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• After an awful thought about wood, the narrator got up early, encouraged by the nuthatches and chickadees.
• The narrator shouldered an axe and crossed to the top of the gorge to gather wood.
• First, the narrator gathered all the dry limbs of the trees and hauled them home.
• Then, the narrator chopped down dead trees.
• The narrator stacked wood in piles marked with an "X" in the needles, accessible from the tree even with deep snow.
• The narrator had the idea to tunnel through the snow from one woodpile to the next.
• The narrator watched the sky, noting the blue color of summer but also the ice building up along the waterfall.
• As the narrator piled more wood, they realized they were scared, cutting and piling wood like a nervous child.
• The narrator felt relief when the storm finally arrived.
• The Baron Weasel enjoyed the snow, being active every day before the narrator and Frightful had breakfast.
• Professor Bando’s jam was a staple on cold mornings, eaten in mounds on acorn pancakes with hickory nuts.
• The narrator and Frightful would venture out into the snow, sliding and rolling down the mountain to the frozen creek.
• The narrator would break a hole in the ice to catch fish.
• The narrator found plants like teaberry leaves and wintergreen under the snow, inspired by the deer.
• The narrator tried moss, but decided it was better left to the deer.
• Around four o’clock, the narrator, Frightful, and the birds would head home.
• In the meadow, the narrator would release Frightful, and the falcon would dive from the sky to strike at rabbits or pheasants.
• Frightful would cover her prey on the ground, but would not eat until the narrator came and picked her up.
• The narrator would feed Frightful, then retreat to the tree room and light a fire.
• The narrator spent time cooking and experimenting with different plant and meat combinations to improve the taste of meals.
• After dinner, the fire would blaze, and Frightful would preen on the foot post of the bed.
• The narrator would contemplate what defined a bird or a boy.
• The narrator would write on birch bark or make items from deer hide, such as a hood for Frightful.
• The narrator would crawl into bed under a deerskin, letting the fire burn out as they fell asleep.
• The narrator remembered old notes about tunneling through the snow to reach the woodpiles, and laughed because tunnels were never created.
• The narrator walked on the snow to get wood, like The Baron Weasel and the deer.

The narrator gathers wood for the winter, chopping dead trees and stacking wood in piles. The narrator observes the changing sky and feels a sense of relief when the storm arrives. The Baron Weasel enjoys the snow, and Professor Bando’s jam is a staple on cold mornings.