First day of the new year

Although I appreciate traditions that others follow, find them interesting to learn about, see value in them, personally I am not a tradition person and have very few I absolutely follow... as in almost none. I am more of a if-it-feels-right-today-it-might-not-tomorrow kind of person. There are a few exceptions but none written in stone.


With New Year's Day, I like to do something that I hope will be part of the coming year. That doesn't have to be a big thing. It also doesn't involve a traditional food but might be anything with anybody.


Mostly in recent years my tradition for New Year's Day has meant one of two things-- go to the ocean and walk on a stormy beach or take a walk in the woods. This year it was the take a walk up the hill behind our farm as part of not only a desire to be outside, take some photos, but also part of my goal to be more faithful this year in walking which is healthy for emotions and physical being.


These photos are from that day on what amounts to a two mile walk-- one up hill and one down (down is more fun). It was icy as you can tell from snow on the hills and this little bird I saw huddled in one of the bushes. It had fluffed its feathers out to make it round as a ball with only a small head peeking out.


There was one other thing on New Year's Day. It is something that has been happening since the fall when we began to see bushy tailed gray squirrels visiting our bird feeders. We regularly put out birdseed during the winter months and enjoy seeing many types of birds, happy they have a place for food when it might be hard to find in the woods and fields. That, of course, also means we have squirrels coming for the same thing.


Earlier I had watched as the squirrels, after getting their cheeks stuffed, would run off, cross the creek on a fallen log, and head to a home in a big tree there apparently to store their harvest-- or rather ours. Then came some high water, more current in the stream, and that log was washed away which meant any on this side, when it happened, had to find a new stash and home. Possibly a few squirrels were on that side to benefit from the natural disaster that changed their lives.


So I have a some sympathy for these little guys and enjoy watching their agility, which can be impressive, as they reach the feeders past many obstacles. For now there are just two of them, but I do remind myself that when they reproduce (if they are male and female), this will be a bit more of a problem. I'll worry about that when it is.