Diario de friendofnature2

Some days the cold can be felt though out a person's soul. This week has been a series of such days. The winds have been bitter, cutting through even the layers and numbing my nose and fingers. There were very few animals out, and the ones that were out provided lessons that warmed my heart.

The feral pigeons sat in a flock on a silo, flying about together in mass. Mallards were paired everywhere I found them, as though having a partner kept their hearts warm even when sitting in nearly frozen water. Crows and eagles worked together in groups to find carrion, sometimes along the side of the road, sometimes on the ice, tolerating and even working together at times. Chickadees and Goldfinches in flocks, turkey in large groups with clear leaders and protectors of the flock standing in the road as the group crossed.

Most have gone south or are bundled up in dens to stay warm and sheltered from the winds. Those who are in the cold have ways to stay warm. Friends, family, and community do warm the heart and help during short days, when the cold and the wind let us know that we are in the midst of winter. This is only a season though, and in the winter much beauty can be found, many lessons learned, and growth during the difficulties.

In time the fields will be full of grain, nests will be made with young chicks to raise, and our friends from the south will return to our beautiful countryside. Between now and spring find friends to be with, companions to warm your heart, and work with those who remain in these times. Protect and provide for those who depend on you, sing out to each other as the chickadees do and let others know that they are not alone. Winter is more than just the physical. It reaches deep, shaping and creating a layer that we would be incomplete without. Let the winds and cold be what they may, beauty can still be found to warm our hearts.

Below are a few poems written by Anna, an amazing 10-year-old member of our family team:

"My favorite place to be in the spring is the pond at Thorne Swift nature preserve. I like to go at dusk and dawn, when the crickets are chirping their click like songs, the frogs are croaking in pitches low to high, and birds in the colors bright yellow, vivid green, dirt brown, and bleak grays are fluttering branch to branch and tree to tree. This is my favorite place to be."

"Life, the beautiful flowing, colorless loop of existence. It comes and goes endlessly. Bio's time is an unknown piece of the puzzle. Precious life ends as quickly as it starts. An array of animals all connected by the arrows that make up the cycle of life."

"Beautiful thundering copper brown white-water falls, biology is all around. There's a barking sandy brown basset hound, a jumping silver coho salmon, an ocean of beautiful swaying blazing orange trees, and several smoke grey gulls and midnight black-capped colored terns. This is Tahquamenon falls to me."

She is a great nature writer with an eye for beauty and the cycles of life all around.