If I could put a name to the month of August 2021 it would be frustrating. My strength was coming back enough that I could make my way up to my new patio and flop down into the old Adirondack chair. My masterpiece wasn’t done but at least I could enjoy being outside in what would eventually be my writing garden. The pills for the Lyme disease treatment caused sensitivity to the sun, and I now needed to wear protection against any deer ticks lurking in the bushes. So there I sat on a beautiful afternoon wearing long pants tucked into calf-high rubber garden boots, a long sleeved shirt, a wide-brimmed hat, large sunglasses and a face slathered in sunscreen. The only part of my body not covered was my mouth! I took pleasure in the Humming bird that swooped by and a couple inquisitive butterflies. With the pavers down my thoughts went to finding a bistro table and two chairs. Months earlier I’d found ten cute, black solar lights on sale that had a rather industrial look, then I couldn’t resist three torches with 
the same look as the solar lights. A decorative theme began growing as I sat there. Black wrought iron against the terra cotta floor and bright turquoise accent cushions––chic industrial. Since my brain still wasn’t capable of stringing more than a couple sentences together, I could shop instead! End-of-the-season sales were everywhere. I found the perfect furniture, painted the Adirondack chair barn-red to match the pavers, and planted pink and purple Astilbe for the butterflies. Deer don’t particularly like the feather-like plumes of the flowers. I hung a red feeder for the Hummers in the tree and wind chimes for me. A Paper Key wasn’t going to make it to the editor by September 1st––not even by the 31st. However, the place to finish the book was taking shape nicely.
