Sit Spot, Day 29

Afternoon sit.

Drizzly day. Low clouds, cool, moist air.

Felt the rainwater on the pine bark as I sat and leaned against the trunk, but was grateful for it after a day spent indoors, numb to so many of life's sensations.

Red-winged blackbird and robin called as I sat. Fog hung over the trees in the distance. Three cold raindrops fell in quick succession on my forehead, then none.

The water on the bark showed me color variations in it that I had overlooked before. Most of the bark had a dark-green sheen to it, some kind of plant life growing across it. But within the green there were some rusty red patches, where it seemed a thin layer of bark was missing. Squirrel marks crossed my mind, but the trunk is tortuous as it rises and this was on the side leaning towards the earth, so the hypothetical squirrels would have to be ascending while somewhat upside-down. I assume squirrels would want to ascend the easiest route possible, so I ruled this option out.

Is the red in the patches the color of the inner layer of bark, or is it another kind of plant/fungi/etc. that prefers to grow on that layer of bark? Looking forward to viewing it tomorrow, under drier conditions.