Art, with Squirrel

If you look closely at this photo of part of the art installation Radiant Light at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens, you will see a Western Gray Squirrel perched on the artfully draped textile.  Aw, how cute! you might say.  Until you take a closer look and see exactly what this little rascal is doing:

Yep, he (she?) is chewing up the graceful willow's scarf!  I can only assume that he wanted the fabric as nesting material.  Still, one has to wonder: does the squirrel and his antics add to the art or deface it?  Is this static art display now performance art?

Today was the first day WITHOUT RAIN in almost a week.  The sun made a brief appearance in the morning, then hid behind the clouds most of the afternoon but at least they were light grey clouds instead of dark rain clouds.  It was wonderful to get outside and interact with the world again, and even more wonderful to be at a botanic garden rather than a crowded shopping mall!

Tomorrow will be busy, getting ready for Christmas Eve tea; Saturday will be busy with gift exchanging and a tamale dinner; Sunday will be spent at Santa Anita Park for Opening Day.  Today was all about a pause in the frantic pre-holiday swirl, a moment to commune with nature.  And watch a squirrel vandalize art.

The Longest Night of the Year

It has been quite a while since I last posted.  I will take the coward's way out and blame work.  That doesn't explain the past six days, when I've been off for Winter Break, but for that I'll blame the weather.  It has been raining since Saturday and we have at least one more day of rain in the foreseeable future.  It does rain here in California but usually not for days and days at a time.  The sun has become a distant memory and all I seem to want to do is sleep and read.

I need to finish up my Christmas shopping, and wrap gifts, and buy food for Christmas Eve tea and Christmas Day lunch, and get some more candy canes, and meet my friend Sarah for lunch and ... whew!  That's a lot to do in three days, and tomorrow is supposed to be rainy as well, which really gives me two days.  No wonder I feel tired, it's anticipation! :)

Today is the first day of winter (actually the first evening of winter, as the solstice occurred at 3:38 pm this afternoon).  I had meant to do something special to celebrate the solstice but with the rain coming down I don't want to go outside.  I take great comfort in the rhythmic cycles of the natural year, especially when our contemporary holidays and celebrations coincide.  In our urban and suburban lives, we are too often divorced from the natural world, and taking a moment now and then to honor the rhythm of the year is both grounding and uplifting.