We became a birdwatching family during the pandemic when there was little entertainment to be had. At the time, we added a few small bird feeders to the backyard and then the kids dug up an old birdbath that had long been forgotten and installed it as well. During that time, and since, we’ve become a lot more attuned to the visitors that we have to the backyard.

I’m happy to say that despite all the other disruptions and distractions, keeping our backyard visitors fed and engaged has managed to last for years. G’s renovations and expansions to the landscaping this past summer added a whole new bunch of flowering plants and shrubs that will continue to attract a variety of birds and other pollinators. We’ve even talked about the possibility of placing some beehives in the next year or two.

Along with the birds and the bees have come a plethora of other critters, including chipmunks and squirrels. A rather large garter snake took up residence in between some of the peony bushes and then later in the summer, a pair made themselves comfortable in the stones by the fire pit. I am not the hugest fan of the slithering critters, but I recognize that they’re not going to hurt me and that they play a vital part in our balanced backyard ecosystem. The evenings would bring out my other least favorite creatures, the toads, but since they help keep the insect population at bay, I tolerate them as well.

One squirrel took exceptional advantage of both the backyard freebies and the scatterings that the chickens didn’t take advantage of and came to be known as Fat Jimmy. We also determined that Fat Jimmy was short for Jamesina rather than James, and after that, I didn’t begrudge her any additional food, or her “me time” hanging out at the feeders, when she sometimes appeared to fall asleep while eating.

The bird feeders and tasty plants have also lured in some larger critters. The deer seem to have a knack for showing up when the bird feeders have been filled or when the hosta are blooming. And, eventually, news of such bounty reached the neighborhood bear, who thanked me for the feast by knocking over all of my bird feeder perches and tearing the lids off the feeders themselves. The most interesting part of that was one of the cats sitting on the window, tail flickering in anxious stalk mode. I’m not sure what he thought he was seeing out there, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have been quite so brave if he were on the other side of the glass.

I’ve been cleaning up and preparing the backyard for winter these last few weeks. An unseasonably warm and dry autumn delayed these activities but finally they couldn’t be put off any longer. G helped me with some late season pruning, each of us nervously looking at the online diagrams and trying to match them to our bushes, hoping that we’re doing it correctly. Finally, we tied up some of the smaller bushes and lower branches of the bigger ones, to hopefully prevent them from snapping in the event of a heavy snow or ice storm.

In between our efforts, the squirrels and birds continued to raid the feeders and pick through the various dried flowers and plants we scattered. I appreciated the harmony as we all scurried around preparing for winter. There is a certain satisfaction the day that the truck pulls up with the load of coal that will last us through the winter. I’ve been adding to the woodpile as trees fall and that is also ready for the wood stove. I like the feeling of being all tucked in and ready for whatever Old Man Winter wants to throw at us.

A few years ago, when Steve was heavily invested in his gardening, we did a lot of canning. Having those bright, colorful rows of jars full of tomatoes, relishes, jams and jellies always meant winter was right around the corner. The kids and I have decided that we’re going to go big with the vegetable garden next year and get back into growing as much of our own food as we can. G’s foray into the backyard planting experiment has got him designing garden layouts including raised beds and fruit trees. It what seems like a sign, my catalog just arrived for me to pick my 25-year appreciation gift for work. One of the selections is a small greenhouse. The kids are rooting for me to get the Roomba style vacuum cleaner, but I think I’m going to go with the greenhouse.

The last time Steve used our living room as his greenhouse the cat ate all his seedlings as quickly as they would grow. Moving everything into a contained unit that isn’t the living room means the kids won’t have to vacuum around tables full of plants. I’m looking forward to snow days spent pouring over seed catalogs and helping G start to build his beds in the basement.

I’m heading into my least favorite time of year, the holidays, which culminate with the anniversary of Steve’s death. The days start to get harder to deal with and get through. The holiday concerts, the Christmas parties, the events that should be full of goodwill. I dread them all. But, knowing that we’re ready for winter, and that we have big plans for spring, and getting out in nature and following her rhythms are one way that I can make myself get through all of it.

Liz Pinkey’s column appears on Saturdays in the Times News