The increasing and constant heat is translating into the house foundation shifting. It shows up via cracks inside on a few walls in particular. I'll be watering around the outside of the house to try to reduce the amount of cracking. It happens every year. A few minutes ago I swapped a new soaker hose for one I hit with the mower last week, and have it running now. My water bill is going up up up. The air quality has been bad for weeks, uncommon for here (we get them intermittently as a rule, not for weeks at a time.)

Trash went out today before I tackled the dog hair, but I made headway this afternoon in the den and halls. Also hoovered up a few dead crickets. In years past the crickets were what could drive you nuts at night; the house is dead quiet but there is a cricket chirping somewhere, maybe between your shoes or in a crack on the fireplace. You could rarely ever find them because if you moved they stopped. The last couple of years the chirping I've heard is male green anoles puffing their bright orange throat sacks looking for a mate. There was one in the house for quite a while, though they're usually outside of the windows on the screens (catching bugs attracted by light at night). I haven't even heard that so far, though I've seen anoles around. Not as many spiny lizards so far, and though there is one big fat toad who lives near the back porch, only a few babies. I am sure it's because I haven't had as much of a garden in during the last two years. They benefit from all of the activity out there. I should go look at the Maximillian sunflower jungle on the side of the driveway - I let them grow large and dense in an area about 10 square feet and I've seen birds in them. That may be where everyone else is hanging out. If the lizards would just eat the wasps that are doggedly trying to rebuild a nest on the front porch. I've chased them away from several new starts after the bigger one fell last week.

Back to eBay listings, now that the defensive driving course is complete.