Good, because being a smaller town, we tend to get a lot of foot traffic by our yard, and that leads to conversations.

Bad, because some of the more skittish creatures tend to seek over with every car that goes by at a rate of 1-2 every 5 minutes during busier times. Fortunately, we have some good cover and so they don’t go far. Often only a few feet to one of the big, er, here comes my ignorance, conifery, piney, christmas trees in the front.

I think good neighbors respond to good neighbors. I assume they think we’re a little wacky in some of our choices, but they also see that we care about our yard and our community.

When we lives in the suburbs, someone actually poisoned our birdseed — and the two most likely candidates knew we had dogs who could have been made sick by it. Now we live in an area that borders tons of wilderness, and even in town folks tend to value it more — even most hunters.

I think there’s no better example that just allowing people to see the benefits. The busy hummingbird feeders. (One of my fave moments of last summer was sitting on the front porch with a clipping in a glass of water sitting next to me, and while I waited for my husband to show up with a shovel, a hummingbird decided to have a snack. So close.) Sitting out at the pond with a glass of wine. The sound of running water. Bird houses in surprising places. A sense of whimsy. A place with areas which draw the gaze. Not only do I feel like I’m enjoying wildlife, but that I’m adding something to the community, and sharing the joy of warmer weather with all who pass by.