Summer at it's peak .. the drone of the cicadae began on the evening of the 7th, not a night before, and acorns finally began forming. On a mountain rain drains quickly and an acorn's growth reflects the amount of rain. Last year the oaks were covered with acorns, but this year there are few. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are numerous, reflecting the rain of January.
Standing on the porch a snake the length of a long arm came from under the spa. Yup, another arm's length of transparent snake skin was beneath the spa, as though hung in a make-shift closet. A few days later I saw the snake on the porch, so we have a new neighbor whom, we hope, catches none of the squirrels or chipmunks that scurry around on the porch trying to find food among the hulls of picked-over bird seed.
The wind in July is light, rarely above 15 mph, and the temperature stays between the 60's
and low 90's. Our view of the stars is frequently blocked by the haze that makes the
Blue Ridge blue, a mist that nourishes the numerous, varied ferns.
"Regardless of weather,
The moon shines the same;
It is the drifting clouds
That make it seem different
On different nights."
Basho, "A Visit to the Kashima Shrine", 1687.