Inside the Screen

Edward and I were just finishing up a board game this afternoon when I looked out the sliding glass door onto the porch.  Earlier in the game, I had looked out to see one of our squirrels climbing along the outside of the screen.  They do that every once and a while.  We usually chase them off with a spray bottle and they run to the nearest tree, then turn around and scold us.  

  The squirrel was still out there on the screen, but something was different.  "There a squirrel on the screen again", I started to say, then it dawned on me.  "He's on the inside!"  Edward turned and looked.  "Yeah, he is."  Luckily for the squirrel, the girls were inside enjoying a sleepy afternoon.  Edward and I went out and I propped the porch door open with a mat.  Then we proceeded to herd the squirrel toward the open door.  

  Needless to say, that was not a happy squirrel.  He had already knocked into some of the glass I have out there.  He scrambled along the top of the screen scolding as if we were a cat he needed to warn his friends about.  I chased him down the screen and toward the open door.  Great.  Until he decided that being as far away from the floor was the best thing and started to cross the screen over the door and move towards the house.  Edward moved to cut him off and then with one last squeal, scrambled down the door frame, jumped to the floor and dashed out the door.  He didn't look back until he was safely up the nearest pine tree.  

  A few years back we had noticed a large hole in one panel of our porch screen.  The screening is old and brittle we figure the lawn service had put a stick through it.   It measured about 3 x 4 inches.  We had patched the hole as best we could, we thought, mostly to keep lizards and mosquitoes out, and to keep overly curious cats in.  That patch had worked fine until today.

  After the squirrel was out, we looked at the patch.  It had been pushed in, and the hole torn even larger.  So this time I got out an upholstery needle, some black carpet thread and sat dow to repair the screen as best I could.  It took 20-30 minutes to cross stitch the hole and secondary tear closed then glue more screening over the seams to complete the patch, the whole time serenaded by the squirrel, who still felt it necessary to warn others of our presence.

  So once again I think we're covered for lizards, bugs and curious cats.  My only concern is that squirrel. They're smart little buggers. If he decides he wants onto the porch again, he might re-test the patch. That would not be a good thing.  Because if he gets in while the cats are out, that screen will not support one of them climbing up it after a squirrel, nor do I want to try to separate said squirrel from an excited cat if one of them were lucky enough to catch him, never mind the general destruction out there during the chase.