I remember when the police were called The Heat, as in hear that siren? Heat’s a few blocks away. Me, I could never tell the difference between the sound of a police, fire, or ambulance siren. The term, The Heat brings to mind (of course) looking out for the police in the summer, when in the city was terribly hot.

To me, one of the most unnerving things of all is driving at night, and being blinded by the lights of a police car. The problem is, it’s hard to see where to pull off when the lights are bouncing off the rear view mirror, into my eyes. All this is why I don’t like driving in the dark.

The three mares

It’s great, this time of year, to not have to worry about driving in the dark. I still keep glancing back in my rear-view mirror, wondering if the police are behind, and perhaps wanting to stop me. Then too, I always do a mental check, in order to determine where my wallet might be.

Heat. It’s cool (still) in the mornings and the evening. However, it’s quite warm midday/late afternoon. It’s then that the sizzle goes out of me. So far, though, it’s remained cool in the woods. Some parts of our route are still buggy. Nasty, voracious insects, going in for the blood en mass. I have not, but should be, wearing gloves when I ride. I first feel an itch, then see the rapacious mosquitoes sucking blood. And though they are slow, they are quick in getting blood.

Our horses are lucky in that I keep the pen clean, picking up the poop and scooping the urine on the mats at least a few times a day. We seldom get flies – usually they hover and land on the piles of manure, leaving the single poops alone. Now, though, they are landing on the small stuff.

We get gnats every year. They are tiny, and they like to suck the juice around the eyes. This makes me wish I had a tail on my behind and on my forehead.

Been having popsicle cravings. I would like an orange flavored one. I’d suck out the juice the way mosquitoes suck blood. I remember the sound of the ice cream truck, feeling the cooler air as the vendor opened the side doors and doled out the goods.

A summer image – the swallows outside our bedroom window have been making quick exits from the birdhouse, then making equally quick returns back into the birdhouse. The birdhouse is quiet. This pair has neighbors – the second pair is nesting in the eves of my cabin. I can hear their babies though.

I wonder if the two pairs interact. I suspect that when the young birds take flight, that they will land on the ground, then do short hops as they learn to fly. And I suspect that their parents will continue to feed them.

A bird would never say “Heat’s on.”

Next: 176. 6/28/22: Going to Extremes