Katrina’s carving of Squirrel offers him a HUGE Acorn!
Squirrel embodies the qualities of Resourcefulness, Preparation, and Playfulness.
If you have ever had a bird feeder, you have surely observed the resourcefulness of the Squirrel! It is absolutely fascinating to watch their leaps and stretches and upside down maneuvers in the daily hunt for tasty treats! So this aspect of the Squirrel Totem, encourages us to tap into our innate resourcefulness, to be creative in problem-solving, and to see opportunities where others might see limitations.
These busy little tree rodents epitomize Preparation with their constant burying of acorns and nuts for the winter months. Let the message here be, plan ahead to prepare for the future, and mindful actions will create desired consequences.
Squirrel expresses Playfulness. Have you ever seen a dog chase the squirrel up a tree, leap through the branches to another tree, turn around and gleefully watch as the dog continues to sit barking under the first tree? (Bless her heart, Steffi was a beautiful dachshund!) Coop also has a story from when he was a young man and raising chickens. Living in the Texas Piney Woods, they would throw out chicken feed daily. The squirrel family would break into separate groups, each up a different tree. The first group would go to the ground and start eating…the dogs would run barking, squirrels scurry back up…as group one goes up…group 2 goes down and eats until the dogs notice them…repeat. I wonder as he tells the story, if the chickens enjoyed the show with their dinner! The spiritual medicine of the squirrel urges us to release ourselves from the constraints of routine, to seek joy in the simple pleasures that surround us, and to savor the beauty of life's whimsical adventures.
Watch Squirrel and find joy in life’s little things. Let them guide you to the Magic within the Mundane, see the wonder of life and express your gratitude for life’s blessings…Just like this Squirrel carving…Look at the size of the Acorn I just found!
THE CARVING:
Our carvings are single pieces of western red cedar, designed and carved to be wall hangings. Each carving begins as a 1 X 12-inch cedar board. While we use power tools (Scroll Saw, Rotary shaft Tool, handheld detail sanders, etc.), we use no lasers, CNC machines or computer-operated cutting machines. All work is done with our hands and eyes…
We cut the 2-dimensional blanks with scroll and jig saws (double-sized custom orders have to be cut with a jigsaw). Carving is done with rotary shaft tools and disc grinders. The 80-grit sanding is the final phase of the carving process, removing the nicks and gouges from the carving tools, and finishes the shaping of the weave. The next 2 sandings with 120 and then 220 grit finishes the smoothing and polishing. They are finished with Clear Danish Oil to seal the piece, bringing out the grain and the color.
