The rain confined itself to the night last night, and will probably return later tonight, but the day was relentlessly gray. Something is blooming nearby, though, as I kept getting whiffs of fragrance. It wasn't daphne or gardenia, and whatever it was is keeping its blossoms well hidden.
There was also a strange bird perched atop a pine beyond my back yard. It looked like a crow but its call had an oddly bell-like sound. Maybe it was a crow with something stuck in its throat. This time of year we see mostly the little brown birds who graze the lawn in the mornings and evenings, and seldom make a peep, though peep they do when they make any sound at all. Portia likes to stalk them but never catches them. They're too fast for her.
I'm still short of sleep, of course. Portia probably sleeps sixteen hours a day. I'm envious.