For me, this is the perfect morning of an overcast sky, 70-degrees, a gentle breeze, very low humidity, Erma laying by my chair, Chief noisily licking himself, and The Sisters valiantly running alongside the fence as they chase a squirrel scampering along the utility wires overhead.

The wind chimes stir about once every minute as the breeze revisits the deck area. Occasionally, some birds speak up to remind us of there continued presence. There is no rain in the forecast yet the sky looks as though it could dump water on us at any minute.

Chief roused himself to chase some phantom visitor. The Old Boy has this cry of excitement before settling into a full fledged bark. It’s rather cute. He slowly limps along throughout most of his day until there’s something to entice the return of feigned youthfulness. Suddenly, he’s a vibrant dog, again, ready to battle for his territory.

I’m deciding if I truly feel like investing time in crowds at the German fair in St. Anne’s Hill or the potato festival at Court House Square. I am not terribly fond of crowds but I was looking forward to something to do since the weather is much calmer than Heat Miser’s bitch has been for several days. The original forecast was a high of 77 but it has been altered to 81 which I find still doable. German food does tempt me to move out into the world, today.

It’s moving in on 9:30 AM and I should probably busy myself with writing. Chief has stopped licking himself; the squirrel is no longer tormenting The Sisters; Erma is now grumping away at some unseen disturbance in her world; the heavy clouds suddenly moved out leaving bright blue skies; a crow has taken up residence and is cawing loudly; and a neighbor several houses over is working on their car with lovely revs blasting away the peacefulness.