enchanting us in the Autumn months….
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I know you love fox, Kate, and were hoping you would see this. It sat for at least ten minutes before us and I have no idea how long it was there before I saw it.
I do hope you are feeling better. I just saw that Sir Phil substituted for you today, and am off to give him a comment. Be well.
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What a great way to start your day! Maybe the fox was thinking the same thing when it came upon the buck!
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You may be right on that, Janet. It was a good way to start off the day.
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