Nocturning In the Widening Gyre.

The waxing crescent moon decorated the sky for a couple of hours this evening. The fallen leaves unrevealed by its pale light, and the air mild, it seemed almost like a spring night until the illusion was broken by the clatter of falling acorns. Later a few cicadas began buzzing. I'm surprised at their survival, as I've already found two of their kind dying in the sink on my back porch. The survivors will undoubtedly meet their ends when the weather turns chilly again early next week.

Luck took me outside very early this morning just in time to see three bright meteors streak above within seconds of each other. If it were possible, I'd spend an hour or two watching the sky. This is apparently being a good year for the Orionids. Here's a chart showing hourly rates of meteors reported by a handful of observers in 16 countries. Too bad I can't be one of them (an observer, not a meteor.)