He was a grumpy old cuss, and I believe he "meant business" when he aimed at the squirrels. The surprising thing was that he fed the birds, but maybe that was his wife's idea.
I never got to know him well enough to see any heart of gold, but maybe it was in there ... somewhere.
Eventually I decided that it was "OK" to shoot pinecones at squirrles with a slingshot. I don't know why I was reluctant, since I never got anywhere near them.
The closest I got to discouraging them was that they would move a LITTLE farther away when I came outside, but yelling at them was at least as effective as the slingshot.
And you just KNOW that the chattering means they're laughing at you!
Tree rats!
