Last night’s respite from midsummer heat gave us the excuse to turn off the air-conditioning and throw open the windows to the night air.

Fans whir, crickets sing, a faint smell of loamy earth wafts through the house. By the middle of the night the fan has sucked in enough cool air that I pull the comforter up around my chin.

It’s the best kind of chilly, air that is moist and moving and full of sounds and smells. I’ve missed it this summer.