Complaints

You know that car we've all seen on the freeway? The one that shouldn't be there? It's a bit trapezoidal because the frame has been bent, and one side is considerably lower than the other, and it shimmies because the wheels are out of alignment, and the back bumper is held on by baling wire, and the right passenger door is held on with rope tied in such a way that the driver's door can't be opened either, and the windows won't close all the way, which makes little difference because one of them is broken out and the other is cracked, as is the dusty windshield, and the hood bounces up and down a bit because the latch is so worn that it can barely hold it in place, and the various panels are different colors, or partly or entirely covered in primer, and you can hear from the engine that not all the cylinders are firing, but you have to listen very hard to do so because of the din from the shot muffler, and the whole car jerks with every minor flaw in the pavement because the shocks are in such bad shape, and a cloud of noxious exhaust that would shame an oil-burning locomotive pours from the rusty tailpipe? You know the car I'm talking about? That car?

Well, if that car was a computer, and I talked the owner into trading that computer for Sluggo, I'd feel terribly guilty about having cheated the guy.

Anyway.

The good news is that those LJ comment notification e-mails we've been missing have been found! As many of us suspected (despite official skepticism), they were hiding out on LJ's servers all along. Now we will get to see them all at once, in a huge flood of recovered mail. I can hardly wait. :-P

Yesterday's disruptions to my schedule spilled over into the night, so I didn't get much time to go out and watch the stars or the waning moon, or otherwise enjoy the cool air. This morning is turning quite chilly, much to my delight, and I'll probably have to add another blanket to the bed. Then I'll wake up in a couple of hours and peel it off, because it's going to be hot again.

I'm a bit irritated that the local stores have quit stocking the two flavors of herbal tea I use for my customary summer beverage. Plain iced tea just isn't as good. I must find substitutes. Something with cherry and something with citrus. I cannot survive the summer without tasty combinations of tea!

Balmy

The summer clouds are back. Little whorls and streaks of cream float through pale blue sky, and a few whipped puffs top the distant mountain ridges. It looks tasty. But it is one of those in-between days, not hot enough to justify running the air conditioner, yet hot enough to give Sluggo conniptions. In lieu of Internet time, I have thus sat in the shade for a while, watching the cat nap and the birds peck the brown lawn. The birds would probably prefer that I water the lawn, but they aren't the ones who must pay the water bill, so they're out of luck. Let them consider themselves fortunate that the cat is too content napping to eat them.

I see that the oak leaves are already darkening toward their midsummer ripeness. All through the season, they grow darker and tougher. The new walnuts are growing darker, too, but are still paler than the leaves. The handful of peaches produced by the small tree in the front yard have been harvested, a month ahead of their usual time. Everything bloomed and ripened prematurely this year. I'm wondering if autumn will come early, too, or if the summer will stretch itself out into October, as it sometimes does. The days feel like August to me, so I'm growing impatient for rain.

Another nap for Sluggo, more cloud watching for me.