Vaporous

A bit of pink in the sky. There are thin clouds again. I saw them, vaguely, by dead of night, when their drifting made stars vanish and reappear. Earlier, they had wreathed the moon in its twice reflected light. Strange that bits of dust and vapor can appear so dense.

Some beast made a racket among the wild plum bushes about midnight. I'm guessing it was either a raccoon or a stray dog. Of all the creatures who venture out at night here, only raccoons and dogs are so noisy. I was unable to get a look at it, so I guess I'll never know which it was.

Something is annoying me, and I don't know what that is, either. I am more than usually unfocused this morning, and possessed of an inexplicable sense of disquiet. I suppose I'll have to wait and see what happens, if anything. Maybe there will be an earthquake. Maybe my recent lack of sufficient sleep is catching up with me.

Oh, shut up, blue jay!

Longer Nights

The waxing moon wears sheer, translucent veils. Their glow softens the silhouettes of the pines. Day ended as it began, a sky tinged by swaths of pink, a piping of small birds, but the evening is warm, and the darkness wrapping fields and woods deepens. The crickets have been joined by the first of those late-summer insects whose sounds are a constant, shrill buzz. By September, the night air will vibrate, dusk till dawn. Then will come the clatter of falling acorns. The heaviness of tonight's air makes me anticipate the autumnal rains which may or may not come. I hope this is not one of those years when they are delayed until winter. The scents of autumn are so much more delightfully pungent when stimulated by October showers.