A not unpleasant start to what will be unpleasantly warm afternoon, after a springlike morning coffee muses.

The birds are muted. They’re still out and about, but they must have settled into their territories now, with mates. So there isn’t the need to advertise.

A pileated woodpecker just let out his call to the southeast. That’s one of the things I love about this place… we still have enough old trees with deadwood to attract the pileated woodpecker.

I can hear a titmouse calling from the woods. “Pretty… Pretty… Pretty”, “Pretty… Pretty… Pretty”, “Pretty… Pretty… Pretty” over and over. Bird Note: Tufted Titmouse – What’s in a Name?

There’s a murder of crows on the ground in the right-of-way, moved late last week. What they are picking over I don’t know. I seldom see more than one or two on the ground at any given time.

Yesterday afternoon we hit the mid nineties out here in the sun. Afternoons are not supposed to be that warm yet. It really makes me worried about what August will bring. In case you were wondering, summers have never been my favorite season. But, then again, I grew up here on the Texas Gulf Coast and summers have always been miserable… more so when I was growing up in the pre air conditioned world.

I can still recall this time of year in elementary school… open windows hoping for a breeze. Sweaty arm across school work on the desk. Ink runny and smeared from the moisture. Afternoon torpor, eyes drooping, attention on the world outside. Teachers droning on and on. Metal fan hanging high on the wall, moving warm air from here to there, providing just a bare respite. And… somehow we learned.

That’s me blocking part of the American flag in the second row. The year was 1962, it was second grade at Richey Elementary. And we had no AC. I think they installed air conditioning  during the summer between 4th and 5th grades. So we had AC for my last year I attended the school. It sometimes amazes me to think of how many of these kids I can still recall names for…

Well the cup was empty long ago… And my laundry calls.

PS… I would be remiss in not pointing out that today is the 12th anniversary of my first post… DAY ONE OF THE NEXT STAGE OF MY LIFE… Originally posted on a WordPress.com blog then moved to my original North Carolina Mountain Dreams site… Then moved here. Who would have thought all those years ago that I’d still be doing this thing I call Coffee Muses…