The Persistent Squirrel

"Dad, why do we keep praying for Grandma?" Jacob asked as they

finished their morning prayer at the breakfast table. "We pray for

her every day, but she doesn't seem to be getting any better."

"Well . . ." Dad was interrupted by a chattering squirrel outside the

window. The intruder ran up the bird feeder post, and the chickadees flew away. Jacob knocked on the window, but the squirrel refused to budge.

"That squirrel is stealing the birds' sunflower seeds," said Jacob.

Dad grinned. "To stop him, we should put up a sign that says 'Birds Only,' then teach him to read."

Jacob laughed. "By the time he learns, we'll be out of bird food!"

"You're right." Dad went to the garage and came back with a curved piece of metal. "This is called a baffle. It fits around the bird feeder post so squirrels can't climb up." He and Jacob put up the baffle and watched to see what would happen.

The squirrel came and tried to climb over it. When that didn't work, he climbed a nearby tree and