When I look out my back door, I see squirrels in action.

One chases another into the bushes. Another sits on the chair in the Squirrel Cafe, her arms hugging the corn on the table as she strips it of kernels. Yet another hangs upside down from a shepherd’s hook gnawing at corn suspended from a bungee cord. Two more circle the maple tree as if tracing the stripes around a barber’s pole. Another digs into the lawn where I once planted crocus bulbs, which the squirrels thought made excellent hors d’oeuvres. Finally, a couple share the Squirrel Palace feeder.

Why all of this activity? Because my husband, Iggy, and I have made our backyard into a playground for squirrels. The main thing we’ve done is to provide a steady supply of food. Hulled sunflower seeds in the palace, daily supply of at least one dried corn cob, peanut butter slathered on denuded cobs, and an occasional sprinkling of peanuts. Also, several water containers.

This is all it takes to get a steady flow of entertainment from our fluffy-tailed friends.