Dave saw them first and was so excited he stuttered a little. 
“Two…two f-f-foxes just r-r-ran into the ravine!”
I was too slow that time, but just a couple minutes later, he said, “They’re crossing that big log! Come quick!”
That time I made it to the dining room window in time to spot the two white-tipped bushy tails as they chased up and down the far side of the ravine. They looked like they were playing.
“They must be yearlings,” I said.
“No,” Dave answered, “They’re full grown, just small.”
We haven’t seen foxes in a few years now. The first spring we lived here on the ravine, two mamas had two bunches of little ones. We loved watching them play and grow. And then they were gone. Maybe it was the mange that ran through the skulk, or maybe it was Grandpa clearing brush from the banks of the big ditch. We miss them.
Like my friend Maybelle, I think fox sightings are a sign. I’m going to say that seeing two foxes running through the back yard and down into the ravine is an omen of good to come in this new year.
2017 was a rough year. I thought it was better not to even attempt resolutions because, at The Compound, not only do they not come when you build it, but they don’t cooperate when you plan it too well.
Sounds like Maybelle is a bit weary of resolutions, too, and Maybelle definitely doesn’t want to be a bada**. Check her out. Maybelle says she plans to do the best she can. I can’t fault her for that. In fact, I think I’ll follow her lead.
Maybelle, guess what! We saw foxes in the ravine again. We saw two of them; one for you, and one for me. Happy New Year, Everybody!
On the Ravine 