I finally did it! Bought the bird feeder today, along with a pole and seed. The feeder is 'squirrel proof' feeder. (Yeah, right. LH, if you're there, I don't care if the little gluttons get some - I just don't want them to get it ALL.) I came home and dug a hole into the front yard and planted the pole. Then I realized it was squirrel-leaping distance of the porch, so I dug another hole and planted it again. I'd like it somewhere else, but I need to be able to get to it in the winter, so it's staying put. I bought some of those black sunflower seeds and a 50-lb bag of "wild bird seed" for $4. All this from Ace Hardware.

Now it's just a matter of waiting until the birdies find it. I've also realized that I'll be at work most of the time it's light out, so I'll probably do my watching and re-filling on weekends.