Sciurus vulgaris...

I was reading this article in the NYTimes today, and for the umpteenth time was struck by how little we know of the world outside of us until we are exposed to it.

I grew up with red squirrels. They were ubiquitous, as squirrels are wont to be, and never warranted a second thought. They also changed colours with the seasons, as bunnies in Russia do as well - red in the summer, mostly grey in the winter (the bunnies go from grey or russett to white, in case you are wondering.) If you ask a Russian kid to draw a squirrel, you will get a blazing orange critter with tufts on its ears. They have a long coat and a glorious tail.

Because they don't usually molt until October or November sometime, when there is already snow on the ground, the most striking vision of a squirrel from my childhood is an orange red squirrel in the bright white snow stealing bright red mountain ash berries.



It never occurred to me that squirrels could be grey all the time, have short fur, or not have any tufts. If you are in the US right now, ask yourself - what do you think of when you think of a squirrel?

And then ask yourself - what would you never see and know for yourself if you did not experience it in another town/ another country/ another continent...

Mihi cordis gravitas res videtur gravis...

Amor volat undique,
captus est libidine.
Iuvenes, iuvencule
coniunguntur merito.

Siqua sine socio,
caret omni gaudio;
tenet noctis infima
sub intimo
cordis in custodia:

fit res amarissima.

My love...you know that you are my best friend...

The funny post of the day:

I've been drinking juice spritzers that taste totes like the soda one could get out of these public soda machines in Russia in the 1980s:



You took a real glass, flipped it upside down on a little fountain thingy, and it washed it like a miniature dishwasher. Then you put it under the spout, dropped in 5 kopecs (I suppose the current equivalent would be 5c) and pushed the soda button. Every machine had three buttons, but usually only two options were functional - seltzer or soda, and the flavours depended on whatever they loaded the machine with that day - usually something citrusy. Easy and good for the environment.

The sad post of the day: forgive the convoluted language. It's a nostalgic kind of day, and this from a very nostalgic poet - Bulat Okudjava.

This connection of hearts -
It is an ancient mechanism.
It seems that the end is quite near…
But in one moment – a thaw is here.

It seems the time has come –
A break is nearly imminent.
But everything that exists in the morning
Can turn around by the time evening comes.

This connection of hearts –
It is an ancient mechanism.
- But what if the end has truly come?
- What bloody thaw can we talk about?

And if the time has come indeed,
All contrivances are useless.
- What has been, is no longer relevant
- And the two of us, even apart, are still beautiful

And in the moments - sweet and sorrowful -
All the words from books of note,
And all the teachings of those who “only want the best”
Have lost their importance.

And only the two of us can understand
The sources of our joy and torture.
And we stand by this, we live by this,
And draw our solace from separation.