Though we go through seasonal changes all our lives we tend to 'forget' physically what a season like winter can bring in terms of weather conditions, compelling many people to the belief that exposing ourselves to the bitter cold, raging winds and frozen precipitation is best avoided. We have the opportunity to acclimate since the changeover is gradual; as days grow colder we gear ourselves accordingly for comfort in chillier conditions.

Still, nothing quite prepares us for the deepest cold days of winter when there's often good enough reason to remain in our warm homes rather than venturing out into wind, sleet and bone-chilling cold. A lot of how we feel about winter reflects the perception that if it's cold out the environment is hostile to human comfort. Yet humanity has of necessity adjusted to weather conditions through the ages and the natural environment in all its presentations remains an integral ingredient in our ability to function.

Perhaps even more so, appreciate that our subconscious is deeply aware of our need to expose ourselves to natural surroundings from time to time. And that need is a reflection of the fact that we are a part of nature. We experience sensations of quiet pleasure feeling our limbs, our sensual emotions, all of our senses being attuned to the freedom nature offers us, along with nature's other companions, the creatures of the forest whose home it is. Our sense of vision, of smell, of touch all employ themselves autonomically when we're within natural surroundings.

Sadly, there are many people who live on our street and the streets adjoining ours who have never felt the compulsion or simple curiosity to explore the forest that runs through this community. People oblivious to its presence and how important the forest is in providing us with clean air to breathe, the surrounding verdance fulfilling a need we're unaware of, but which comforts us psychologically.

As domesticated as our pets are, accustomed through the ages with sharing our homes and our habits, their need to explore the out-of-doors and more particularly a green landscape is even more acute than ours. Today is one of those cold early winter days. The sun sailed in an ocean of blue most of the day, melting the snow that had accumulated on top of the metal canopy over our deck, despite that the day is a cold one, at -10C.

When we were out in the ravine it hardly seemed that cold, in the absence of any wind. The trails were well covered with the initial start of this season's snow pack which will build over the coming months to hard-packed layers of ice and snow. The fresh snow that had fallen in the past few days still looks glaring  white, though wind that had accompanied it knocked quite a bit of detritus out of the trees to lie dark and desiccated over the snow.

People you do come across hiking through the forest trails are invariably cheerful, happy to be out on a wintry day, a brief exposure to the rawness of weather systems in the heart of the outskirts of an urban area of a million people. Being there is a respite from concerns over the pall news related to the global pandemic with gloomy stories day after day of infections, hospitalizations and death. Out there, walking through the forest, thoughts of those issues melt away.

In their place a sense of tranquil satisfaction settles through one's mind busy taking in the surrounding vistas, the cold, clear air, the scurry of squirrels on the forest floor, the murmur of birds in tree branches, the crunch of boots on the stiffening snow pack.