Signs of the season

We're still seeing new schoolhouse lily blooms. We've lost a lot this year because thoughtless people insist on permitting their dogs to trample the ones out front, but it's been a good enough year so that each bulb has been sending up a great many bloom stalks in succession. Every evening we're seeing as many as four hummingbirds at a time out back. As always, they love to perch on the lower, bare branches of the pecan tree by the fence, and they zoom out to the turk's cap and the lantanas. We're seeing more ruby-throated hummers among the black-chinned than we have for a few years. And it's easy to tell when the squirrels think they've had enough of summer, because they're to be found on shady bits of stone and concrete sprawled flat on their bellies with all four legs outstretched, trying to soak up a bit of coolness.