A fox and a coyote were walking down the road.

Tell me that doesn’t sound like the opening line of a joke !

What might the next line be ?

The fox says to the coyote, “So, are you gonna be howling tonight ?”

I can only wish that I had been on the Writer’s Perch this afternoon when it happened. Nevertheless, my seat wasn’t bad ; looking through the French Doors, down onto the lane as two coyotes sauntered leisurely by. They were in no particular hurry, even though in broad daylight . Coyotes, as you know, quite prefer the darkness of night.

The scene, though, was evocative of a cartoon. It is not unusual to see two walkers, human that is , on the road engrossed in conversation . I just couldn’t help but assign animal conversation to the screenplay.

In lockstep, the coyotes , also, looked as though they could have been in a meaningful chat. What could they have been saying ?

“Nah . I think I’ll pass tonight. When you’ve been around as long as I have, ya come to realize this howlin’ only gets ya so far.”

The plot thickens. Just as the coyotes divert off the lane and into the woods, a single fox walks up the lane in the same direction as the coyotes. I say single, meaning only that there was one, not that the fox was unbetrothed.

What on Earth could be going on here ? At this juncture our dog, Echo, had scented the activity and assumed a crouched position mid-way down the driveway leading to the lane.

I told her, be careful. Those two coyotes could kick her ass ! The fox, in the meantime, seemed a lover, not a fighter. He continued his jaunt.

I wondered, was some sort of confluence in the offing ? A convention of sorts somewhere up the lane ? They are all canines , you know. I love to remind people of that when they insist that their dog must sleep in their bedroom or it will expire . ButI digress.

It then occurred to me. Perhaps I’d been sequestered too long ! Was I lockdown loco ? Or, just too many episodes of Wild Kingdom ? Do coyotes get Corona?

I digress further !