Today I had to go shopping for just the right screw. How many times am I going to have to do this? There is such a variety, a screw for so many occasions. I am starting to get better at this hardware business.

Don was going to climb up a very tall ladder to secure the wire mesh covering the attic vents that had come loose. This had to have been the point of access for the squirrels that had putrified the insulation above the kitchen we're renovating. There wasn't much for me to do on the job site because we had to wait for the electricians to do their part. So I drove on the double errand of taking back a damaged screen for rescreening and to the hardware store for the anti-squirrel screws.

The rescreening looked like a fairly simple maneuver with a tool called a spline roller that looks kinda like a pasta cutter. I'm sure it would take me significantly longer than the experienced guy rescreening the frame. It takes a little finesse to get the screen taut without warping the frame. He even showed me what to watch for when trimming the corners. I'm sure it would be as easy for me as - swinging a hammer and sinking a nail in one hit. I guess I should practice on my own screens first.

Then to the hardware store - aisle 13. Have you ever checked out the variety of screws? We were looking for short screws with a big head to hold down some wide washers with a narrow hole. Honest. That's exactly what we were looking for. Does the aisle number symbolize that such a variety of screws all in one place is bad luck?