View from the North 40: It's a winter brain thing

Nature and the creatures it mothers think in seasons not days and dates.

This weekend we transition to a whole new calendar year whilst, sadly, we remain stuck in the same old winter that we’ve been trudging through since early November which, by the way, made the recent solstice marking the first day of winter a mere ironic moment in Nature’s cold, white season.

After about a month of winter weather, though, I start thinking it’s not smart to live here, then last week I read about the black-capped chickadees. You know the cute little black, white and gray birds of the mountains, even the isla...