The skirting were large slabs of metal that matched the siding of the
trailer. Their edges were sharp, and the corners usually left me with scratches.
They slid on a track underneath the house, and when it got windy enough, the
edges would be caught just right that they would pull away and collect with
tree limbs, discarded toys, and other debris. The morning after bad storms, my
friends and I would get on our bikes and pedal around the neighborhood looking
for slabs of skirting that had blown off our house. They were heavy, big and
awkward and we could usually only balance one at a time on our handlebars,
and even then it was wobbly and slow-going. There were usually quite a few
neighbors out looking for their own skirting, and sometimes we brought back
slabs that didn’t belong to us, sometimes someone else took our slab when it
didn’t belong to them.
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I’d aim my bike tire at the worms that had stretched themselves long and
skinny across the sidewalk and run them over. I’d feel especially pleased if my tire
severed them, as if it were some kind of retribution for the gashes on my hands
from the skirting’s sharp edges. Anything, everything, can cut something else.
I learned how to grow grass from my father. Rake the area with a hoe,
sprinkle the seed, and then cover it with peat moss. The moss will keep the
ground damp and help prevent birds and critters from eating the seeds before
they can take root. This process should be done every spring when the almost
daily rain will keep the seeds watered and the ground soft and rich in nutrients
for them to take root and grow.
New grass isn’t the only sign of life in the spring. Birds return to hover
around the feeders I have hanging in the yard. The feeders tend to also attract
squirrels, chipmunks, and even rats and raccoons, among other unwelcomed
vermin. An online forum made up of neighbors living in my town discourage bird
feeders for this reason, but I put the seeds out anyway, letting my dog out often
to chase away the unwanted.
The year my dog killed a baby skunk in the backyard, the overwhelming