- Thoreau likes to take walks in the surrounding area, to Flint's Pond, the Lincoln Hills, and Goose Pond. You know, just checking out the 'hood.
- The sounds he hears most are the hooting owl and the cracking of ice in the pond. Also, sneaking their way in are foxes, the industrious squirrel, and the thieving jays. Birds seem pretty comfortable around Thoreau. They perch on his woodpile, even on his shoulder. Imagine Cinderella, just with a beard.
- Sometimes Thoreau hears a hunter's hound dogs going through the woods. Being the chummy guy he is, Thoreau befriends a visiting old hunter who tells him a story about a man who lost his hounds in the woods. Mystery solved.
- Squirrels and mice often steal from Thoreau's store of nuts. Note to Thoreau: that means you're eating mice food. Rabbits and partridges are everywhere, too, and Thoreau realizes how resilient they are. Nothing seems to thin their numbers.