On a typical morning, you’ll find me sitting at our patio table in the backyard with my coffee. The temperature is cool and it’s pleasant and peaceful. Since our neighborhood doesn’t allow fences, the backyards connect and it feels like a park. We rarely see deer but the rabbits, squirrels and birds are plentiful and once in a while, someone spots a coyote, a bobcat or a bear on their Ring camera at night.

Last year, our kids bought us a bird feeder. As avid Buffalo Bills fans, they knew we would get a kick out of a birdfeeder with the familiar blue and red colors and the Bills name. My husband added a layer of urethane to protect the wood when it rains or snows, then we hung it on the single-hook metal pole we had in the backyard. As soon as we filled it with birdseed, it became a gathering spot for a variety of creatures. Mostly, we saw finches and doves but occasionally, we spotted a hummingbird. Rabbits and squirrels came by to feast on the seeds that dropped on the ground.

It wasn’t long before we saw a few squirrels climbing the pole to reach the bird feeder, and in our naivety, we didn’t know how skilled they were at getting to the seeds. The bush next to the feeder became a launching pad with squirrels swinging on the corner of the birdfeeder like trapeze artists. As funny as it was to watch, we knew we were in trouble. We hadn’t done our homework and the seeds were disappearing quickly. We learned about the 5-7-9 rule which is a rule of thumb for keeping squirrels away from birdfeeders. Five feet is usually the maximum height a squirrel can jump, seven is the maximum horizontal distance that a squirrel can leap from a bush or tree and nine is the max distance they can drop from a tree. We bought a baffle and a taller pole and firmly placed it in the ground farther away from the nearby bush.

Since then, we’ve watched the squirrels run around the base of the pole to catch a quick snack of dropped seeds and we’ve seen more birds coming by to feed. It’s fun to watch the finches and chickadees gather around the feeder and push seeds to the ground. The baffle has done its job keeping squirrels off the feeder and the loud magpies mostly stay far away. There are a few cats that roam the neighborhood but they just come to the back door to say hello and have no interest in the bird feeder. Two of the cats look so much alike that they’re difficult to tell apart from a distance. They’re orange tabbies and both are friendly, but one has a collar with its name Leo and the other doesn’t have a collar. We’ve affectionately named him Notleo. Recently, a black cat with yellow eyes has been around a lot and since he doesn’t have a collar, we don’t know its name. Our two cats, Katniss and Yahtzee, know Leo so they don’t hiss at him, but the other two aren’t particularly welcomed by our cats.

Each day, the yard gives back what we give to it. Peace, serenity and joy and a bit of laughter. Just what our day needs. Go Bills.