Harry Belafonte recorded this song many years ago:
A fox went out on a chilly night,
Prayed for the moon to give him light,
He’d many a mile to go that night before he reached the Town-O
Town-O, Town-O
He’d many a mile to go that night before he reached the Town-O.
That song that whizzed through my mind when I looked out of the window and saw a fox. But this was no chilly night, and he was not searching for any Town-O. This was a hot July afternoon, and rather than reaching the Town-O, he reached my front yard.
Foxy was comfortably resting on a spot on the front lawn. Then he yawned, got up and walked to the red maple tree in front of our house and started digging. His foxy memory remembered that he had buried a foxalicious treat right there, so he dug it up and started gnawing on it. Finally sated from his snack, he picked it up and started digging another hole, buried the food, and scratched dirt over it.
That evening, we saw him sauntering across our stone patio in the back yard. He stopped in front of the stone wall protecting the Koi pond. Whish! That’s how fast the malicious varmint leapt up on the ledge of the stone wall. Unfortunately for him, that’s also how fast he fell off. He wasn’t able to reach high enough to remain on the ledge, so he missed out on his chance to scoop the water and pull out a delicious seafood dinner.
Although we do not permit Fox-fishing, hunting by Foxes or Fox Koi thievery on our property, now we wait, hoping the Fox has forgotten about our house, hoping he won’t come back and hoping he doesn’t grab one of our Koi next try.
MorristownMemos 
Comments on: "Belafonte Song About Foxes" (21)
Great pictures Ronnie! I’m still trying to imagine a fox being able to catch a fish. I thought they ate rodents? Anyway, you must have a lovely property. Great looking koi. All the best.
Thanks, Eleanor; I hope they stay great looking and alive!
Love these pics! We get a fox every now and then. They are so pretty. But we don’t have any fish at risk, so I can afford to admire.
It’s funny how subjective taste is. You think foxes are pretty, and maybe they are. But I see them as dangerous creatures who threaten our Koi; so they don’t look pretty to me…
Wow! I feel like I’ve visited the Natgeo blog! Those pictures are fantastic! I think you even managed to capture the panic in the eyes of your koi! What a cute little fox! If you have a fake fur you might try hanging it on the pond wall! Something tells me he’ll be back. 🙂
Maybe and maybe not, but I hope you will be back!
I hope you’re able to provide protective cover for the koi. It’s likely the fox is just biding his time and plotting on how to score a dandy snack. Good story, Ronnie. Did you take these photos? I love the setting. Just beautiful.
Thank you Judy; I am very busy learning camera skills and moving images around the blog. Thanks for the comment about our yard; although we don’t have a huge piece of land it is well landscaped. And the pond adds a whole dimension.
Please be wrong about the fox returning for a koi snack…it’s terrible to contemplate. They swim around so trustingly and become quite tame when they see us standing nearby. My husband says they can easily be trained to take food right from your hand.
I still have a Burl Ives recording of that song! My girls LOVED it when little.
As for that fox, I’ve never seen a fox that fat! It’s obviously learned how to forage in town and get by way better than in the wild! Wow.
And sorry to say – I doubt it will forget those fish. They don’t call ’em foxy for nothing. He’ll likely try and try again 😦
I’d like to call upon the comic Stephen Wright’s saying, and wish the fox would heed the message: “If at first you don’t succeed remove all evidence that you ever tried.”
Awww. Ronnie, loved Foxy pictures and your story.. Love your garden/Backyard. too.. We have the odd Fox wander around here too.. but they are not so brave and use dark for cover.. But when it snows in winter we see their trails in the snow through our gardens…
Hope you are well.. and sorry It took so long to get here.. ~Sue
Good to hear from you, Sue. I know you’re busy with many worthwhile projects; good luck with them.
The fox must have got wind of your intended Memo. We have not seen him since your last sighting. Maybe we should play Harry Belafonte’s song outside and reinforce for the fox that our yard is “not the place to be”
Maybe not, but with Belefonte’s music in the air all sorts of strange people and critters might show up.
Glad the koi remain safe under your watch.
Thanks; they went to great trouble to get exit visas from Japan to come here, escape nuclear contamination or become meals for suburban foxes.
He looks like a sly guy, Ronnie, but my bets are on you for outfoxing that fox!
As a former Fox and still a foxy gal, you are the expert on the subject.
Ha! Then I’ll get to work!
How very rustic…a fox and a pond…loved your description of the foxy experience, Ronnie…a charming read!
Thanks, Mal. Are you bothered by foxes in Hawaii?