> > Hmm. My family used to have a birdfeeder, but those darn pesky (but cute) squirrels always got into it.
>
> You just made me think of something really funny I saw once. My grandfather used to keep a weird contraption set up on his back porch when they lived in Kentucky. I have no idea what it was called, but it was a squirrel-feeder. It was comical though, because basically you stuck a dried ear of corn on a nail, with the nail right through the center of the corn. So when the squirrels would come to get the corn, they could make it spin. Sometimes, a squirrel would try to perch on the corn itself, and of course they would get dumped. It was hilarious to watch them.
>
> Gri"is that cruelty to animals?"shny

Nah. The spinning part was an unintentional design feature on your grandfather's feeder, I bet. Besides, squirrels are smart critters. If they get dumped a few times, they'll learn.

Incidentally, offering the squirrels dried ears of corn is the way to go if you want to keep them separate from your birdfeeder. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. They'd much prefer the easy and tastier meal of corn to the one which requires a balancing act on a feeder meant for birds.

Wolfspirit