Safe Haven

Finally, the story of the grey fox gets to be told.

As with all stories, a bit of folklore and mystery gets wrapped around the retelling.

Remember, I was raised on a small farm, where a small mountain top, rolls into forestland, which rolls into meadows, and finally the farm. I adore all things wild, roaming and free. I have been on a fox kick for a couple years now. In February of 2015, I blogged about an uncanny experience that I had while hooking my first fox pattern Cozy Fox, visit my blog post HERE to reread.

This grey fox pattern, Safe Haven, is an indirect result of that Blog Post. A dear friend of mine, who has lived out in the country for over 20 years, had a mystical encounter after reading my blog about the fox. She was traveling home, after in-town errands, in the late afternoon. She saw a pair of eyes bounce off her headlight beams. It was still late winter, so the sun was low in the sky, that time of year when dusk comes too early. As her car approached the animal that had been in the middle of the road, skirted off to the side. It had an elongated body shape and a big bushy tail. It's silhouette suggested fox, and then it did something unexpected. It climbed up into a nearby tree to hide. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her! Isn't that crazy! Who knew foxes could climb trees? Apparently, grey foxes can!

It's true, they can! Grey Foxes, are a carnivorous mammal in the Canidae family, and the only American canid that has the ability to climb trees. At one online site, I read that they can climb branchless, vertical trunks to heights of 18 meters! They sometimes make their dens up in the tree canopy, within old snags, or on the ground in areas of heavy brush and undergrowth.

So I suppose you are still waiting for the punchline. Well, it isn't really all that exciting. I just thought it was so fascinating that in all the years that she had lived in the country, she had never seen a grey fox until after reading about my fox experiences, and now she had her own fox story to tell.

For me, it is a true blessing to be able to interpret my experiences through my art. When my friend told me of her grey fox encounter, I immediately imagined some version of this rug, Safe Haven. I wanted the background to be dark, to make it feel cozy and safe. The rug measures approx. 19"x 23". The narrow border has simple scrolls that are suppose to suggest ferns and the way the tips unfurl in early spring. A wreath of brambles and wildflowers protectively wrap around his hiding place.

I like that this fox looks content and peaceful. He doesn't have to worry about being secretive or scrambling up into a tree for safety. Rather, within his den he's found his own little piece of paradise, his Safe Haven.

Please visit my ETSY shop to see this pattern and other hooking related items.