First let me tell you about a new 'project' I have been playing with -- feeding squirrels. I started by feeding the squirrels corn on the bench seen in the pictures. They loved it so as soon as they were coming every morning to get their hand out I made a long pole that has a hook to hang an ear of corn from. No big deal about that. But, to make life a bit more interesting, I am hanging the corn from a very springy spring. So it works this way. I put the corn just high enough to make it a real stretch to reach the corn. And yesterday I put the corn up high enough so that they could only reach it by jumping up and grabbing it and pulling it down to get a kernel of corn. They really had to work for the corn!
Well, now to the main observation — When the corn was lying on the bench (no work to get it) the little darlings would eat only the germ part of the kernel! The germ is the yummy part in the center of the kernel. When they were getting the corn with no work they would eat the germ portion and drop the rest down to the deck. When I supported the corn where they had to do a little work to get it, they wasted a lot less. And yesterday when they had to do a lot of work to get the corn they dropped almost NONE! At the end of the day the deck was totally devoid of any dropped corn.
Today I have the corn lower and they are dropping more.
Moral of the squirrels? When they have to work for food they don’t waste it. When they are given food that is just there for the taking they waste all but the best portions.
Is there anything in this story that would make you try to draw an analogy to human behavior?
Take care, feed the squirrels and pay your taxes.
Now I really feel as though I am doing them a favor. Note how he has to exercise his abs to get back up on the support.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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