Chasing Shade

As I begin my fence staining project, I'm not confident I'll find any shade as I work. I am starting at noon on the west side (read full sun side) of the house....and the first section of fence is in a very sun filled place. But I can see if I can just get past the first gate, I will be sitting in the shade of a big tree.

It looks like a mirage from where I sit in parched, prickly, hay colored grass.

I keep plugging away, slapping stain on pickets, gently brushing daddy longlegs off posts and slowly, slowly, slowly moving towards the promise of cool shade.

When I cross over to the other side of the gate, it is even better than I imagined. Dark and cool, shaded, with a breeze that springs up like magic and I am not quite so miserable.

But the thing with shade is it is transient. It moves. And I'm moving. And we aren't actually moving at the same pace or in the same direction.

Once again I'm in the sun, praying the sun block I slathered on won't come off with hours of baking and sweating. I look ahead....if I can just get past the second gate, I see a patch of shade waiting!

My goal is less a countdown of fence pickets left to stain, it is more the idea of working in the shade. Now that is motivation on a hot day!