Yesterday afternoon and all last night it poured. I was surrounded by the sound of rain on the windows, on the roof and on the deck. It was such a wonderful sound it made me want to go outside and run up and down the street with my arms extended wide and a huge grin on my face, but sadly it’s still a little too chilly for my rain dance. That’s a summer activity. I did sit outside reading my book under the umbrella for a while. The drops over my head made the best music, but when it started raining really heavily, the umbrella was no longer a dry refuge and I came inside. Today is a leftover day: gray, still and damp.

I never even got dressed yesterday. This morning, though, is a different story. I was up early, not bright and early, just early, took my shower, made my bed and got dressed, all before coffee and the papers. I feel accomplished.

Morphy, a Coffee reader for a long time now, made a few different headers for Coffee when I switched to WordPress. The one I’ve been using is his as well. Lately I’ve wanted a new look for Coffee so I’m changing the header today and will alternate every week with another Morphy original, and I’d like your reactions. Whichever gets the most favorable reviews stays. I like them all.

The paint eating spawn of Satan did not return this summer. He had been a frequent visitor for two years. The sound of him gnawing on the deck furniture used to wake me up early in the morning, and I’d run down and scare him away. He gnawed the black paint down to the silver and left teeth marks you could see and feel on the metal parts of the arms of the chairs and the edge of the table. I figure whatever caused the need to eat the paint finally led to his demise.

This is that in-between time of year when it’s not quite summer, but summer is exactly what you crave. The nights are still chilly, down to the 50’s usually, and the days are unpredictable. Two days ago was perfect. It was the definition of summer, and we were out on the deck playing games and laughing. Dinner was the quintessential summer meal: hot dogs and salads, but we ate in the house. It had gotten too chilly. That’s is the yin yang of June on Cape Cod.