By a change in the wind
We must choose our trajectory for the future
“Vulpes” is not the most imaginative name for a fox — “Vulpes vulpes” being the Latin species and genus terms for a red fox.
At Fox-a-Lago, the field near Washington Park where my friend and I observe the progeny of the matriarch Red, the furry residents adopt more colorful names: Blondie, Swiper, Sally (Forth), Sassy, Thumbelina, Tall Dark Stranger, Scruffy Milton.
But I give author Jean Craighead George credit for making a fox the main character of a children’s book — “Vulpes the Red Fox” (Fox the Fox Fox) — in 1948. It was then that she, in collaboration with her brother, John George, brought to life a feisty little spitfire (pictured above) who thrived in the wild while running circles around farmers and hunters. Serendipity led me to the paperback a few years ago in a second-hand shop.
I also give her credit for writing a thrilling and vivid story; while there’s a certain degree of anthropomorphic imagination to the narrative, George’s description of a fox’s lifestyle are impressively accurate.
My only real complaint comes at the end, when Vulpes’ nemesis, hunter Buck Queen, catches up with the intrepid canid:
“Buck raised his gun and trained it on the flying red form,” George writes. “The sharp report echoed through the hollows and faded away in the valleys.”
“Buck never missed.”
“The hunt was done.”
As I read that final line, I thought, no. No. That’s not how this story is going to end.
So I did this:
In case the writing’s not legible, I scratched out that final line and replaced it with:
“But he [missed] this time. Vulpes had anticipated Buck’s action and halted at the last instant. Before Buck could reload, Vulpes was gone.”
This brilliant, lively fox deserved far better and I knew it. He deserved a sequel, a series. Maybe life is fixed in fact, but, copyright law notwithstanding, fiction sure as hell isn’t.
Stories are always subject to reinterpretation and revision. The Brothers Grimm famously sanitized, for childhood consumption, more gruesome versions of their tales of evil stepmothers and siblings lost in the woods. “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Jon Scieszka taught us that the wolf wasn’t evil; he just had a cold. The whole “Wicked” franchise — play, novels, movies — elaborated on the backstory of Elphaba, who never deserved to be burdened with the moniker “Wicked Witch of the West.”
Of course, real life is different; we can’t change the facts.
But when we’re dissatisfied, when we realize we’re on the wrong course, we can change our lives’ trajectories. We can rid ourselves of harmful influences and adopt more beneficial habits and mindsets. We can acquire more caring companions. We can vote. Living more authentically often leads to an increase in the sense of freedom and satisfaction.
Or we can lie.
Hearing him speak, it’s easy to conclude that President and convicted felon Donald Trump is an idiot. But we underestimate this schemer to our peril. He’s somehow mastered an important element of storytelling to convince a significant portion of the country that there’s some validity to his many lies — or that they don’t matter.
And for all his vast moral flaws, I sincerely give Trump credit for this: He’s no quitter; he’ll go to any length to achieve his goals, Constitution be damned.
Most presidents in the modern era have lost a significant amount of support in midterm elections; President Barack Obama knew it was coming in 2010 and graciously accepted the outcome of his party’s losses, which he described as a “shellacking.”
Expecting a worse shellacking in 2026, Trump is working overtime, obsessively, to change the outcome.
But rather than make any honest effort to win his party more votes by improving the lives of American citizens — I’ve seen no $1.99-a-gallon gas on my way to spend hundreds at the grocery store — he’s resorting to his standard tactics: Cheat and lie.
He’s openly ordered red states to gerrymander their maps; tried to reduce the voting population by aggressively and threateningly pushing the SAVE Act; he claims voter fraud (and other kinds of fraud); raises fears of immigrants, Black people and women; and pulls Hillary Clinton out of relative obscurity while his Department of Justice covers up his close friendship with late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
All in all, it seems like it would be easier to just increase the minimum wage and strengthen the Affordable Care Act.
Fortunately, many more Americans are also ready to change the trajectory. We’ve had enough of his failed leadership, which has increased prices, stolen from the poor to give to the rich, and weakened the nation on the world stage.
We’ve had enough of his vision of America as the baddest bastard in the valley, who can take whatever he wants with no concern for human rights or national sovereignty.
We’ve had enough of incompetent and corrupt public officials, like Attorney General Pam Bondi, who shouts that “no one is above the law” while her boss pardons fraudsters and violent insurrectionists — and while hiding 50 pages worth of FBI interviews claiming that Trump raped a minor.
And we’ve had enough of his attempts to subvert the First Amendment and silence the voice of the people.
As I write, early voting numbers outpace those of previous years, especially among Democrats, in North Carolina and across the country. Voter enthusiasm for Democratic candidates is high, in contrast to Republican lows.
