A HAND-WRINGING DECISION

Gosh, I want another peanut, but do I dare to go closer to the house with HER there?

Today I put a few peanuts on the back step hoping a squirrel would stop by – and I might get a picture. Ultimately, he scurried away to safer territory. When I took this picture, he looked like he was wringing his hands trying to decide what to do. Mind you, there is a very full peanut feeder that has been hanging from a tree limb for at least two-plus weeks. When I first put it out, it was on a shepherd’s hook for two or three weeks before we moved it to the tree. There are usually a couple squirrels in the backyard nearly every day, and they have yet to find the peanuts! (They are in the shell, unsalted, and they smell like regular peanuts!) Go figure!

We've decided to hang the peanut feeder from a longer rope so it comes nearly to the ground, and then shorten the rope a little bit every other day or so. I guess these guys need all the help they can get! It isn’t safe to leave scattered peanuts on the back step overnight because they attract skunk, opossum and raccoons - the motion-sensor light told on them. So I’m not too sure about leaving the peanut feeder dangling very close to the ground all night. We’ll get this figured out yet!