Through Another Night

All the clouds have either gone, or have gone so ghostly pale that they might as well be gone. A cricket- either Johann or a new arrival- has taken up residence in the bush next to the front walk. He's been chirping the calling song all night, so I've been careful to shine a light each time I've passed that way, so as not to have another unintentional stomping tragedy (I still feel bad about having crushed Johann's first prospective girlfriend.) Sufficient morning light has now spread that I can see the walk clearly, so any late-arriving female crickets would be in no danger from me, but they'd best take care not to attract the attention of the birds now emerging from their rest and seeking breakfast.

I wouldn't mind some breakfast myself, as I didn't feel like eating all night, partly because my jaw has grown very sore and hurts when I bite down on anything. Now I'm getting extremely hungry, and it's almost time to sleep (which is not a good time to eat.) There's nothing soft, anyway. Maybe I'll stock up on bananas, which don't require much biting. I only hope that new physical malfunctions don't keep developing. The headache didn't leave until after midnight. I'm becoming quite annoyed by all this nonsense, and would like for it to be done with.

Clouds being gone means no more rain, I guess. That's a bit disappointing. The heat will probably return now. I'll try to ignore it.

Dogged

Balmy weather has brought the kids out to enjoy the lingering evening. The teenager on the corner has been fiddling with his car, trying to get it to run properly, which means there's been a lot of driving up and down the block, making noise and spewing pollution. I guess this means he's actually enjoying the lingering of the evening, rather than the lingering evening itself. Enjoying the evening would involve no more than listening to the chatter of the lawn sprinklers and smelling the scent of damp grass drifting through mild air sans unburned hydrocarbons.

The younger kids up the block, playing basketball, might be having a better time, though their game is periodically interrupted by the passage of the loud, belching machine of the first kid. It's more than likely, though, that they watch the car with envy, eager for the day they can have one of its ilk.

But I believe that the dog next door is enjoying the evening itself more than the kids are. After a few minutes of running and biting at the streams of water coming from the lawn sprinkler in his back yard, he is now lying quietly on the grass, surveying his territory, now and then brushing flat a triangular patch of lawn with his tail.

No adults are in sight. They are probably all sitting in their houses watching television, or maybe sitting in front of computers and straining their sore necks. Oh, wait! Time to go out. I think I'll emulate the dog and sit in the back yard, so I won't have to see that car going by, and its noise will be diminished.