Painters and Caterpillars

Strange and beautiful caterpillars are dripping from the hickory trees. For a couple of weeks we have noticed the copious caterpillar poop plopping on the driveway and onto the cars. I hear them dropping like rain on the tin roof of the barn, and now, having denuded the trees, the caterpillars are on the ground for about half an hour at which point they burrow into the earth and will be seen no more until a year or two. Then they will continue their cycle of eating leaves and.. The hickories are already leafing out anew.

Strange and beautiful painters live amongst us as well. Steve, and Jared, his son, are painting the house, the guest house, and the barn. The guest house has been painted, and the barn. The main house needs some interior work as well as the outside. They are always here. Our dog tells me that our regular nap/reading time has gone to hell. The painters are replacing rotten siding and they are prying and hammering.

We had just had an enormous number of guests before we left for a week's trip to North Carolina. Steve was to paint the kitchen while we were gone. I had left him a hurried note saying that since we had removed a large tree from the yard, the light in the dining room was different. Should we paint the dining room something different (from the usual off-white?)

When we returned we found that the kitchen and the hall were painted in wonderful vibrant Italianesque shades of yellow and orange. We gulped, then ogled, then loved it. Our decorator!

I love having painters, renovators, and handy people of all kinds helping us maintain our homes. We used to do everything ourselves, and now, though we still do a lot of maintenance on the ranch, we need the help of these wonderful folks.

This evening when I went up to the main house where Andy was making dinner, I asked, "Are we alone? Is anyone here?" They have all gone home for the day so we go for a swim in the pool, no suits, many laps, so cool.

We are so fortunate, here in paradise.

I need to share it, so this week twenty or more kids I know from Lacoochee Elementary School will be coming for a day of making tie-dye tee shirts, swimming, celebrating birthdays, having experiences, and leaving with a book to read and their own fired clay pieces carefully wrapped in newspaper.

We are so fortunate.