Today was probably the last day the lawns needed mowing, too. They are shortened now, and the smell of cut grass lingers in the evening air, but without more rain I don't expect them to regrow very far. In fact by the time summer really begins they will probably have turned brown, and won't be green again until next spring, unless autumn is both rainy and warm and induces the grass to start growing some more. But since that's a rare combination here, I'm don't expect more than a couple of weeks of green lawns remaining to me this year, and then it'll be dormant grass until next year.
A single cricket has begun chirping somewhere in the lupine patch. The lupines are starting to look a bit bedraggled, and probably won't last much longer. Apparently yesterday's rain did not reinvigorate them. It's nice to have them replaced by a cricket, though. I hope the feral cats leave him alone. A couple of them like to nap among the lupines, but once the warm weather begins they'll probably move to shadier spots, so maybe the cricket will be able to avoid them.
I didn't get enough sleep last night, and feel in need of a nap, but that would be a bad idea this late in the day. Could be worse if I don't get one, though, as I might fall asleep too early and then wake up at one or two o'clock in the morning again. That's always a disaster. Maybe I'll have a cup of tea and see if that keeps me going until after midnight. As I'm not used to caffeine anymore one cup might be enough. I'm going to skip dinner anyway as I had lunch rather late. If I stay awake until midnight or so there's always popcorn.
Goodbye, clouds. I'll miss you when I'm out in the sun's unfiltered glare.