November has a somewhat dubious reputation here in New England. The colorful leaves have mostly departed, leaving forests of bare trees the color of gray cat fur. There’s a distinct icy chill in the air so working outdoors is avoided except for quick trips to the wood pile when needed and quick walks down by the river.

Late afternoons are punctuated by breaks for cocoa or hot cider.

But even with the shorter days, the slanted light of November makes walking our trail through the woods interesting. Its slant seeks out papery beech leaves that somehow stay affixed to their trees all winter, and the red berries clinging to the thorny branches of barberry. Shadows dance among the globular seed heads of burdock just itching for a ride on my jacket.

The fungi scalloping the moss on the mother logs fascinates with its unearthly shapes. Animal tracks decorate the earth where it’s still soft enough to take an impression. On really cold mornings, frost adds sparkle to the edge of the river. It will be gone by late morning, leaving nothing behind but the smile creasing the space between my reddened cheeks.

We always put our bird feeders out at the beginning of November. Our local chickadees and tufted titmice make sure of that. One of our living room windows overlooks the roof of my studio, and the other morning, we had three of those crested birds staring at us through the glass, their chatter an urgent reminder that “It’s time. It’s time.”

So out came the sunflower seed and the suet cakes. (Peanut butter suet is the preferred choice for our feathered neighbors. Seriously, they ignore everything else.) This morning when I opened the curtains, there were blue jays and cardinals and mourning doves and juncos, three different kinds of woodpecker—red-bellied, downy and hairy—a raft of chickadees flitting through the bushes, and a slurry of tufted titmice.

Even a couple of fat-cheeked chipmunks hurtled past. We haven’t seen them since April.

Seriously, it was like a big family reunion over here.

I don’t care what anyone says, November is a very special month. I’m always happy when it arrives.