After shooing her grandchildren outside to play in the sun (even though she knew some of them would take naps on the soft grass, in the shade of the stone wall), Mama Chipmunk started her chores.

There were plates and teacups to wash and dry and stack in the dish cupboard; toast crumbs and snippets of quilting thread to sweep up; and dust to wipe off of windowsills and rocking chairs and bookshelves. Once the shelves were dusted, she pulled books down one by one, saying hello and tickling their edges and tops with a feather duster.

In the sleepy quiet of midday — the singing of cicadas and buzzing of bees were the only sounds coming through the window (not just a few, but all of her grandchildren must be napping, she realized) — Mama Chipmunk carried her current-favorite book to her reading corner, intending to dive in for part (or all) of the afternoon. But she, too, fell asleep before she’d read three whole pages.

(July 2023)

Story & Photo © Jennifer Singleton / Read+Purr

This is another vignette in my ongoing series of Tiny Garden Stories: peaceful 1-minute tales, full of cozy vibes, delicious details, and generous dollops of imagination & whimsy. Click one of the first two buttons below to go to (or back to, if that’s where you fell down the rabbit hole) either the Public Garden archive page or (if you’re a Story Club member) to the Private Garden page. Or click the third button to learn more about my Tiny Garden Stories. Want each week’s featured story delivered directly to your inbox? Subscribe to my Substack.