Last night it snowed, and we got enough—several inches—so that the plow has roared past our house. A true sign of winter. Here is a picture of our house tucked in the snow, and it always looks so cozy to me. (For supper, Clif is making Snowy Day Potato, Cabbage Soup, a perfect meal for a cold day.)
I always like the sight of dried plants—in this case, ferns—against the white snow.
The remaining garden ornaments take on a different look.
The backyard, with its feeders, draws in woodland creatures with fur and feathers.
One of my favorites is the chickadee, a jaunty little bird.
My friend Barbara, who passed away thirteen years ago, once noted that while chickadees might be plentiful, they are never common. How right she was! I recently learned that in the fall, the brains of chickadees increase in size so that they can remember where they cache seeds. And in the spring, when the chickadees no longer need to remember, their brains shrink in size. Here is a link for the Audubon site for more information about the incredible brains of chickadees.
What a wonder nature is!
And British blogging friends, do you think chickadees resemble coal tits? I know I sure do.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Goodness me, your snow comes early, loved your pictures.
Susan, it does, but it might stick around. Or, it might. We’ll just have to wait and see. 😉
This snow will melt somewhat over the weekend. I look forward to a week on Marco Island starting Monday. My feeders are covered with Juncos right now!
It certainly will, but we are more or less ready for Winter. Have a wonderful week on Marco Island.
Oh I love the snow pictures Laurie! Your home looks very cosy and I like the sound of Snowy Day Soup 🙂 The chickadee looks very similar to the coal tits in Scotland. We see them often on our forest walks and I believe their brain stays the same size all year round 😉💖🐦 xxx
Thanks, Xenia. That’s what I thought.
Your house looks nice and cozy in the snow. I was surprised that we got 5-6″ overnight, about double what was forecast. Thankfully, the snowblower fired right up and got the job done. The bird feeders here, too, are very busy today. It always cheers me up to see that hive of activity. Have a great weekend!
Thanks, Eliza! You, too!
The first snow is always the best..!
Sure is!
Hi Laurie. My Philadelphia region got a few inches of snow last night too. I suspect that a very snowy winter lies ahead. I’m tired of shoveling, so I hope I’m wrong.
By the way, the soup your husband cooked sounds delicious. Bye till next time.
We always enjoy the first snow, but we are so tired of it by the end.
Very interesting information. I never heard about such changes in brain size.
I love your house in the woods! It reminds me of the lake cottages I’ve been around throughout my life.
Speaking of European tits, a pair of great tits have been coming to our feeders. These birds were released in Chicago several years ago, and there are breeding populations here in Wisconsin along with European goldfinches.
I had to check the date on your post worrying somehow it was a glitch! You have winter weather and we are hot and blowing away from the Santa Anas. It hasn’t been cold enough for any fall colors. So I am waiting for Autumn to show up!
I love the chickadee information. My husband is a retired biologist/entomologist and I can’t wait to talk about bird brains with him this evening!
your home is adorable! I love the photos and have a soft heart for chickadees!
A-w-w-w, thanks so much.
They certainly do resemble coal tits. I was interested in your remarks about brain size. Mine seems to shrink regardless of the season these days.
Every time you post a picture of coal tits, I think “chickadee!”
Clever Chickadees – yes they do look like Coal Tits – Chickadee is a much cuter name!
Such dear little birds! And one of their calls is “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.”
🙂
Oh dear! Here it comes. Good photos though
Winter is here!
We had snow also, but it all melted. Chickadees are a favorite of mine as well.
Such a chipper bird! We have so many in our backyard that I have referred to our house as “Chickadee Place.”
Definitely similar to several of our tits – once known as titmice until about the 1920s, but now shortened. I don’t think ours cache food so they might not need bigger brains.
I thought about taking photos, to post, of our foot of snow . . . but then I decided to just shovel it! We don’t usually start winter with such a big dump–it was a real wakeup call!
Snow this time of year is not unusual for Maine, but the very cold weather we’ve been having is a little unusual.
We got about 6″ of heavy wet snow, and it was tough to move. Soup sounds great. 🙂
Clif made the soup and it was so good!
Thanks for the Audubon site. Love the pretty pictures. Say, “Good work!” to Clif for the cabbage and potato soup. We have cabbage from the garden that needs to be used so that is what I think I will do.
The cabbage we used was from your garden!
Wonderful photos and what a delightful day at your beautiful cozy home with delicious soup and the adorable chickadees visiting.🙂
Many thanks!
Cosy, snowy home, tasty warming soup and Chickadee-dee-dees! What’s not to like!
Right?
That’s amazing, about the size of the chickadees brains. I wonder if humans experience the same!
I’ve never heard that this happens with humans. Yes, those chickadees are amazing. Even before I learned about their expanding brains, chickadees were one of my favorites.
One of mine too.