Drey

You may have noticed roughly-built round messes of leaves high up in the leafless trees of winter. These are squirrel nests. A squirrel nest like these is called a "drey," a word that fascinates me in its shortness. When the weather is bad or extra cold, the squirrels retreat to their homes in these nests. They look poorly constructed but they do the job for the squirrels when it is needed. There's a lot of squirrels in my neighborhood, so I see a lot of dreys.

I like thinking about squirrels on short term hibernation. It must be cozy inside the nest, which
is lined with soft materials. A roof of discarded leaves keeps most of the rain out. For most of January I've been imitating my bushy little neighbors. And the squirrels don't have to go to Trader Joe's; their frozen dinners are already available buried in the ground.

Marker ink and colored pencil on sketchbook page, 4" x 5", January 23, 2019.