one of my new neighbors is an elderly woman. this morning we discovered that her nondescript granny mobile is equipped with a car alarm. she doesn't move swiftly enough to disarm the sirens in a timely fashion. nothing about her current living situation necessitates automobile anti-theft devices. nothing. about 150 feet from her front door is a rather lively cow pasture. to the left of her house is an empty lot. to the right of her house a utilities building. my house is between her and the cows. i'm not going to steal her car. i think the cows can safely be counted out as well. and the utilities people have very soupy utilities vehicles that can move at a good clip. i don't believe they have an interest in trading down. rarely do outsiders venture here (foreboding!). in the evenings can be seen droves of local family units. children in peppermint trolleys. older children on bicycles. and sometimes adolescents on dirt bikes. nobody blinks when they spy the beige-y blandness on four wheels that is my neighbor's car. probably until the alarm alerts them of its presence anyway.

i'm being peevish. i could forgive the alarm in a place where car thefts were the norm. here a gaggle of geese would be more effective and less irritating means of protection. also far less conspicuous.

it's raining. how strange. i thought we'd not get more rain until next year. it's getting a little late in the season for precipitation. the air feels muggy.

cat caught a mouse. the soap aloe is blooming.

listening: pull up the people-- m.i.a.