Missed

Of course I fell asleep last night and missed the meteor shower. It would have been a good night or it, too, as mild as it was, and the sky was clear. My only problem would have been that the meteors in the Lyrid shower radiate from the northeast, and as there are a lot of tall trees in that direction I'd have had a view of only about a third of the sky. However, had I moved the chaise lounge from the porch into the yard to watch it I might have avoided the dead rodent I found on the chaise this morning.

Apparently it was left for me by a feral tom cat who has been hanging around for the last few weeks. I haven't run him off because he is not aggressive toward the other cats, and they all tolerate him&mdsh; even Portia, who is not at all a fellow-cat lover. The rodent was probably an offering in exchange for all the cat food I've given him. While I appreciate his thoughtfulness, I'd rather not wake to find rodent cadavers on my yard furniture. I hoisted it onto a shovel and disposed of it farther out in the yard. I hope I didn't hurt the tom cat's feelings by rejecting his gift, but I also hope that he decides not to bestow any more.

Today was the first time this year that the temperature went well into the eighties. More such days are upcoming. While I did enjoy the change, it's distressing to have days this hot in April. We ought to still be having clouds and maybe even a bit of rain. It makes me wonder what might come along even in May, let alone July and August. But the last few summers have been unusually mild, so I guess we're due for one that is uncommonly torrid. I'm not looking forward to it.