There is plenty of fox activity around Maple Lake. From a solitary fox running across our front lawn, to the mother and nursing kits I saw on a run last spring, they are everywhere, and I love them.
I'm not always lucky enough to see them, so winter's snow provides a perfect opportunity to see what our resident fox has been doing. Tracks along the lake shore and across the ice are the most common. He or she also lopes up our slope, coming quite near to the house.
In Celtic lore, the fox symbolizes a cunning wisdom, having an intimate knowledge of the woods and acting as a guide... or possibly leading enemies astray. This makes perfect sense to me when I observe our fox's trails. The trails are confidently laid; this creature knows where he is coming from and where he is going.
I don't doubt for a second that our fox isn't very aware of our movements. This is probably why we rarely lay eyes on him. When I saw the mother and kits that spring day while running, my granddad said that the mother had been watching me for a long time to let me stop and watch without running off immediately. I believe this to be true - animals know more about us than we know about them. They are far more skilled in the art of watching than we are.
I love knowing that animals are flourishing all around us in the fields and forest that surround Maple Lake. It is always a good day when I see new tracks, or even better, catch a glimpse of our rusty-red furred friend.
