These Are Strange Times, Man.

It is absolutely motionless outside, opposed to the typical constant wind that logically exists in these plains with nothing for miles to slow it. And it is so silent that in another place you could hear a pin drop, except here what we hear is the crackling of the monstrous power lines, whose jet black silhouettes are obvious and ever-present against any shade of night sky. No coyotes tonight, no frogs. Occasionally the first lone cricket of the season chirps, unanswered.

It has been so unreasonably hot. For the last three days it has been in the mid-to-upper 90's in the day. The nights have been better, but I think the pure deliciousness of these first summer nights has allowed me to ignore the fact that I can't sleep because everything is sticky and uncomfortable.

Tonight at around 11 I was overcome with a sense of ickyness. Earlier I had put some lotion on, because it had seemed like the right thing to do after baking in the scorching sun all day. But then I was this disgusting mess of dirt, old sunscreen, sweat and greasy lotion surrounded by suffocating humidity. Suddenly, past my usual bed time already, I felt like if I didn't shower right then I would undoubtedly lay awake all night. Hubby encouraged me to go inside The Farmers' house and shower so vehemently that I came to believe that this was the single greatest idea in the world. (soon after I came to believe that maybe I was just really stinky.) So I trekked up the driveway with plans of slipping in quietly and hoping not to wake anyone. Well, Farmer Boss Lady wasn't even home yet, and as I walked in Farmer Boss Man was nowhere to be seen but there was loud strange music playing in the living room and nearly every possible light in the building was on. I showered, half-hearing the muffled, Nirvana Unplugged sounding songs that faded into something like a jew harp, and had a moment that I felt like me and my few cohorts here were marooned in the middle of nowhere, wide awake in the middle of the night, and being crazy because the heat had made us so.

I hope it cools down soon.