“I need some social interaction,” said Chauncey on Saturday morning. “Let’s call the Stones.” A few hours later in Bed, Bath and Beyond, Chauncey says, “I’m about to pass out and we still have to go to Trader Joe’s to get the steaks.” He reaches up to grab four seat pads for the wrought iron chairs around the table outside. Eleanor and Chauncey study the pale green color, the texture of the material and the space age plastic on the bottom so the pad doesn’t slip. They are $13.99 apiece. “Are they worth the investment?” asks Eleanor. “No,” says Chauncey, as they proceed to the checkout line.
“The wildlife is profoundly distracting,” said Eleanor to Chauncey, who was frying bacon in the kitchen. Eleanor had been sitting outside at the table drawing roses in a vase. “There is this squirrel who is messing with me on purpose. He keeps climbing up on the fence behind me. I tell myself to have faith that he would never just leap onto my shoulder. But, then, I get up and yell at him to go away. He leaps onto a branch and looks like he is going to honor my request only to jump onto the ground right behind the fence so I can still hear him wandering around on the dead leaves. Before I know it, he is back up on the fence. So I get up and stare at him in the eyes and he stares right back. He has enormous balls.” Chauncey nods knowingly having spent his share of time studying squirrels and other creatures of the backyard.
