Dark days

I feel like I'm in the middle of a dark tunnel headed towards the center of the Earth. It's a scary feeling.
Our days are so short at this time of year. No sooner does the sun get up and we go about our day, but then it's mid-afternoon with the light fading towards darkness once again.
Some days I don't feel like I've accomplished a thing, but then maybe it's not about accomplishing.

Live life in the moment

.... is what we're taught. But what if you don't like the moment? What if the moment is dark and you'd rather be on a sunny, warm beach?

Some people don't mind this dark time of year. For them, it's January and February, the two coldest months that are hard to take.

For me, January and February are cold, but the days gradually become longer and longer. Sunshine pours through our windows and my plants put on a growing spurt. It's as if they are waking up and preparing for spring.

Once we turn that corner on December 21st, where our days lengthen and the nights become shorter, I start to feel better. I can see light at the end of my dark tunnel.
Darkness is retreating, the busy-ness of Christmas is past and January brings a new year, new hope and a promise of the coming Spring.

Hubby also is feeling the dampness in his bones. He doesn't go out at all. He sleeps more than usual. It's like he's in hibernation mode.

I've hung a birdfeeder on the clothesline in our backyard, just outside the kitchen window. I had nailed the cage-like suet feeder to the big old oak tree (which I've named Grandfather Oak) but the squirrels attacked it, digging out the peanuts and seeds with their sharp paws.

I wondered where I could possibly hang it out of the squirrels' reach.
Ah ha - the clothesline! Surely a clothesline would be too thin for them to walk along. I'd hang it right in the center.

First we got some chickadees, woodpeckers and even a few blue jays. The jays looked so big trying to hang on to the feeder and peck away at the goodies inside.

After a while the inevitable happened - the squirrels found it. They scurried up and down Grandfather Oak trying to figure out how to traverse the clothesline.
Then they sat on the ground directly beneath the feeder. Rising up on their hind legs they sniffed the air trying to figure out whether or not they could jump up to it. Now maybe a flying squirrel could do that, but not these plump, solid critters.

They tried jumping from the hedge and fell short. Then, one brave squirrel hopped on the pulley from the tree. Venturing out, it twisted and turned the clothesline in its little paws in an attempt scramble to the feeder.

Annoyed, I thumped loudly on the kitchen window. The little critter lost his balance and fell to the ground. Boy, did we laugh! Not that it stopped him, of course. He tried again and again, only to be "thumped at" until he fell off.

We did have some enjoyable moments watching the squirrels' antics; so living in the moment can be fun, making one forget those dark problems for a little while.