It was a fox.

This has been a hard week. Each day has provided its own challenges. Why does everything have to be a battle?

Each morning this week, I have opened my eyes and wondered when the week would end.

And today was finally Friday.

Face to face with DH, I gave him the options, "You gonna run today or walk with us?"

"Walk" he croaked. And we prepared ourselves. Pockets loaded with dog equipment, mugs filled with fresh coffee, and attitude properly adjusted, I called out to DH "Release the Kracken*"

Scruff came running into the kitchen, performed his yoga move (I still laugh when I am reminded that downward facing dog really was named for a downward facing dog.), and greeted me. He saw the leash and knew we would be heading to the park. We retrieved Paddy from the yard (she hates the crate and sleeps outside).

It was a humid morning and we hurried. The sooner we got this day started, the sooner we could get it over.

We didn't plan a pretty walk. We didn't necessarily have any plan, but we made it to the park and swiped the last two bags from the hunde toilette, talking loudly to each other and the pups. We weren't thinking about wildlife until we looked up and were surprised to see, spotlighted by the streetlight, a young doe. She, in turn, had stopped to stare at us. I am sure we were a noisy sight.

As soon as we hushed, awed to see a deer so close to us and so far from the cover of the high grass or brushy woods, she turned and bounded towards the edge of the woods.

We continued on our way as time would not allow us to seek the rest of the herd or dawdle along our way. Moving towards the pavilion and its water fountain, we saw a small cat-like creature cross the road ahead of us. It was almost entirely in shadow so we had to determine its identity from its size and shape. I must have driven DH mad. "It's a cat...a fox...a cat...a fox" I decided and then puzzled, unsure of my identification. Finally we agreed that it was a fox. We had wondered if there was still a skulk (OK. I looked it up in the Oxford Dictionary. DH said it should be a "skulk of lawyers" and a "cleverness of foxes." Oh well.) in the park. Apparently the foxes are still there.

More than rewarded by our morning efforts, we headed home.

* Clash of the Titans