Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1915-09-24
STOP WRITER'S PEN
Many Gentle Distractions in
Summers Garden.
Some Reasons Why Il Is Difficult to
Work Out Of Doors-Observation
Of the Birds One Of the
Greatest.

In summer l write every morning
In a summer house at the extreme
rear OF my garden-a house which Is,
In reality, a COW shed converted by
Virginia creepers, side trellises, great
openings sawed in all four sides and
a small plaster cast Of a section Of
the Parthenon frieZe, painted with
white enamel paint to resist the rain.
But | find 1t difficult to work out of
doors. even in the summer. There are
so many distractions. | am disturbed
necessarily by the tiny clamors Of lit
tie things, making their sweet, insidi-
u appeal for attention.
There is, for i~nstance-or, rather,
there has been-a chick-a-dee's nest
on my summer house, in a box tackled
there to attract the wrens. All my
life | have desired to have a chick-a-
dee's nest under observation, and this
year my wish was granted. Every
morning while Mrs. Chick-a-dee was
sitting on her eggs | saluted her when
I came down to work.
Then, after | had settled down, and
had just got a paragraph we'll under
way. Mr., Chick-a-dee would appear
with a worm or bug in his mouth to
feed her. and | would have to lay
down my pen to watch him. First he
would perch on a twig twenty or thir-
ty feet away and, without dropping
the food from his mouth, say "chick-a.
dee" two or three times softly-a pref.
ty, wiry, tinkling sound. He never
on any occasion added the remaining
"dee-dee-dees" of the familiar call.
After repeating his announcement he
would then fly to a strip Of the %trellis,
beside the bird box, and sitting there
once more give his wiry little Chick
a-dee," Then he would suddenly give
a hop to the perch below the hole in
the box, transfer the food to the wait
ing bill OF his wife, who would have
her head out ready, and depart.
Another disturber of my labors Is
a bluebird whose family inhabits a
box in my e%ighbor's yard. but who
prefers to hunt in mine. | can never
resist watching the flash OF his blue
wings over the flower beds. Still an.
other disturber is a Baltimore oriole.
He feeds in the orchard, swallowing
down a bug or caterpillar and then
fairly dancing on a spray while he
emits a musical grace after meat.
Sometimes a yellow butterfly In
vades my privacy, f~iuttering across
my vision to attract attention, and
then winging in circles over the potato
field or the flower beds. ! watch 1t in
its flight.
When ! look back at my paper an
ant Is crawling over II. The ant
makes me think Of my young apple
trees set out this spring, for the ants
crawl up young apple trees and evil
IDENTIFY devour the green aphis on the
leaves. Have my new trees any
aphis? | must get up and investigate.
Yes, they have. | must get the hose
and spray them of.
Back at last at my table | am free
to 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-
mel day, which so often we hear with
out hearing, and would only be aware
Of II they stopped altogether To
sink back and just listen-to feel the
touch Of the breeze on your cheek, to
watch the great, lazy, beautiful white
cloud, to smell the warm scents Of
the garden-that is better than work
ing!-Walter Prichard Eaton in the
Philadelphia Evening Ledger.