Painting buddy

Our yard is in continual motion.

Chipmunks dart around shrubbery. Squirrels do their high wire acts on the overhead lines.

The red squirrel count seems higher than what we judged to be a low cycle a couple years back.

I mentioned to Al that by their numbers the chippies and squirrels came through the hard winter fine. He said yes, of course, hibernation is a great asset.

There is also the blur of wings that we occasionally catch. It’s not only the various birds that nest around here, but wild ducks have also raised their families on our pond.

The ducks were here this spring. I thought they moved on. My more watchful husband tells me they’ve been here all the time.

They fly in low through the cover of trees to find the patch of water that remains from our heavy June rains. We see them paddle in their domestic groupings. They apparently regard us as home territory.

When cleaning the stair railings out front there was such a stir in the shrubbery. Chipmunks were playing tag in and out of the bushes. They made quite a commotion.

They’re spunky little rascals and the property damage they can do is in our experience. They better play more quietly or stay farther away from the house. They’ve been advised, let’s say!

Today, an absolutely fabulous first Saturday of August, I got around to painting our pair of Adirondack chairs.

The chairs came with the house and we appreciate them for that. They’re a tie to previous owners who sat in them, as we have, and like us enjoyed the cool breezes under the trees.

Painting the chairs has been on the summer to-do list. We consider it fast work to have the painting done before Labor Day. They do look nice all gleaming again.

The repaint was in white, the original color. It entered my mind to introduce a new color for the chairs.

We see bright lawn chairs wherever we go. They look playful and contemporary but in the end we didn't try new hues. A fresh coat of paint is a clean pristine touch that best suits the Adirondack chairs, the yard and us.

The white paint was well brushed onto the backs of the chairs when a leaf on the seat of one of the chairs caught my eye.

I bent to brush the leaf away and realized it was a little tree frog. It was green and cute as a button.  

I went on painting the first chair. The tree frog would be gone when I get to the second chair I figured. 

A smile on my face wasn’t for the excellent brush strokes but for this tiny pal, newly met, who ruled the wood chair like it was a throne.

The tree frog, when the paint can was moved over to the second chair for painting, was still there. It held a more advantageous spot. It hunkered in a crack between the slats in the chair seat.

It was obvious it wasn’t going to budge. My tree frog was a chair frog and a chair frog it intended to be.

Cautiously I painted around it. It didn’t bat an eye. It sat quietly all the while. 

My painting buddy was still claiming its chair when I finished the job.

Ro Giencke – August 2, 2014