The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1915-09-24
|sI0P WRITER'S PEN
Many Gentle Distractions !
Summers Garden.
Some Reasons Why II 10 plficult IA
Work Out OF ooers--obsersation
Of the Birds ons Of the
Greatest.

In summer write every morning
IN q summer house at the extreme
rear OF my gardens house which IL,
In reality, q Cow shed converted by
Virginia creepers. side trellises, great
openings sawed In all four sides and
small plaster cast OF q section OF
the Parthcnon friere, painted with
white enamel paint TO resist the rain.
But I find II dificult TO work ont OF
doors, even In the summer. There ara
so many distractions am disturbed
necessarily by the tiny clamors OF H.
lie things. making their sweet insidi'
Gus appeal for attention.
There Ia. for instance--or. rather,
there has .been--a chick-a.dee's nest
on my summer house. in box tackled
there 10 attract the wrens. All my
life I have desired TO have 4 ehiek-s.
dee's nest under observation. and this
year my wish was granted. Every
morning while Mrs. Chick-adee was
sitting on her eggs | saiutsd her when
I came down 10 work.
Then, after 7 had settled down. and
had Just got paragraph well under
way. Mr., Chick-a-dee would appear
with worm or bug In his mouth to
feed her, and would have 10 lay
down my pen to watch him First he
would parch on a twig twenty or thir.
ty feet away and. without dropping
the food from his mouth. say "chlcka.
dee two or three times softly---a pref.
ty. wiry. t.asl:ns ssound, He never
on any occasion added the remaining
"dee-dee-dees" OF the familiar call.
After repeating his announcement he
would then fly to strip OF the treilis,
beside the bird box. and sitting there
once more give his wiry little chick.
a-dec" Then he would suddenly give
a hop to the perch below the hole Ia
the box. transfer the food TO the wait.
Ing bill OF his wife. who would have
her head out ready. and depart.
Another disturher Of my labors 10
bluebird whose family inhabits q
box In my s.eighbor's yard. but who
prrfars TO hunt In mime J can never
resist watching the fash OF his blue
wings over the flower beds. Still an
other disturber Is Baltimore oriole
He feeds In the orchard. swallowing
down a bug or caterpillar and then
fairly dancing on spray while he
eniits musical grace after meat.
Il Sometimes a yellow butterfly In.
vadcs my privacy. fus.ering across
my vision 10 attract attention. and
then w.ngg!ns in circles over the potato
field or the flower beds, watch II in
It's flight.
When look back Mt my paper an
nnt is crawling over IT. The ant
makes me think OF my young apple
trees set ont this spring. for the ants
crawl up young apple trees and evi-
IDENTIFY devour the green aphis on the
leaves. Have my new trees any
aphiss must get up and investigate.
Yes. they have. ! must get the hose
and spray them OF. =
Back at last at my table am free
10 resume my work. and another para
graph gets completed. Then hear
a meadow lark or perhaps a wood
thrush and, arrested by the sound.
pause to listen. and my ear catches
clearly the various noises OF the sum
mer day. which 50 often we hear with
out hearing. and would only be aware
OF II they stopped altogether To
sink back and iust listen--so feel the
touch OF tbs breeze On your cheek. to
watch :he great. lazy, beautiful whita
cloud. 70 smell the warm scents Of
the garden--that .x better than work
iag.--Waiter Prtehard Eaton In the
Philadelphia Evening Ledger. 4.