It used to be that the streetsweeper came by every Friday, made a few passes around my street and that was that. Then there was a water shortage. The city switched to using recycled water. If I didn’t close the door, the smell would linger in the house. A hard-to-describe smell, not real stinky but maybe a stench with a few of its aromatics removed.

The visits tapered to once a month. Sometimes, it seemed that it stopped coming around altogether. Today marks a definite change. Or maybe I got the deranged streetsweeper.

Around ten, he showed up, made two passes. I got the door closed in time. About 30 minutes later, here he comes again, makes a few more passes as if he missed some spots. Then he rumbles by again a few minutes later. I’m starting to get mad that I have to keep getting up. While it’s not as hot as it’s going to get over the next few days (up to the 90s, depending on which forecaster is consulted), it’s still stuffy with the door closed.

Now, at 1:30-ish, he’s here again. I don’t believe it. Is he making up for all the times he skipped? Does he have a girlfriend on the street somewhere? I’ll be heading out in a few minutes, and I bet the street is really, really clean.

And now, of course, there’s a ripeness in the air.