Red Fox

I recently learned that my favorite nature store Phoebe’s is going out of business, so I went in last week to make a few purchases and stock up on birdseed.  (Where will I find live mealworms, now? I wonder.)
I had just been there a couple weeks earlier looking for a memorial stone for Onyx’s grave.  I was still too upset at the time to purchase anything.   So on this visit, I made sure to choose one.  It says “Cats leave paw prints on our hearts.”
I also wanted to purchase something that reminded me of the delightful hours I had spent browsing in their store, and I set out to find a statue.  There was a little statue of a red fox that had occupied several different spots in their store over the years.  I found him up front, guarding the bird baths.
 
It might seem silly, but as I checked out and gave the girls my regards, I got a little teary-eyed.  I will miss that store! I will miss the fragrance of hand-made soaps and the sound of birdsong mingled with music. And I will truly miss Phoebe and her daughters who always had ready advice for my bird-feeding (squirrel-repelling) challenges. 
Even though I will miss shopping there, I now have that little red fox.  And who knows, maybe I’ll just decide to move him around the house occasionally just to keep visitors guessing where he might turn up.