A Paint Brush in the Freezer

A Paint Brush in the FreezerI’d been hearing so many dark stories about the national debt, opening and closing the straits, algae on the National Mall, and toxic lettuce that I needed something to lift my spirits. But when I reached in the freezer for a treat, I found a three-inch-wide, wood-handled paint brush wrapped in plastic right next to the Klondike bars.I felt better already.Lynn, my friend and go-to painter, had been working in my house recently. And I remembered him telling me, “If you’re going to paint the next day, it doesn’t make sense to clean your brush every night. Just freeze it.”Lynn is a disciple of order. He always wears white work clothes and organizes his drop cloth before he begins. When he’s done for the day, he lines up his paint cans, folds his drop cloth, and stows his paint brush in the freezer. Then he goes home for supper.It’s a kind of benediction. Every fall Lynn goes back to Virginia, where he grew up, to make apple sauce at his church. When I got the…