What a day it is. The outdoor thermometer is reading 14 degrees right now, there is a howling wind blowing, and a snow shower is falling. All the really smart creatures have gone into hibernation and are exploring a state of suspended animation, a state of very low arousal, low activity, and low metabolism. They will stay there until a spring thaw occurs. I just spent better than a half hour in my recliner exploring just such a state of suspended animation. The body becomes still, all efforts cease, and the struggles of life and limb melt away for a blessed hour or so. Jan has also mastered the art of suspended animation and right now this is what she is doing (or maybe, more accurately expressed as, not doing).
Cats can do this for the better part of a day and bears for a whole season. We poor humans sometimes never know the benefits of hibernation, of suspended animation. It is as natural a state to be in as being up and doing yet some of us believe it is not allowed, perhaps sinful, just a waste of time. The wise among us know better. Animals know; many of us have forgotten. Allan