“I’m not voting for the republicans in 2026,” says an anonymous poster on the app formerly known as Twitter, “and I’m not voting for JD Vance in 2028. I’ve seen enough. I’ve heard enough lies. The Trump circus is over. We’re done. I’m out.” It’s a position that’s been voiced by many others across the social media spectrum who seem ready to change their trajectory. They all carry an element of verisimilitude.
According to recent polling, a significant number of former supporters are now reluctant to admit they voted for him. In fact, some now claim they voted for Kamala Harris in 2024. Who can blame them?
Between now and November, Trump is likely to try every trick in the book while inventing some new ones. But his opposition, including legal agencies, human rights organizations, Democratic organizers and significant numbers of Republicans who have had enough, are standing against him. We’re ready, wary as foxes.
I feel optimistic. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” The trajectory is with us. We can write our own destiny.
…..
Overflow:
If you’re free at 2:30 p.m. today (Sunday, March 1) come hear my conversation with Mir Yarfitz, Democratic candidate for U.S. House, District 10, at his campaign headquarters, 1204 Reynolda Blvd., near Coffee Park Airstream. This is not an endorsement, but it’s not not an endorsement.
Come on by! We can to go Tommy’s new clubhouse afterward.
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Here’s a photo of the full cover of “Vulpes,” along with Jean Craighead George’s more popular YA novel, “My Side of the Mountain,” which I first saw in the form of a Disney film. It’s the story of a young boy who runs away from the city to spend a year in the wilderness. It’s a little “golly gee whiz,” but a favorite and a classic.
I recently remembered elements of a story — thanks to those who tried to help me identify it, but I just couldn’t remember enough — that goes something like this: A princess, the youngest of three sisters, follows the two elder, now deceased, down the wooded path that will lead to her sacrifice, in hopes of saving the kingdom from disaster. But on the way, crying over her fate, she realizes that she doesn’t have to complete this journey — certainly not to fulfill the demands of a story.
She takes a different path, leading far away into an unknown but certainly more prosperous future. The End.
The story resonates with me and maybe with you, too. We’ve not wound up where we expected; we took the unknown path and, as the poet said, it’s made all the difference.
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Weekend Update! On Thursday, Heather Cox Richardson wrote about a WaPo story warning about Trump possibly signing an executive order allowing him to interfere with the 2026 elections.
On Friday, Amanda’s Mild Takes cleared up the matter:
Late last week, the official White House TikTok account posted an AI video of U.S. hockey star Brady Tkachuk calling Canadians “maple syrup eating f***s.”
Tkachuk responded: “It’s not my voice. It’s not what I was saying. I would never say that. That’s not who I am.”
No, that’s who Trump is.
The racist “ape” meme he posted the previous week represents who Trump is.
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/06/nx-s1-5704281/trump-posts-racist-meme-of-the-obamas-then-deletes-it
Every American should understand how disgusting and unqualifying it is for a president to behave this way.
He hit a little closer to home during last week’s State of the Union address, when he implied that the murder of Charlotte resident and Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was committed by an immigrant, rather than a U.S. citizen, born and bred.
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article314830300.html
Thanks to the reporter who caught the DOJ hiding FBI reports:
I’ve had enough of “America first,” as if Americans have some special standing, some superiority that no one else possesses. How about “people first”?
Former Trump voters are now ashamed of their vote:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-voters-embarrassed-deny-voting-174610158.html
There was a time when presidents accepted reality:
https://www.npr.org/2010/11/03/131046118/obama-humbled-by-election-shellacking
Once again, no, there is no immigrant voting problem:
Trump has floated the idea of sending U.S. troops to polling stations to “prevent cheating.” The real threat to Trump would be the lack of cheating.
We’re winning:
Back in the fall, after observing Red’s offspring on a daily basis for five years, my friend and I decided to end our Fox-a-Lago visits for now. We wanted to quit before it grew stale or felt like an obligation. We also had many other projects calling.
But it was magical to spend that time with Red’s family and our love for foxes remains strong.
Many of the stories in my first book, “Stardust and Scar Tissue,” are about that family. It’s available from Bookmarks, Book Ferret, The Eclectible Shop and from the publisher, Press 53. My newer book, “Tiny Sliver of a Moon” is available from Bookmarks, Book Ferret, and The Eclectible Shop. And the trunk of my car.
Come join us on the Green Street pedestrian bridge! It’s the funnest protest in town.
Monday, 4 to 5:30 pm
Thursday, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Saturday, 10 am to noon
This beautiful version of a classic is dedicated to everyone who feels betrayed by Trump:
Thanks for being here today. If you know anyone who should be with us, send them this way.