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In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl shares a new year’s tradition in which she treats the first bird she sees each year as an augur of things to come. I’d loved the premise the moment I read about it: birds as texts. Birds as signs. The natural world in general as a mirror, or model, for navigating life — which is to say for navigating change — with grace. I made a mental note to participate in the tradition at the dawn of 2025, but in the post-holiday, mid-head-cold haze, I forgot about it until I woke up in the middle of the night on January third to the sound of a vixen screech outside my window. Foxes. We have a family of them that I believe live in the dense thicket of trees and brush at the perimeter of our property, though we have neighbors who think they live elsewhere; they certainly make their way around. Or maybe there are multiple families of them that we confuse for one another. All I know is that we regularly see one trot straight up our driveway in his magnificent coat on his delicate feet from somewhere in our backyard in the early morning, and make a left hand turn into our neighbors’ yard, which has a hot tub, and so we joke that the fox is taking his morning dip. We see that fox (or maybe a member of that fox family) frequently enough that we’ve named him “Frederick,” and one of the Glamsquad hair stylists who often does my hair calls my house “the fox house,” because she’s crossed paths with Frederick (or his doppelganger) twice while visiting.
So maybe the fox is my avatar for the year. And what can I learn from them? The first observation that suggested itself: these foxes didn’t always live here; we’ve only noticed them regularly for the past year. My suspicion is that they found the food supply here plentiful and settled in for the long haul. In the spring, our neighborhood is absolutely overrun by cottontail rabbits, which I’ve learned are the preferred repast of the American red fox. So they are an opportunistic species, moving where they’ll be best-nurtured, or where their likelihood of success is high. And they are also resilient: they will adopt an omnivorous diet when they need to. Just this morning, two days after the midnight vixen call, my daughter called us from the front living room: “Frederick is outside, and there’s another fox with him!” We watched from our window. The littler one (bigger than a kit, but small? a female? the female that was screaming outside my window?) was chewing on the branch of the plantings that attract unbelievable numbers of pollinators in the warm months in the front of our yard. Maybe she was hungry, and the plant was breakfast.
I watched the fox and thought: this year, how might I put myself in places that are likely to nurture me? How might I let go of unnecessary patterns in order to prioritize my own well-being, my own likelihood of success?
What is the first bird or animal you crossed paths with this year? How can you read it as a symbol of, or herald for, 2025?
*Above photo is terrible — you can see my reflection in it! — and was taken in warmer months, but still. Frederick in action in our front yard!
Post Scripts.
+What we can learn from winter.
+Another time of “wintering,” or drawing inward: the early post partum days.
+The pinches of motherhood.
Shopping Break.
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+A great everyday cardigan for $128. Lots of colors available but of course I love the black and white stripe!
+I just recently learned that Rent the Runway has a fairly extensive resale section. You do not need to be a member / have a subscription to purchase from the resale section, and you can find insane deals on styles from seasons past, like this adorable BA&SH cardigan I just bought ($85, plus use code LOVE2HAVE for 15% off) or this Veronica Beard wool toggle jacket for $80. Note that these are pre-worn pieces, sort of like on The Real Real, but potentially with even fewer wears. I also think this might be a good spot to ferret out statement dresses you might only wear a handful of times. Love this Alemais dress for a winter getaway, and feels more reasonable at $225! They even have handbags from APC!
+Love this reversible sherpa vest from Sezane!
+I’ve been wearing this lip tint oil a lot the past week — I have it in the hope color and it is SO pretty. Hillary Kerr described it perfectly this week (and I agree with her enthusiastic review): “It’s not as intensely pigmented as the liquid blush, but it’s really buildable and the texture never feels sticky. It kind of melts into your lips, but the hydration part really lingers, in a stain-like way, but without the drying that normally comes with a stain.”
+Just noticed this sleek portable speaker is on sale. We have a different brand of portable speaker (WonderBoom) and use it ALL THE TIME but dare I say the Bose is slightly more aesthetically pleasing? (And given my obsession with Bose’s ultra open earbuds, I am inclined to trust the quality!) Just toss in your bag for the beach, for a picnic, when traveling (we always bring when we’ll be staying in an AirBnB!), when gardening, when dining al fresco, etc. They also have a micro size on sale that would be good for camping, hiking, times when you need to pack light.
