My "Moment of Zen"

Jason has really wanted to go fishing at this state park nearby and I finally agreed to go tonight. It had been raining so everything was damp and humid. It was beautiful. The river's water was so dark that you couldn't see a thing. They say it is the color of "cola". But it was thick and smooth and looked just like a mirror. I saw lots of wildlife, but enjoyed this moment in particular:

As I was waiting for Jason, I was sitting close to a pine tree. I kept hearing something dropping from the tree and looked up. Some white things were falling from about 20 feet over head. Just as I got up to inspect what they were, a pinecone came tumbling towards me. It was not just any pinecone, it was naked, it had been gnawed down to its core. There was a white squirrel that was eating the pinecone bit by bit. With each bite a piece of the cone was discarded until there was nothing left and the squirrel dropped the entire thing. Kinda like the way we eat corn on the cob. He must've had 2 or 3 while I was standing there! He was a hungry little guy.

Also, as I was watching the squirrel, I turned and saw a deer grazing. I guess she thought that we weren't threatening, because she watched us a bit before she continued to eat the grass. I feel very fortunate to have a place like this close by. The evening was very relaxing...except for the pine cone that almost hit my head.

Pinecone Before...Pinecone After

Here's a picture of the little critter.