The hot wind from the northeast is gone, and softer breezes following them became variable last night. This allowed smoke from a set of small fires burning southeast of here since yesterday morning to make its way to the neighborhood yesterday evening, and because I had to have the HVAC fan on to cool the house down, the whole place got stunk up all night and into this morning. The fires are controlled now, and I haven't smelled them for several hours, but there's always a chance the wind will shift around and bring us more smoke tonight.
At the moment there is the softest of breezes, cool and fresh, coming down from the northeast, as it should. The small crickets are quite loud tonight, but the spider, the fly, and the tiny moth who infested my room last night are gone. I do not miss them. Well, maybe I miss the tiny spider a little bit, but not the others. I won't miss the small crickets when they are gone, either, but that won't happen until we get a few nights of serious chill. That could happen as early as late next week. As happy as I'll be to be rid of the buzzing of the crickets, I'll be sad to go so quickly from hot weather to cold weather. I've only just gotten rid of the air conditioner, and now I'll have to use the furnace. No savings for the wicked.
But maybe we'll get some mild fall weather after the cold spell. A mild fall is one of my favorite things. It's almost as pleasant as a mild spring, but has the added bonus of pumpkin pie (yes, you can buy pumpkin pie year 'round these days, but it always tastes better in the fall.) My hope for October is that we'll get some decent rain, and lots of cool, mild days. Sometimes October obliges, sometimes it doesn't. I hope it is obliging this year, as this is the most unpleasant election year I can remember, and I need all the compensations I can get. Come, rain, and wash away all thought of the foulness!