A big ol' thunderstorm rolled through here around 6:00 this morning, dropping temperatures into the 60's.  This was a welcome relief.  The forecast is calling for a high near 100 this afternoon after an overnight low in the upper 70s, which isn't enough to cool down the house at night.

Old folks like me grew up before air conditioning was common in people's homes.  In summer my mother got up around 5:00 AM and opened up all of the windows - and by mid-morning when the sun was up and temperatures rising she'd shut the windows and close the blinds and drapes.  A reasonably well-insulated house would stay reasonably comfortable until late afternoon, after which we'd spritz ourselves with water and hang around close to a fan.

Old habits die hard. and here at The Casa Chez Nous I'm also up early and throwing open all of the windows even though The Casa has central air - unless it's in the upper 70s, because why bother, or there's a storm in progress.  It looks like this morning's storms are coming back for another round, so that's it for my planned mosey.   (If the lightning would stop, I may channel my inner 10-year-old and go splashing barefoot through puddles and scandalize the HOA.  We called this "making our own fun" back in the day, and it is not to be scoffed at.  Maturity is overrated.)

I think Alfred Hitchcock missed one.

I was out for my morning mosey when I was stopped by a horde of squirrels running across the street in front of me.  I've never seen that many in one place - we're talking a couple dozen at least - and Lord knows what they were up to.  I didn't hear any screaming or spot any dogs chasing them, and there wasn't anything obvious across the street that would attract them.  Maybe they were all headed for the swimming pool?  It's surprising that anything wearing a fur coat would be running in this weather.

Anyway, I stopped dead in my tracks.   A lot of people think squirrels are cute, but not me.  Those beady little rodent eyes and skittery little rodent paws and sharp little rodent teeth: nope nope nopity-nope.  I looked around for the closest tree to climb and wondered where you can get the rabies vaccine around here.  Apparently the newer vaccines are a lot less awful than the older ones, but I'm not in any hurry to verify this for myself.  And what with covid vaccines and Shingrix vaccines and RSV vaccines and flu shots, I'm already a damned pin cushion.

I plan to give all viruses a miss, thank you very much, especially ones carried by furry little critters.

Sunny, temps in the upper 60s, forecast calling for yet another round of severe weather ahead of yet aother cold front.  Signs that we've had too much rain: the grass is bright green instead of its normal August brown.  For those of us who enjoy the heat, this summer has been a disappointment.  I've gotten into the "spirit" of things and pulled out my Halloween t-shirts, since the only time I can comfortably wear them is when the weather is being an idiot - October is nearly always too cold.

One of the exciting things about living near all kinds of wildlife is that you occasionally come across things that get your heart racing.  I was strolling around the "Olde Folkes' Homes" earlier today when I spotted something unusual by the lake and headed over to take a look.  What first had looked like a large rock was actually a large. grey, hunched, furry back.  "Oh," thinks I to myself, "too small to be a werewolf, maybe a coyote".  "Not moving but on its feet with its head down," thinks I to myself.  "Unusual behavior," I further muse, "could be a sign of illness".  Yours truly was batting a thousand at this point.  Since I have no desire to experience the new rabies vaccines that are said to be less awful than the old ones, and thus verify the claim for myself, I sidled at top speed away from the area, keeping my eye on the furry lump lest it move and I'd have to vault onto the top of the nearest big-ass pickup truck.

I'm happy to report that I made it home without any big-ass vaulting or further encounters of the alarming kind.

A sidle is just a full throttle and quiet mosey: an important skill for many animals, including biddies and witches. 

... faster than your guardian angel can fly or slower than the Grim Reaper can walk.

I'm not even sure where all of them are.  And I'm pretty sure that one of them is a pigeon.

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