Skip to main content

The Facts of Life



You know why.

Those are the words that made me smile in this post from a local NextDoor group.

Dear Longfellow neighbors. I just want to let you know that the foxes are having fun these days and running & chasing each other. You know why!  Please drive carefully along Eliots Oak Rd, particularly where there are fields and creeks, as they are crossing the road constantly. We have seen many this morning in our back yard and crossing the street. Happy new year!

These words brought back memories of an excruciatingly dull class in Middle School called Home Living. Only the girls took Home Living, along with Sewing, and Cooking. In Home Living we learned how to bathe a baby (doll) and interior decorating (inside of a cardboard box.) Once a week we were permitted to bring in advice columns from Ask Beth (for discussion) if they contained teen issues of general interest.

It was on one of those days that the issue of, shall we say, “canoodling” arose and our teacher, nearing retirement age, made one of the disapproving faces for which she was well known. She declared that such situations were to be avoided because, “you know what kissing leads to.”  The classmate who had brought in the clipping raised her hand and asked, without any noticeable expression, “What does kissing lead to?”

There was a pause. Miss Preston’s mouth now looked like she was keeping a row of straight pins at the ready for a sewing project. Finally, staring directly at the questioner, she answered,

“I think you know, Theondra.”

And that was the last time I remember discussing newspaper clippings in Miss Preston’s class.

I just want to let you know that the foxes are having fun these days and running & chasing each other.

Why are they having fun and chasing eachother?

You know why! 

This is a fun and informative discussion, especially for NextDoor - - and not merely for the suggested canoodling. There’s also some talk about how this annual fox activity is out of sync with the traditional peak season: January - March. Change in local climate comes into the mix and the behavior of other native creatures is mentioned.

No one is complaining. No one is insulted. There are no conspiracy theories. It’s simply a pocket of observant nature lovers in Columbia, Maryland. This is something to be thankful for. I’m also thank that today’s middle school girls don’t have to sit through Home Living.

Have you observed anything in the natural environment lately that you found notable and/or puzzling?


Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Columbia Chance Connection

  Last night, as my husband and I were about to sit down to dinner, our front door swung open and a cheery voice announced, “I’m ba—ack!”  We weren’t expecting anyone. Clearly the only people who’d walk right in to our house would be one of our offspring. I had my reading glasses on so I wasn’t seeing too clearly. It seemed too tall for our youngest, but we knew our eldest was at work. I took off my glasses to see a friendly but confused face scanning our living room. When her gaze landed on us we all had a sudden realization. We didn’t know eachother. “Oh I’m so sorry! I’m in the wrong house! My daughter just moved in and she needed hooks for the kitchen so I ran out to get them.” She waved the package. “All these houses look the same and I don’t know the neighborhood yet. I thought this was my daughter’s house.” We were all getting a bit giggly. “That’s okay. For a quick second we thought you were our daughter,” said my husband. I told her our names and said she should defin...