Friday, May 22

Fox Kits, Funerals and Blog Stats


If you're tired of reading about the foxes, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to be talking about them until they leave for parts unknown. Shortly after I got home from work on Thursday, mr. kenju called to me that the papa fox was on the deck with a carcass. I went down to investigate, and it looked like a squirrel, but due to the way it was positioned, I couldn't really tell - it could have been a bunny or a rat. I watched for a while, and papa left and went back into the woods. A while later, one of the babies (above) came back onto the deck and began playing. I slipped out the back door and got a little closer so I could try and take photos. I should have known that the parents were close enough to see me and sure enough, one of them came barreling through the fence and ran across the deck toward me. I was standing on the little bridge that connects the deck to the pool, and there was the pool and a wire barrier between us, but it was not enough to keep me standing there. I turned tail and went back into the house PRONTO!! The fox stood there for quite some time, insuring that neither of us would venture out onto the deck again.

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My employer and I went to a funeral today for a former wedding cake baker here in Raleigh; a woman who was a true artist in icing, as well as a premier baker. Her cakes always smelled so very good because they were made with fresh ingredients and real butter. The services were held in a small town about 45 minutes north of here, one in which I had previously spent no longer than the time it takes to drive through it. The small funeral home resembled many, and they had a very nice chapel and a good sound system, so I could hear every word. We got the surprise of our lives when we saw the preacher, who arrived in a black leather vest with Harley badges all over it. Apparently, our baker had also been a biker, though none of us in the wedding professions knew anything about it. It was simply referred to as "biker church", and the preacher was very good. In fact, I was admiring his vocabulary, when I realized that before he began to speak I had prejudged him. So I mentally smacked myself upside the head! One thing that makes a funeral sermon good is when the speaker knew the person well, and this man seemed to know her quite well, and apparently liked and admired her as much as we all did. I came away thinking it was one of the better funerals I had ever attended.

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My friend Tiff had a post Thursday in which she expressed the hope of drawing readers by posting a list of phrases she thought might make people land on her blog. She mentioned my all time favorite 'Kissing balls", and I told her I'd check my stats again to see what other phrases people use to find me. Here are some of the latest searches that got to me:

Maxine cartoons: many people search for Maxine cartoons and sayings every week!

Used Outhouses: I have no idea why they'd want used ones, but I once had a post about painted outhouses.

Benjamin Moore Dill Pickle: a color I once considered for my kitchen, and apparently other people want it too. It garnered eight searches this week!

Fancy watermelon carvings: you may remember them from a recent post. Lots of people want to see them.

And last, a name from one of my funny name posts - Lemoine Morecock. I hope it wasn't some family members doing genealogy research!




15 comments:

Grannymar said...

I totally agree about the preacher making all the difference to a funeral. I have been to a few where the undertaker provided a preacher as part of the package - it just does not work!

Pat said...

It must be so hard - even when you are a preacher to speak about someone you know and like after death.
I'd give a lot to have seen Judy's confrontation with Mr Fox - especially your hasty retreat:)

Carolyn said...

I love your fox stories! He's very cute. And I can just see you tucking tail and running, hehe!

And shame on your for prejudging that preacher, lol! I admit, preachers are usually in the same boat in my opinion and I've had probably put him in it it too-- before I knew he was a biker that is, hehe!

Gee, Now I wonder if the fact you pass my house on your trips to Chas and never stop to meet me is because you've prejudged me! LOL! ;D

Star said...

Many years ago we were on a cruise. We couldnt help but notice a couple on the ship, always dressed in the same jeans nd t-shirts, not particularly neat about their appearance. THey seemed very out of place. The night of the talent show they got up and blew the audience away with their duet of "Love lifts us UP". They were better than the professional entertainers. We heard later that they had been offered a contract with the cruise line. We had definately pre-judged them. Quitewrongly.

Arkansas Patti said...

PLEASE keep the foxes coming. Just love the little rascles.
About pre-judging, an old car salesman nicknamed "The Silver Fox"taught me about appearances. He would wait on men in dirty work clothes saying they were men with jobs that wanted a vehicle,NOW. He also said the poor dressed up to impress, the rich didn't have anything to prove.
"My First Pimp," got a lot of hits. I'm sure I disappointed.

colleen said...

I love the visual of a biker preacher.

A lot of people find my blog through "I wish Cotton were a Monkey." I said it once, I guess.

I have the best birthday cake. Joe gets it for me every year. He orders it through my favorite baker. A carrot cake like food (made with real butter too) but sweet enough to be dessert.

sage said...

Your fox stories are interesting-I should write about my bunny ones (bunnies were born and raised in a flower bed right outside the basement windows this spring!)

amarkonmywall said...

That kit is impossibly cute! And npw you know what the threat is to the cats. Mama and Papa may or may not see the cats as food but they are going to see anything alive and close as a threat. I'm loving these fox tales.

My father's funeral was in the deep south after a lifetime in the east and midwest. The preacher was precisely like the Wizard in Oz- huff,puff, showmanship, microphones, organs behind curtains. 12 year old Daniel whispered to me (not so softly, in the front row) "Do we believe that?"
and my brother whispered back, "No. We're Episcopalians." Then we all, inappropriately, cracked up.

robin andrea said...

I look forward to your fox stories. So, definitely keep them coming.

I like your description of the funeral and the biker church. A very good lesson about judging people, one all of us should remember.

Anonymous said...

Excellent photo Judy! They really are too cute as kits! :) Ours are hovering in the understory under the protective eye of one of the parents while the other comes for food. Hope we can get pics when they as small as yours!

rosemary said...

Not tired of the foxes at all.....just be careful.....as for your friend and her biker church....I think it is cool to have discovered this about her...makes her more than one dimensional. I rarely check my stats anymore....the hits I get are about my accordion and "Mama's got a squeeze box......"

Darlene said...

That is a great photo of the fox. I think you will have to do something to discourage them because they already think your deck it theirs.

Re: judging people by their attire: When I was a bride we were invited to a Country Club costume party in a neighboring town. We did not know the host, but were friends with his friends. When we arrive we saw lavish costumes with one exception; an old bald headed man in an old white tee and brown baggy pants. He was the host; a very wealthy man.

Duke_of_Earle said...

More fox stories, and pictures, please!

John

JeanMac said...

I loved your word searches.

Ginnie said...

Yes, the baby fox is adorable, but you are smart to be wary of them. I have a friend who had a similar situation but it turned ugly when she was bitten and had to be treated for rabies...although there wasn't proof that the fox was rabid but the authorities couldn't catch her to be sure !