Winter in the Valley:A hard way to Learn a Lesson

Winter had come to the Valley, and it wasn’t an ordinary one either. Bitter cold and deep snow took their toll on many of the animals who were permanent residents. Some birds had gone South for the winter, but others were locked into a never-ending cycle of changing seasons without migration. Hard winters were tough on these hardy souls.
Meanwhile, while snow piled up on the surface, some life went on underground. Old man Badger was warm with his cardigans and blankets, and the many mouse families were snug in their nests of dry grass and fluff and stores of food carefully put away for cold weather.
Others were no so lucky.
While preparations for the winter were going on in the summer, none could anticipate the just how deep the freeze would penetrate, or how deep the snow would be. Familes who didn’t dig deep enough or store enough food were destined for tragedy.
One such family of tortoises was in trouble. They had recently arrived from further south and were unprepared for the onslaught of the winter. Old Man tortoise, a long time resident of the Valley, had warned them of the danger of not burrowing deep enough and not storing enough food, but they didn’t listen. Instead, they enjoyed the summer fruits and only reluctantly retreated into their shallow burrow in the fall. Now, they were freezing and starving. And no help in sight.
Meanwhile, young Mouse was wondering about his new tortoise friends. And worrying too. So he asked Mole to see if he could dig a tunnel to their burrow to check on them. Mole, being bored and needing exercise, was delighted to have a project and immediately began to dig. It wasn’t easy either. Frozen ground doesn’t yield readily, but Mole persisted. With Mouse helping remove the diggings and briging water to drink, Mole eventually broke through into the cold burrow of their friends. Mouse ran in and found his friends nearly dead from cold and hunger. While Mole enlarged the tunnel, Mouse carried food and water to the Tortoise family. Warm air from the tunnel began to warm the burrow, and soon the Tortoises were feeling better.
Later, with the tunnel much bigger, the Tortoises were able to move into deeper ground, and with the help of all the Valley folks were able to survive the Winter.
When Spring finally came, all the animals got together to celebrate the warmth and first shoots of green, and the Tortoise family thanked everyone for saving them. They pledged to work hard during the coming summer, to dig deep, and to help others whenever they could.


And they did.

Image: http://www.yosemitecloseup.com/wp-content/uploads/IrasWinter1.jpg