By Rachel Roe - age 11

"Hmm--this is a nice place to get food. They don't seem to want to keep us out with one of those things," Mr. Squirrel said with his mouth full.

"You mean a squirrel baffle, Dear?" replied Mrs. Squirrel.

"Yes, of course that's what I mean."

"Oh, Grandpa come look at the cute squirrels at the bird feeder!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no! Not again!" mumbled Grandpa as he came to see.

The next day Grandpa and Sarah drove to town. When they came home there was a squirrel baffle sitting on the seat next to Sarah. Fascinated, Sarah watched while Grandpa fastened the squirrel baffle to the bird feeder.

"Grandpa, what is that thing on the pole for?"

"No more squirrels are getting into my bird seed!" Grandpa answered.

Sarah looked at him reproachfully. "But Grandpa, the squirrels are so cute!"

Sarah watched for the squirrels all afternoon and finally she was rewarded.

"Oh, no," Mr. Squirrel moaned. "They put up one of those detestable things on the pole so we can't climb it!"

"Follow me!" Mrs. Squirrel commanded. "They can't keep us out with a squirrel baffle."

Sarah watched as one of the squirrels climbed the fence near the bird feeder and took a flying leap onto the squirrel baffle. From there the squirrel climbed the pole to the bird feeder. The second squirrel followed and the squirrels seemed content as they ate.

Grandpa, watching the ineffectiveness of his squirrel baffle, was very unhappy. That night he designed a plan for a squirrel-proof feeder and the next afternoon he put it into action. He fastened a piece of clear plexiglass to the squirrel baffle.

Grandpa watched in triumph as . . . .

This time Mrs. Squirrel said in a commanding voice, "We'll try it together!"

"Oh, no!" Mr. Squirrel yelped. "I can't jump as fast as you can."

"That's an excuse. Come on, you can do it," she encouraged. On the count of three they took a flying leap. Smack! Crash!

Mr. Squirrel shook his head. "Ouch! I didn't know air was so hard."

"It wasn't air, silly. It was something hard and clear-like a window," Mrs. Squirrel explained.

Outside Sarah watched in dismay as the squirrels smacked into the plexiglass. From inside the house, Grandpa looked at the two dazed squirrels lying on the ground and felt sorry he had put the plexiglass up. The next morning after breakfast Grandpa took the plexiglass down.

"Are you sure about this?" Mr. Squirrel asked apprehensively.

"Of course I am, I saw that man take the plexiglass down," Mrs. Squirrel said firmly.

And Grandpa never tried to keep the squirrels out of his bird seed again.