snippets xi-iv

Go read A desolation called Texas by xenogere. Our thermometer said 104.7 yesterday around 5:00. The sensor is in deep shade at that time of day. We haven't been hearing many cicadas this year, which is worrisome - summers here are usually filled with their buzzing. We still have lots of birds visiting our yard, but we get the sense they're there because their wild sources of food and water have all dried up.