+Speaking of camping/hiking, did I tell you that Mr. Magpie and I — completely without arrangement — individually bought one another two Helinox chairs for Christmas?! Now we have a complete set of four, one for each family member, so it turned out great. He bought two of the zeros (ultra lightweight) and I bought two of the ones (a little heavier but more comfortable and sturdy, based on reviews). We now keep them in the trunk of our car! I actually have a specific vision for these chairs. I’ve long wanted to hike the trail between Aspen and Crested Butte and the zeros are definitely lightweight enough to pack for the trek! Hoping to accomplish this in 2026.
+Speaking of trunks (ha), can I remind you that this Thule organizer is THE BEST THING? We still talk about how much we love it routinely, and we have had it for a full year! There are of course lots of cheaper organizers on the market but this one collapses flat and is somehow the perfect dimensions for literally whatever you need. It somehow holds everything snugly and securely. Specifically, great for groceries.
+I had always wanted to try these Tula eye balms and just got my hands on a stick of the power swipe. I have to say the applicator is very compelling. It’s not like it’s a huge lift to dab on eye cream but something about being able to apply it directly to your undereye with a quick swipe feels very easy. I also picked up this 24-7 moisture intense cream. You would not believe how many layers of moisturizer I have been applying daily, and I still feel like my skin drinks it up thirstily.
+Just a reminder that the Newa is still 20% off, and Emese Gormley has raved about it.
+Moon Boot-inspired snow boots for littles, under $50 — final few!
An homage to your year of the fox, courtesy of Wendell Berry! read until the end! XO
~
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion – put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
First, adding omens to our daily lives is so lovely and mystical, especially with nature. I must pick up a copy of that book, I’ve been working my way through Ed Yong’s latest on the animal world since I just bought it for my FIL.
Second, I thought instantly of Celia Lake’s Albion books (set in alternate Britain, magical, from the 1850s through 1950s). “Fox House” is one of the magical houses at Schola, and its scions are often ambitious and very politically minded, but also have all the soft skills of remembering others and making them feel noticed, weaving together personal goals and career aims, etc. It’s such a detailed series, and she has over a dozen extra novellas for free to her newsletter readers. Not only is she a favorite author, but her output is incredible. Four books this year and another four next year? And they’re proper meaty novels, and hold up to rereading, and the magic is secondary to the very human connections.
I’m going to suggest The Shoemaker’s Wife which is sort of a one-off, but it’s post WWI, they got married hastily during the war, and now it would be a marriage in trouble romance except they don’t have much practice being married, and the husband works hard to take on the mental load in the home and learn his wife before romancing her. There’s also a sinister plot afoot, and a magical theater. So good.
My entry into the series was Pastiche, which is a late Victorian marriage of convenience before they fall in big love for real. Celia Lake writes such incredible marriages, and because of how her stories progress and interweave, you’ll get to see the same couple over decades and generations. Richard and Alysoun are a central couple in the series, Richard is as close to a knight of the round table as you’ll find in his personal outlook, and Alysoun is ten kinds of brilliant. It’s a great depiction of fibromyalgia, and the ways in which how your partner handles chronic illness can distance or unite you. And there’s a fraud at a museum!
Excuse the babbling but they’re so underrated and excellent!
I loved this thread of thought, and the stirring descriptions, especially of the fox house and its scions. Vulpine is an interesting word – I think it typically has the connotation of craftiness, sneakiness, but there’s something gentler and more playful about it than straight up “conniving / evil / malicious.”
Thanks for chiming in!!
xx
Such an interesting idea to relate the new year to an animal. If I were to analyze your fox sighting, I would say it is a harbinger for a year of playfulness and fun. I live in Old Town and will occasionally see a fox running down the street and they always make me smile! So cheers to 2025!
I LOVE this reading, too! Here for the playfulness — in my writing, in my motherhood, in my social life!
xx
I love the Tula eye balms! I use the power swipe at night and the glow and get it in the morning. The application is so quick and easy. Why does dipping my finger into eye cream now seem so arduous?! Although, my husband walked into the bathroom one day and asked why I was putting chapstick on my eyes! Ha!
HA!! Yes, I know what you mean about the application — so winning. It’s not that different but it just feels so much simpler and less messy? I get it. This is how I feel about eye shadow. I find it so tedious to use a brush and powder. I just want something I can wipe on with my finger!
xx