The Gardener had run the sprinkler the evening before, so in the early morning of a hot, breezy day just after Midsummer, Mama Chipmunk and Squirrel carried a large dish of water into the shade of the stone wall — to give the bees somewhere to rest, and a cool drink if they needed it.

Mama Chipmunk wanted to set out a few tiny chairs (the ones she kept for her littlest grandchildren), and a selection of books, but Squirrel said he didn’t think the bees would want to take toooo much time away from their flower-hunting and pollen-gathering.

(June 2022)

Story © 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.