Where is the quick brown fox?

Ezzy the non-lazy dog!

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. What ever happened to our quick brown fox? Did he actually jump over that dog or was the dog not so lazy. Was that just a ploy to lure the fox in close with a false sense of security and the chase ensued? Remember typing that sentence over and over again in high school? I am not sure if it is even used anymore what with computer keyboards now being in the hands of small children. It seems that little ones can type before they can toddle around. That sentence was ever present in typing class since it contained every letter in the English alphabet. It has been used to test keyboarders as far back as the 1800's and was the bane of all typists who felt they had all thumbs and no fingers. I often thought that someone should just once let that lazy old dog get up and catch the fox..that would teach him to show off by jumping over dogs. Ha!

This picture was taken by my cousin..Ezzy jumping after a non-existent squirrel!

Speaking of foxes..I have been hearing a lot of them each night here lately. It is strange as it is not their usual yipping that is echoing on the Bayou. Instead it is howling..every time a siren from a police car or ambulance passes within earshot, the mimicking begins. For at least ten minutes it continues with several different foxes lending their vocal abilities to the cacophony. Then all is quiet until the next siren. I am quite sure there is a den near the creekbed behind the house as I hear them there often. Hopefully, now that the threat of cottonmouth moccasins has diminished because of the chill, I can find the lair and get a few photographs of any new additions this spring.

Five baby gray squirrels venturing out of the nest for the first time.

One thing about the fox..they can catch the squirrels. I am not saying that this is a good thing by any means but I have to admit there are a LOT of squirrels this year. Years ago, their populations were kept in check by hunters, but that is a thing of the past. There are laws now that do not allow hunting in this area so the squirrels have free reign. I do enjoy watching them but I do not enjoy sharing my peach, plum and fig crops with them. They ate most of the plums this past year before I could pick them. They, also, eat most of the seeds from the bird feeders, leaving my doves hungry. Then today, I noticed one has chewed a hole in the eave of the house and decided my house would be its house. THIS will have to go as I am not in the habit of housing wild animals in my attic space! Still, I do love the little rascals! These pictures are from earlier in the year but were so cute that they had to be shared!

Two cuties!