SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
319 Route 87 Columbia, CT 06237
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Keeping you up-to-date on what's happening at your library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
APRIL 25, 2010
Red Fox

Megan's fine post about The Discovery Channel's Life series reminded me how much my country life has become citified over the years I've lived here. When I first moved to my country setting thirty some years ago, nature abounded. Deer, raccoons, squirrels, skunk, opossum and even an occasional bob cat used our five acres to either bed down for the night or as a passageway from one point to another. Owls, hawks and songbirds were regular visitors to our woodlands. Over the years new homes, increased population and a thirteen plot subdivision have clearly had an affect on my wildlife spotting.

Most of my neighborhood has forgotten how prevalent these animals once were. But these past few weeks we've been treated with the antics of a beautiful, lush coated, well-fed red fox. He or possibly she is the talk of the neighborhood. Thursday evening, he/she came trotting up our driveway like it owned the place. My husband and I watched for over a half hour as he/she rested, hunted and enjoyed an evening meal. We were surprised that the fox cached its' food supply much like a dog burying a bone. It had dug a hole near a small tree in our front yard and buried a squirrel. Quite smart the fox as when we later went down to see the hole we noticed it was dug very close to the trunk of the tree, insuring that other animals would have a difficult time uncovering its' stash. Watching the behavior of this fox makes me want to know more. My knowledge is limited to just a few facts. Usually more nocturnal, ours doesn't seem to be bothered with the human population it encounters. Territorial habits accounts for the repeated spotting by those in my immediate area. Time to read and learn more. A good place for me to start might be: 

Red foxes / by Doran and Jane Whitledge.

or many of the other books we own about mammals that can be found in the 599 section of the library. 

Years ago one of my favorite stories that my dad would tell was The Gingerbread Man with his cry of "You can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man". Terrified but with childish delight I shivered as the sly old fox outsmarted the gingerbread man and ate him with a snap! There are so many variations of this folk tale that you shouldn't have any trouble finding one. This from our collection:

The gingerbread man / retold by Jim Aylesworth ; illustrated by Barbara McClintock. 



Another old favorite is the story of Chicken Little who has an acorn fall on his head and runs around yelling "The Sky is Falling .He tries to convince all his friends of impending doom...Henny Penny, Loosey Goosey, Lucky Ducky, and the one I liked best, Foxy Loxy! In my day the ending was far grimmer than most of the adaptations today. Try this one, a bit more wacky but sure to delight with its great illustrations and wonderful wide-eyed characters: 

Chicken Little / Ed Emberley and Rebecca Emberley.

 And last but not least I've been waiting for my name to come up for this dvd. Hear this movie based on the book by Roald Dahl is quite entertaining.

Fantastic Mr. Fox 



 


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Comments

Mercedes said, on Apr. 28 at 7:46AM
I think red foxes are some of the most beautiful animals in our area. I've only had the pleasure to see them a few times but each time I am awed. I hope you get to continue to enjoy your new neighbor!

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anonymous said, on May. 6 at 12:26PM
Your blog rang so true with the "build up" around here! I remember when we could ride our bikes around here and not see a car the whole trip, we even used to get up and look out the window when a car drove by. Another topic is street lights in town--we enjoyed the dark! My proposal is to turn them off at 11:00PM in town, we all go to bed by then anyway!

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CarolK said, on May. 6 at 12:27PM
Loved your comments and think the light idea has merit!

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