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Winter’s Gone
Winter may not be your favorite season, but finding a way to enter into it makes it a lot better. Kids love winter. They find ways to play in the snow. Aubrey (the female heron) and her male friend have kept me busy this winter following them as they sat out migration to stay here and live in cold rain, ice and snow. They challenged me to find answers to why they can live with their feet in the cold water of a lake and why they spend so much time fishing. As for the legs–it turns out they have a separate circulation system in their legs which moves independently…
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Hibernate in Body and Mind
Many of my friends who are retiring, talk of moving west or south to be warmer in winter. What about hibernation in winter? Would hibernation help people get through long winters or would it make it worse? Hibernation works very well for certain animals – bears, squirrels, bats and other mammals. I can see a very large and comfy squirrel nest in my pine tree. Animals hibernate in the winter to conserve energy and because there isn’t enough food readily available. Frogs hibernate in the water they live in. They have a fluid in their bodies that acts like antifreeze. Ice crystals form in such places as the body cavity…
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Winter Hibernation
It has been a bitter winter so far and I have been “curled” into myself since Christmas. It feels unusual and yet it feels good since I live in a beach town that is often busy with bathers and others getting away from the city to enjoy the sun and water. But now I have finally gotten out of the house to venture into New York City. A friend and I visited the Met for the better part of a day seeing Michelangelo’s drawings, paintings, sculptures and architectural works. It was truly amazing. I left my phone in my handbag preferring to enjoy them as I saw them. Then we…
