Today, on an early walk, I spied a fox crossing the road. Given its location and direction, it could well be the critter I see dashing across my backyard early most days. 

What surprised me is that the fox was heading into the deep woods, not the patch of trees (mostly downed) that fan out from the back corner of our property. 

This gave me a new appreciation for his range and rambles, for the ground he covers and, by extension, the life he leads. 

As I grew closer to the grove where he was hiding, I spied his cute little face and perky ears. He was looking at me as closely as I was looking at him. 

(Top, the woods where I saw the fox, and above, a couple of his fellow wild creatures, grazing in a neighbor’s yard as if they owned the place.)