I have the windows open, since the evening air is soft and warm, cooled down from the day's 90 something high.

All around me I hear (illegal) fireworks from the neighbors' back yards. It's an impossible law to enforce, and should be repealed, since all it does is teach that the law can be broken with impunity.

My poor schizy neighbor is restless and upset. I can here him talking in that high nervous voice he uses when he's hearing voices no one else can hear. His girlfriend responds soothingly, keeping him as calm as she can.

One family is setting off bangers that sound just exactly like gunshots. Boom. Boom. Timed just right. I can't help it; they make me very nervous. I find myself flinching, wanting to take cover.

If you've ever been shot at, you know what I mean.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear; I will permit it to pass over me...."