My Colorado

More Clever Than a Colorado Fox…

By Sarah Weimer

I sat on my back porch the other afternoon, a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, relishing the day's last bit of warm sunshine and enjoying the crispness in the air. A rustling in the tall grasses several yards away quickly broke my reverie and I saw a flash of red.

"There he is," I said to myself, smiling at the thought of seeing the fox that roamed our backyard all winter, only to disappear like the snow once spring arrived.

Putting my book aside, I watched in fascination to see where the fox's latest prey might be waiting, unaware. The fox crouched, poised and still; the only thing moving was the hair on his bushy tail from the wind.

In an instant, he darted forward and pounced on a field mouse, then quite contentedly sat down to enjoy his dinner. However, this was not to be the end of the food chain.

Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a large orange and white cat hurled himself across the thicket of weeds surrounding the unsuspecting fox and, with a loud screech, startled the fox into an absolute panic. The fox dropped his dinner and bolted from the scene in a red blur.

Never before had I observed a cat as brazen as to take on a fox twice its size. "Only in Colorado," I laughed to myself. The cocky cat proudly picked up his second-hand dinner and trotted off toward his house. I recognized the cat as belonging to the new neighbors next door and wondered if the cat's arrival might mean the permanent departure of my old friend.

To my delight, one morning a few days later, I caught a glimpse of the fox traveling his familiar path through the yard with another mouse dangling from his mouth. The fox carried it to a patch of leaves under some scrub oak, where he dropped it and covered it with the leaves. Sauntering off down the driveway, it was but ten seconds before he did an about-face and quickly headed back to the leaves where he had hidden his breakfast. Perhaps the fox, now all the more experienced and wiser, thought better after recalling the other day's unfortunate events.

Your Turn

Do you have a special memory or humorous story about living in Colorado? EnCompass is looking for original essays that capture the uniqueness of our state. Payment is $60 upon publication. Entries must be typed, double-spaced and 350-450 words. Please include a daytime phone number. Entries will not be returned. Mail to: EnCompass, Attn: My Colorado, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222, or email: editor@colorado.aaa.com. A response to a submission may take six to eight weeks.

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