August 20, 2020: Things that Go Bump and Clang in the Night -

I heard crickets last night, with all the windows open in the heat, and no helicopters or planes patrolling over the city. I really like crickets.

I also heard strange thumpings, clangings, and rustlings. My best guess was raccoons, but then this morning I was eating breakfast out on the picnic table, and I got to watch the daylight version. There is an enormous apple tree next door, which has branches reaching all the way to our pear tree. There are walnuts down in the alley. Both pears and apples are ready to fall, and under the apple is a metal garden shed.  The squirrels are in a super-bold mood, probably because a) the dog is off  on a fishing trip with Rick, and b) Winter is Coming. It’s getting dark earlier, and it must be high-intensity burying-things time.

Under the apple there is a metal garden shed, so this morning the squirrels were racing all over, working the walnuts, etc., and it was pretty symphonic, pears thumping and rustling onto the walkway and into the bushes in our yard, apples clanging on the metal shed. All good.

I’m a light sleeper, and sounds in the night often wake me up, but only for a second – the dog heaving a giant sigh, or clicking out to the kitchen for some water. When I’m alone, I sleep even more lightly, and awaken with more adrenaline – my vigilant brain knows that whatever that noise was, it can’t have been the dog.

But last night, even with the thumping and clanging, no adrenaline at all. I realized it was because I was unusually relaxed, and that was a result of having experienced the long, multi-evening massage-equivalent that is the Democratic National Convention. No, really. It’s as if a favorite and faraway branch of the family came for a visit. Cousin Alexandra and I stayed up late watching a hokey travel show/beauty pageant, giggling whenever one of us mentioned  Rhode Island, or said, "I'ts Joe Time!"

(Scheena Iyande Tanis, registered nurse, union member, and chanter of "It's Joe Time!" on right. Photo courtesy of Democratic National Convention)

When it got even later, somebody made me a mug of warm milk, and my Uncle Barack read me a story, and my Auntie Kamala came in and gave me a kiss on the forehead, and I fell asleep. And during the night, I was happy whenever I woke up and heard the adults out there in the living room.

I do realize that our national situation is just as screwed up as it was four days ago. But it’s been pretty wonderful hearing those voices of intelligence and sanity and sense and serious good humor. And not only that, but when I woke up, Steve Bannon, the Big Bad Wolf of the early days of this administration, “We Will Build the Wall” himself, was in custody! True, he had't been arrested for his crimes against humanity, but rather for fraud, but I’ll take it.