×

Warm blankets are a favorite in December

Courtesy photos Above, a beagle in a warm blanket. Right, My younger brother in his favorite wool “camp” blanket.

ESCANABA — There is nothing like a favorite blanket, quilt or afghan in December. Everybody from babies to great-grandpas have one.

Days grow short, dark and cold in December. When the weather man throws everything at us from sleet, snow, or ten below zero, it’s wonderful to have a warm blanket.

When my son was a tot, he had to have his special blanket called “softy softy” every night. One of my brothers when he sleeps at camp has to have his wool blanket. The other brother sleeps under an old quilt (I think that my Grandmother made) that weighs about a ton!

Finding comfort and keeping warm is sometimes a challenge in the U.P. My husband wants flannel sheets on his bed in December. My daughter has her favorite blue fleecy blanket that she wraps herself in every winter morning.

The cat curls up by the woodstove and the dog burrows into his comfy pillow. The wintery world slows down a bit and nap time is a welcome thing.

Outside our bedroom windows, much the same is going on throughout the woodlands. Every creature is looking for a good, warm blanket. It’s fascinating to learn how so many wild feet stay moving and thriving even in the dark and cold of December.

I think we all have noticed the tiny feet of the chick-a-dee clutching to the bird feeder or have seen the dainty tracks of deer mice, voles or shrews in the snow. How do they keep warm?

Often a good insulating blanket of snow is just what the wildlife needs to protect them from the winter’s cold. We humans see snow as just something to shovel or something that makes the roads slippery, but to the true creatures of the north, snow is an important part of winter.

A good blanket of snow can mean survival for many types of animals. The tunneling mice shrews and voles of Michigan need layers of snow to keep them safe from predators. Beneath the snow quilt a whole world of food stashes, escape routes and thermal protection exists.

Some little predators like the weasels and ermines of the north turn snowy, white in the winter and they truly need to dive and hunt and scamper through lots of inches of drifted snow.

The snowshoe hare, the big brown woodland dwelling hare, is also transformed into white cotton baton looking creature in the winter. He is at home in blankets of camouflaging snow. The deeper the snow the more cedar twigs to graze on.

The deer make their beds in the snow using the warmth and the wind brake of the snow covered cedar swamp.

The grouse hide themselves in little snow dens at night and rest as snug as if in an igloo.

As Christmas draws near and everyone is thinking about warm slippers, sleeping bags and good warm blankets, it’s a good time to share warm gifts to those in need.

And it’s nice to toss out some bird seed and let your woodlands become blanketed with snow for the wild ones to enjoy a winter nap.

——

Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.kwdave16

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today