The Woods Were Lovely Dark and Deep

I had a pretty good idea where Roxy lived, so one snowy morning I set out to find her den.   From my internet research, I'd learned that foxes liked to create homes in high ground. And, it was my understanding that about 1/2 mile away, there was a very likely hill.  Likely, because it was the only hill in our area , and doubly likely because through the years several generations of foxes had lived there. 

I  came prepared.   I had a tinfoil pie plate and the highest quality dog food I could find.  It was loaded with vitamins and antioxidents and the blurb on the back of the bag  guaranteed  that your canine companion would love it.  While I don't have canine companions, I do have two feline ones, Dweezil and Squig; and they were following me.


Locating the hill and what I assumed was her den, I sang out, "Roxy, foxy, I have a little treat for you.  A little treat for later.  Right now, you just stay snug in your house. There's no need to get all nervous and come out and defend your territory or investigate anything.  We're just going to dump this yummy food and leave."  Well I was just going to dump the food and leave.  The cats had other plans.

From the corner of my eye I saw Dweezil making a beeline for her den . "Dweezil" I screamed," as I scrambled up after him, "get away from that hole" I grabbed him by the tail as he was half way in.  "Trust me on this one," I admonished as I got a firm grip, "Roxy does not want to be your friend, and if you go down that hole, you're not going to like what you find at the bottom." Did he listen, hell no.  Because right then, I lost my footing, slipped backwards,  and slid down the hill. Sensing a window of opportunity, he jumped out of my arms and ran back up.  As I was chasing Dweezil away from Roxy's den, I noticed Squigg dive face first into the dish and start eating. "Squigg," I yelled as I grabbed Dweezil, "the last time I checked you were a cat.  That's dog food. Get away from that dish right now."  In response, he turned, gave me his most deceptively innocent "who me" look, and then calmly went back to eating.

"Great, this is just great," I muttered to myself as I grabbed Squigg. I was, wet, cold, covered in snow and carrying the two squirming cats.  Oh well, at the worst, I figured, our performance  certainly gave the cross country skiers a good laugh and hopefully we gave Roxy something nutricious to eat that she was guaranteed to love.