A few more weeks of winter left – and here are a few more facts about how some species adapt for winter with changes in habits, changes in fur
thickness or coloring and even changes in the composition of their blood.

JumpForJive — Dark-eyed juncos can clear 12 inches in one hop! During winter, these little birds can be seen hopping along the ground for up to six hours a day foraging for
high-energy snacks.
…

Today is a day for the record books – heavy snowfall and high winds in the western part of my state, Oklahoma. In other words, a blizzard. In my home over a hundred miles to the east, I am cozy and warm, watching the rain (expected to turn to snow with darkfall and a temperature drop) and the wind rustling the dried leaves and shaking the bushes. Today’s meditation features writings about nature’s winter fury . Hopefully you are not enduring what these men (real and fictional) endured during the coldest season.

With Spring just around the corner, it’s time to remind ourselves, as we plan our escapades for the warmer months of the year, that it is still
possible to be an explorer! We may not be the first to visit some natural, or civilized, place but if it is new to us – we are exploring!~

Get out there! Explore a place unknown to you. Maybe it’s your back yard! Maybe it’s a neighborhood park. Maybe it’s Oxley Nature …

The Farmers’ Almanac is a great source of ‘truths.’ Always entertaining, and sometimes they work. The following selections are from the month of Febtruary in the 2013 Almanac Engagement Calendar.

Minute differences are often found in the animal kingdom. Some species are sooo close in appearance and in anatomy, but yet those differences exist. The DNA is different, and most likely, the species will not interbreed. If they do, the resulting young may be sterile.
So – is there any real difference between a Lynx and a Bobcat, a Grizzly Bear and a Kodiak Bear? Or how about an Emperor Penguin and a King Penguin? Read on to learn more.

Winter is drawing to a close. I feel it here, in Oklahoma, although people living in the northeastern and north central United States may not
agree! For the South, Mardi Gras is in full swing.

We haven’t had much of a winter as far as weather in my state, but that’s not all there is to winter. Shortened hours of daylight, lengthy nights. The need to bundle up (even if it’s only a jacket)
and to wear gloves and a …

This time of year, we all are working hard to stay healthy and keep that awful flu bug far, far away. One of the things we often do is take extra
doses of Vitamin C. Today, we’re looking a little deeper into the natural source of Vitamin C – citrus fruits.

“Lemons, oranges, limes, mandarins, kumguats, pomelos and grapefruit are all citrus fruits. Citric acid gives them all their characteristic sharp flavor.

“The Chinese …

It’s a gray morning today, but according to the weather people, we’re headed for a high temp this afternoon in the low Sixties. Doesn’t seem much like
winter in my part of the world. But then, I’m not complaining after a few very chilly lows in the teens just a few days ago.

I’ve dug out some verses from well-known poets, including Shakespeare, which speak to our more tradiitonal thoughts of winter. Perhaps, in your part of the world, this …

For the past 14 months, I’ve been writing and sharing  tidbits about Nature with you. I’ve shared meditations, ways to connect, some of my own
experiences, some discoveries, and even some stories I’ve written. It occurs to me I have not shared some of the ways you can experience nature personnally – as a volunteer. Today’s blog is
devoted to the topic of ‘making it real’ – as a volunteer.

You don’t …