Finch sex on the feeder. Weird little dynamics to this scene–male has a brief, flapping encounter with a female. Second female, also on the feeder waits for this to end, then chases the first female grumpily off. Hmm. Male cardinal, unmoved by this display of avian erotica, sits cracking sunflower seeds with his orange can-opener beak. The cat, unmoved by pretty much anything, continues to snooze. The dog next door, deeply moved by practically everything, barks hysterically, as he has been doing, with various levels of shrillness, for the last two hours, more or less nonstop.

I love animals. Really, I do. I want to beat the owners more than the dog. However, much more of this, and my irritation will begin to spill over. It’s too hot to keep the doors closed, but the barking…the endless barking…