January Sweetness
Love is in the air (and lakes and ponds), quotes for coping with winter storms, and an activity to take stock of the season's ephemerality
Welcome to the new year! If you are like me, this time of the year with shorter days can be a bit slower going and sluggish. It’s all the more reason moment to celebrate what’s happening in the outdoors this time of year.
Here are three events to watch for, two quotes, and one grounding activity to get you slowing down in the weeks ahead.1
Three Events to Celebrate this Month
1. Hooting Season has begun!
December through March marks one of the best times of year to look and listen for owls. They are in their nesting and mating seasons, which makes them louder and more active as they spend time calling more frequently to attract mates and making sounds to claim territories.
Great Horned Owls are especially well known for their noisy mating behaviors. The male will hoot and call vigorously for weeks, hoping to attract a female. Females will return the calls and as pairs find each other the courtship culminates with a “dance” of movements.
Once paired, these owls typically mate for life, and can be heard “dueting” to declare their territories (learn more about all of these actions, as well as nesting behavior, at this Denver Botanical Garden site).
Want to know what to listen for? Check out this recorded snippet of a male and female calling to each other, taken from the Everglades in Florida.
2. Ducks are pairing up
“Love” is in the also air for ducks right now too, as they go about their courting and pairing up rituals throughout the winter months. Ducks tend to be monogamous — but only through a single season.
Mallard ducks are some of the easiest to spot as pairs because of the distinctive plumage of each sex (the male is on the left, and female on the right in this photo).
If you go birding at a wetland or pond this time of year, watch for such mating rituals as head nodding and grunt whistling (or some of the others explained here).
3. The First Full Moon is right around the corner
The first full moon of 2025, known as the Wolf Moon, arrives early this month, on Monday, January 13. The name is related to the fact that wolves are more likely to be heard howling in the winter months. But there are other names that express this time of year just as aptly. Some of these traditional names include the Cold Moon (Cree), Frost Exploding Moon (Cree), Freeze Up Moon (Algonquin), and Severe Moon (Dakota). Hard Moon (Dakota) — all allusions to harshness of this season.
Whatever you wish to call Monday’s full moon, just remember that the next time in the cycle the night will be shorter, and the day likely warmer, than this one.
Two Quotes for December
1.
It has already been a blistery and challenging winter weather month in so many areas of the US, with two large snow storms marching their way across the midwest and east coast.
For those of you really feeling the wrath of it all, here’s a snippet from one of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh that will hopefully make you smile:
"Hallo, Eeyore," said Christopher Robin, as he opened the door and came out. "How are you?"
"It's snowing still," said Eeyore gloomily.
"So it is."
"And freezing."
"Is it?"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."
2.
Or, perhaps you’d rather take the perspective of comedian and actor Carl Reiner instead:
"A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water."
Slowing Down: Try this for the month of January
Although this time of year can be especially challenging — especially when snow or ice hits — it can also be incredibly beautiful, as well as ephemeral. The shimmer of new or ice will disappear within days if not hours.
If you are getting hit with bad weather this month, take a moment to document what it looks, feels, and sounds like in the moment before it goes away.
This might involve taking your phone outdoors to photograph it (or if it’s simply too cold, photographing out your window), or trying a “listening” walk to hear what the sounds of snow, ice, or wind sounds like.
Or you might simply take a moment to journal the experience.
This time will pass and at some point in the future you will want to remember the details of what it felt like - for you, for your kids if you have them, and for the community you live in. There’s a distinct story to each winter storm. There will be a time you’ll want to tell it.
A quick note on supporting those in need in Los Angeles
Right now the city of Los Angeles is facing devastating loss due to the ongoing wildfire disasters blanketing much of the northern parts of the city and region.
When disasters strike, I find that some of the best ways to support communities is to seek out local on-the-ground organizations that know there communities well and will have strategies and plans in place to provide support.
Which this in mind, I want to share this article link from a local news station in Los Angeles that offers some great resources. You’ll find links in the article to local food banks, local first responders/fire fighters support, humane societies, and long term care.
Finally, much love to any and all who with connections to Los Angeles and the wider region.
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Credit to James Clear for his very useful 3-2-1 structure newsletter structure that inspired this post.