The Decapitated bird feeder

Dorothy was quite the birder, with three bird feeders scattered about the yard, which have remained sadly empty since our purchase of Ballardia.

There's quite a variety of interesting wildlife that I can't identify, not being Nature Girl, though I suppose that one of these days I should get out my unused copy of The North American Field Guide to My Cat's Tasty Snacks and make an attempt.

All of the little birdies seems united in their understanding that SOMEONE at my house is supposed to feed them. They look at me just like my cats do when they realize I am holding a can opener in one hand and a can of Fancy White Albacore Tuna Packed in Spring Water in the other.

Back when we had a functional bird feeder, I filled it with a fine mix of no-sprout seeds, and promptly discovered that I had created a squirrel feeder. And can they pack it away! Frustrated, I turned to web surfing to solve my problem. I found all sorts of ingenious little squirrel-deterrent feeders - for $68.95 and up.. No thank you. For $68.95 and up, I have home improvement projects awaiting my attention!

So....how to encourage the correct wildlife? With the power of the Internet at my disposal, I quickly discovered that Birds, unlike Mammals, do not taste the stars in their Thai food - a byproduct of Nature's Need to propagate those chili pepper seeds via The Bird Distribution Network. And, with the power of the condiment section of my refrigerator at my disposal, I quickly discovered that coating my birdseed with Tabasco sauce does the trick nicely. Birds still love it; squirrels in their disgust beheaded the bird feeder.