You, too, can own one of these "squirrel-proof suet feeders"

For a mere $54.95, plus shipping and handling, one of these delightful feeders can be yours.

I decided to throw caution to the wind and purchase this upper-end suet feeder after too many incidents involving squirrels and the standard caged suet feeder.

I love my birds, and my birds love my suet cakes, so it's understandable that I take suet-feeding of birds very seriously.

I completely lost faith in the standard caged suet feeder the morning I went out to check on it...and it was gone. Gone from its sturdy hanger in our back yard.

Later in the day I set out for a walk, and there, in the middle of the road, was my caged suet feeder. A squirrel hadn't climbed inside it, true, but it had managed to remove it from its hanging spot and drag it as far as the middle of the road.

So I figured the more expensive model, because it costs so darned much if for no other reason, would surely keep the squirrels away from the suet.

Wrong.

If I'm not mistaken, and I know I'm not because I called Ken to the window to verify what I was seeing this morning, that's a SQUIRREL reaching into the suet feeder and enjoying a tasty suet/peanut butter/corn meal/rolled oats mix.

I also know I'm not mistaken because I snapped the photo below just after he emerged from the squirrel-proof feeder.

And that's not a look of guilt on his face; it's a smirk if I ever saw one.

And now that I study this photo more closely, I wonder if his right front paw is clutched to his chest because he's preparing to give me a single-digit salute. Wouldn't surprise me.