Winter Solstice Time

This post is going to be a bit of a long one, so better get cozy. Maybe make a cup of tea or your favorite hot beverage. I am going to include my Instagram post from the solstice as well because I feel like it will have better readability here.

December 20, 2025

Clear and cold. The ice pellets that melted have refrozen into little patches on the deck. Weak sunlight invites the cats outside but they don’t stay long. A squirrel, fluffy tail in tow, visits the neighbor’s bird feeder. My Dad always considered these rodents to be nothing but a nuisance (probably because they chewed on his bird feeders), but I have always liked them. They are cute with their little hands and their lovely fur coats. I even dressed up as a squirrel one Halloween. Although, I’m not sure people recognized what my costume was supposed to be…lol.

Two of the most commonly seen squirrel species here in Southern Ohio are the Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)¹ and the Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)². Apparently, we also have Southern Flying Squirrels but they are nocturnal and I am sad to say that I have never encountered one. Grey Squirrels, as you might expect, have grey colored fur, sometimes with bits of brown, and white undersides. Where as Fox Squirrels tend to be larger and have tawny or yellowish-brown undersides.

Fun Facts About Squirrels

1. Shadow-Tail: The genus name “Sciurus” is actually a borrowed word from Ancient Greek that translates to “shadow-tail”, obviously referring to their large bushy tails.
2. Super Jumpers: Squirrels have powerful hind legs that allow them to jump up to 10 feet horizontally or about 5 feet vertically.
3. Ever-growing Teeth: Like many other rodents (such as hamsters and rats), squirrels are elodonts. This means that they have an adaptation allowing their adult teeth to continue to grow throughout their lifetime.
4. Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed: A squirrel’s tail has many uses, including balance, communication, and protection from the elements.
5. Omnivores: While squirrels are well known for eating nuts and acorns (and copious amounts of bird seed), they will also consume insects, berries, bird eggs, and other small animals.
6. Doggy Paddle: While squirrels prefer to avoid large bodies of water, they are actually strong swimmers and if they have to take a dip, use their tail as a rudder to help steer.
7. Winterized: Squirrels remain active during the winter months and maintain a constant body temperature. While they may sleep more (who doesn’t sleep more in winter?), they do not hibernate.
8. Memory Cache: Grey Squirrels are “scatter hoarders”, this means they bury thousands of individual nuts across their entire territory, rather than having a central larder (like their cousins the Red Squirrel).³

The Winter Solstice

The winter solstice marks the beginning of winter and the longest night of the year. At this point, the Earth’s axis is tilted farthest away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, causing the sun to appear at its lowest point in the sky.⁴ Yet the solstice also heralds the return of the light. For thousands of years, cultures around the world have marked this moment with celebrations centered on welcoming back the sun. It is often seen as a time of rebirth and renewal, carrying with it the quiet promise of the coming spring.

This is a significant moment in the seasonal calendar, though it is often overshadowed by Christmas and New Year’s. If we think of winter as the year’s “night,” then, according to nature, this is a time for rest, recuperation, introspection, preparation, and planning. Of course, this looks different for everyone—just as each part of the natural world responds to winter in its own way. Some creatures hibernate, others migrate, while still others hunker down and begin designing next season’s vegetable gardens (personally, I’ve begun to resemble a Christmas goose!).

Regardless of how you choose to move through this time, consider the gentle idea that newly planted thoughts tend to grow slowly. Trust that the seeds sown now will sprout in their own time. Above all else, remember to allow yourself moments of calm amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

December 22, 2025

Another cold morning. A squirrel, probably the same one, is hanging off the neighbor’s bird feeder…again. This has become a daily habit, as I have seen one there every day for the past few days. Some chickadees also come to grab a snack and then quickly depart.

The sun is hidden behind light cloud cover. It seems like more rain is coming our way. I wish it was going to be colder, then we’d have a really good chance at a white Christmas. Alas, it’s supposed to warm up considerably after today, with daytime highs in the mid-50’s. The warmer air bringing along with it a decent amount of wet weather.

In other news, I’ve decided to try making a garland out of dried orange slices for the first time (small, mandarin oranges – not ideal, but it’s what we’ve got). Our decorations are pretty minimal. We avoided using any glass ornaments this year because we weren’t sure how the cats would react. Fortunately, they have left it alone after the initial setup. However, the tree could use another pop of color. If this doesn’t work out, I have some wired ribbon I can try. In the future, I would like to acquire more felted ornaments. Do you have any recommendations for cat safe tree decorations?

1. Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_gray_squirrel
   Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources – https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/mammals/eastern-gray-squirrel ↩︎
2. Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_squirrel
   Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources – https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/mammals/eastern-fox-squirrel ↩︎
3. National Wildlife Federation – https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2008/Science-Sleuths-How-Squirrels-Hide-Nuts ↩︎
4. Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice
   Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice ↩︎