We have a family of foxes roaming around the back acreage. They seem to be living in the partially filled in basement where the next door neighbor's house burned down a couple of years ago. It would make a perfect fox burrow, and probably won't collapse on them when it gets wet like the last few weeks here.
Momma fox is looking a little scroungy, with scruffy fur and a trifle skinny. She has five kits that are so cute! My brother thinks she must be weaning them. Mice and other things that foxes regularily eat (I hope chihuahua is not one of their favorite meals) are in short supply right now due to the extremely wet weather conditions. Perhaps wrongly, but out of the desire that the young foxes get stronger and able to hunt on their own soon, we have been putting out high protein puppy food to supplement their momma's foraging abilities. These are red foxes, and are very pretty against the green grass. We also have grey foxes that live here, they seem to be slightly larger than the red foxes but since you can't get very close that is just a guess.
I saw Dr. Skinner the dermatologist today. He looked at my brown spots, and kept asking are you worried about skin cancer? Can you show me which one you are worried about?? I guess he didn't get the memo that I'm not worried about skin cancer. He insisted that my immunologist Dr. Calm sent me to him for an entirely different reason, and just mostly seemed to be intent on physically inspecting my skin rather than taking any sort of detailed history. I guess if your history does not include skin cancer you are on the OK list with Dr. Skinner. He prescribed some sort of steroid cream for the lesions I have been getting in addition to my hives. He seemed to think they just were hives I scratched and would not admit it.
Dr. Skinner seemed like a nice young man, but in the very short time I saw him he managed to create an unfavorable first impression. Number one, he didn't listen to me. Number two, he didn't read any of his referral paperwork from my immunologist. Number three, he assumed I was worried about something I was NOT worried about. Number four, he acted as if I was lying about scratching my hives verses the lesions I came to see him about. Number five, he charged for a 30 minute initial patient visit when he only took 15 minutes. Number six, he seemed disappointed when I said the discoloration on my skin from the hives did not bother me - I suspect it was a billing opportunity missed for skin laser treatments. I guess I should be happy I don't have skin cancer - thank heaven for small favors!!!
Maybe after I use his wonder steroid cream and all my bumps disappear I will think more highly of Dr. Skinner. Maybe after I have a recurrance of the sore places I went to see him about and he biopsies them I will be happier about Dr. Skinner. Maybe next year when I come back to be visually inspected again I will be more favorably inclined. I doubt it. Big Sigh. Yodel lay he he.....heeee.
