A few years ago my screen door handle broke while we were moving the second refrigerator into the bathroom. (You remember that, right?) I’ve been able to use the screen door, and I’ve found ways to latch it that work most of the time. It’s been deteriorating lately, and during the big storm last month, when the door was blowing against the side of the house, it broke loose and has been hanging by a sliver.

Then over the weekend, when the wind was blowing harder than normal, I heard a crunch and a clang as the handle broke off altogether. When I opened the front door, the screen door handle was in pieces on the stoop. I’ve managed to figure out that I can still get that door to stay mostly closed by slamming it (which is way easier to do from outside the house than inside, by the way). But it’s kind of a nuisance, and I can’t really ask the landlord for help since I’m the one who’s responsible for the original damage.

So I’m kind of in the market for a new screen door. My standards are pretty low. It just has to be in one piece and stay closed when I shut it. There’s not much urgency now that the weather has turned sour again and I’m closing up tight against the wind and rain. Some time around the start of spring, assuming spring ever arrives, I’ll need to be ready.