Sunset, Thursday, 14 May 2009

Stony Point, Albemarle County, Va. Oil on paper, 16 x 20.A soft muted evening, still in the 70s, the sky thinking about gathering up some rain. A skinny beautifully orange fox had come halfway through the yard when I stepped outside – it immediately turned and long-tailed it back into the fields. Pi, our youngest and smallest cat, was sitting on the outside bench, 15 yards from where the fox had been, an animated balloon above her head displaying a big bold exclamation point and, I thought, a question mark to go with it. Luckily, Stokey, 17 years old, was inside and not on hand to battle for his turf – as he did three years ago in an epic struggle that I witnessed and will eventually have to tell you about in all its remarkable detail. Upstairs, our pound-rescued foxhound peacefully slumbered.