Welcome To The Menagerie!

menagerie  (mɪˈnædʒərɪ)
— n
1.	a collection of wild animals kept for exhibition   2.
	the place where such animals are housed
Just in case you are confused, I am not collecting wild animals.  However, they are moving in and making themselves right at home.  So, in addition, to the assortment of cats who like the top of my car (I removed the welcome mat at the back door); the squirrels; the raccoons (haven't seen them lately); the huge opossum which, thankfully, has not been seen in a few years;  the snakes (which I really don't want to see); and the omnipresent groundhogs, I have picked up a new family. That's right, a family of foxes has moved in.  I have seen a fox devouring my pecans late at night. I have seen it trot up the driveway and totally ignore James and me as we sat on the patio.  I even saw it last week standing in the yard as I rounded the path to the house.  Both of us were totally surprised.  However, I was not prepared for the litter of baby fox who are simply adorable.  And must go. They seem to have taken root in front of the hole favored by the groundhog family.  Which means that they, the groundhogs, have to use other exits to access the lawn which they absolutely love.  Both seem to be coexisting peacefully, until alpha fox gets large enough to give chase, however.  He/she is definitely the leader of the pack. Inquisitive and seemingly fearless.  When one of the groundhogs rounded the walkway from the garage, Alpha Fox's siblings fled.  Not him. He craned his neck as far as possible to see the intruder and never gave ground. The groundhog, on the other hand, took this stance.  It is going to be mighty interesting around here. And, to be quite fair, though I dislike them with every fiber of my body, the groundhogs do have some cute tricks, as well.  Your eyes are not deceiving you, this groundhog climbed the fence and feasted on the branches of the tree.  My neighbor has since lopped off the top of the tree. It looks as though I am going to have to keep an extra camera up front so that I can catch all the antics of my resident wildlife.  There's a red-headed woodpecker that visits occasionally as well as the beautiful, tiny, green bird. Have no idea what it is. And while I'm diligently trying to beautify Serendipity for myself, it seems like I'm making it very comfy for my wildlife "friends." Be safe.  Be Blessed.