New York City, October 10, 2012

★★★ The dampness and gray would go, but not without unhinging meteorological science on its way out. Mist came first, then a downpour, then an inconclusive brightening. The high would be 72, according to the online forecast. The high would be 66, according to the front page of the Times. By late morning, it was 53 degrees out, according to the smartphone. A light wool sweater seemed an appropriate compromise among the projected possibilities — but was suffocating within half a block, in actuality. Into the bag with it, and on through a springlike haze. By midafternoon, though it took an act of will to go outside after so many dim days, brightness and certainty had come through. Clouds were no longer the general condition, but separate items against the blue. And shadows! The invisible nap of a jacket cuff cast long, spiny shadows on a bright white page. A giant fly landed nearby, its eyes a deep dull red. On the next rooftop, the green in the pigeons’ neck feathers flashed like emeralds.