Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau might have been onto something when he defined happiness as “a good bank account, a good cook and a good digestion.”

I guess two out of three ain’t bad! After a two-week vacation in Italy and France (and a few stormy days stuck in Falmouth to boot), I can count my blessings to have the two latter, even if the former took a hit.

Tonight, look for a thin crescent moon in the southwestern sky soon after sunset. The moon is above the red planet Mars.

Remember last spring, when Mars was a brilliant red ruby in the sky? It has since lost its luster and is barely noticeable. But with the crescent moon an observer gets some help finding this faded red planet. Mars is under and slightly west of the moon.

The moon is slightly higher and farther south tomorrow night. Both Mars and the Moon are in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, one of the southernmost zodiac constellations.

Tucked among the red cedars, black oaks and white oaks at Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary stand six Atlantic white cedars, barely two feet tall.

Last year Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation planted 12 of these cedars at the sanctuary as part of a restoration project; the tree is said to be native to the Vineyard, according to executive director Adam Moore.

Why write about pinkletinks — also known as spring peepers everywhere but the Vineyard — at this time of the year? We are all preparing for winter by getting out our winter clothes, shutting storm windows and turning on the heat. Frogs cannot do those things, but they have other ways of surviving the winter.

After the spring chorus ends, the pinkletinks abandon the ponds and migrate to nearby uplands. There they establish territories that may be 18 feet in diameter.

The best antidote to the cold is not turning up the heat or starting a roaring fire. It’s meeting the new season head-on and becoming one with the chill. A warm sweater, hat and mittens does help, but even more warming is the sight of the woods on a winter’s day when walking step-by-step through the landscape.

The Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) will begin its program of guided winter walks this Sunday, Nov. 11, with an interpretative hike around the agricultural land and outwash plain at Katama Farm. The walk takes place from 1 to 3 p.m.

This year’s winter walks embrace the theme of historic land usage crossroads and feature properties where possible crises were averted with the help of VCS.

At Katama Farm, the community united to prevent development that could have resulted in hundreds of building lots.