Monday, September 19, 2005

Mending Fences

Today’s task was mending fences. It is a task that always looms larger than it ends up being, whether the fences are interpersonal or of the post and wire type.

It is so dry, it invites the animals to want to wander. It is no less dry anywhere else but when your own grass is not green, the grass always might be greener on the other side of the fence. What with neglected maintenance on the fences and the dry, we had wandering animals.

No more. Ah, there is more to be done, as always, but they are in.

Today’s treat was squirrel gravy. I’m pretty good if I do say so myself. I don’t actually know how my mam-maw fixed hers but this was pretty close. My biscuits are better though because by the time I was around, she settled for canned biscuits. And I thought of Gordon who would bring them the squirrels, Dad-daw skinning them in the garage, Mam-maw fixing them, Barbara and one of my brothers and me joining them at the table. Barbara loved squirrel gravy. Jane, her partner, didn’t. The memories and details sitting down to a meal can conjure. I wouldn’t normally think of Barbara as she spent the last decade of her life too mad to speak but as I child I loved her so.

And gosh darn but nothing is better than a mess of squirrel. And a fixed fence.

3 comments:

H. Stallard said...

Any chance you would be willing to share your recipe??

Joe Tornatore said...

my daughter wants to know if squirrels are kept as pets by anyone. just thought I'd ask.

H. Stallard said...

When I first began dating my wife, her younger sister had somehow managed to catch a young squirrel. They kept it in a bird cage and would often let it loose in the house. I remember playing with it and having it nip the end of my fingers. I'm not sure how long they had it (several weeks at least) but it finally got outside one day and was never seen again. I know of several others who have had squirrels, groundhogs, raccoons, and deer. But being wild animals they can’t really be tamed.