Oooops & Oh, Boy

I wiped some insect eggs off one of my bean leaves two days ago. Several hours later I remembered that I'd see mating ladybugs on one of the plants a few days before. Oooops! Sure enough when I looked them up the eggs I killed were ladybug eggs. Stupid me! The larvae would have eaten the aphids on the bean plants. Oh, well, live & learn. Research first; slay later.

Yesterday was busy one for the foxes and me.
In the morning, the vixen was out playing with two of her pups. Only two. I tried not to worry. I do worry too much. In the afternoon the whole family was out in the garden. Apparently eating somethings out of the grass. Mom fox looked at me often. When I wasn't leaning out the bathroom window they would come into the center; when I was in the window, she would retreat into the shade out of my view. I'm getting curious to learn more about fox behavio(u)r.

I planted a second set of seeds a few weeks ago and they are all ready for transplanting. I have a lot of work to do this weekend. It's time for me to capitulate and buy compost. Fortunately, I have found a good source for bulk organic compost at a reasonable-for-here price. Actually it's a very good price. *sigh*

It was a slow garden day. I didn't work on anything. My battle with one particular ivy root in the front and the big bag of sand in the back pulled something in my back that didn't belong pulled. All seems to be righting itself.

Last night, when I took the peanut butter medicine sandwich to the garden I stayed outside. First, I took some new pix of the all the transplants. Then I decided to sit down on a little stool on the ugly concrete and see what might happen.

Eventually, as it was getting dark one kit came bouncing down the path towards me and into the ivy. A short while later out he/she came and off to the back of the garden again. Was he the bravest testing the situation? Then two came out. Then all four were out. I'm assuming that mom was hidden somewhere nearby watching the entire scene. And me. I sat still moving only my eyes or moving my head when they were busy with their noses in the grass or ivy searching for slugs or snails or some-such.

For the longest time, they were grubbing in the ivy opposite me and the grass. Then someone came onto the concrete and then another. They began playing around. When another passed right in front of me, I made a little noise which made it run away a small bit faster. I'm ambivalent about them getting comfortable around me. I won't be sitting out like that all the time.

Eventually they did what they always do -- play! They came running around on the concrete, around the shelves of vegetable plants. Usually it's only 2 of them but this time at one point all 4 were around me somewhere on the concrete. I could see 3 of them but not the fourth. I turned my head around to see one sweet little thing just sitting directly behind me and looking at me. The others were very near too.

They ran around a bit, sniffed and nosed at things then off to the grass again, tumbling and pouncing and tumbling on each other. A short while later two of them started grunting at each other. Now, to me the sound was reminiscent of the sound my cats would made before vomiting, but the fox babies just made the sounds and then pounced on each other playing again. After a while more of this they all headed off to the back of the garden. I sat for a while more, but it was getting so dark I couldn't see anyone any more and my legs were getting numb :)
We had a busy day, the foxes and I.