They're Coming

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The signs of summer are starting to pop up.  Bullfrogs croaking, fireflies lighting up the night sky and soon cicada shells littering the backyard.

We hear the buzzing of the cicadas every summer.  Some years being more noticeable than others.  This year we are supposed to be inundated with a swarm 17 years in the making.  They pose no threat to humans.  They don't bite.  They just make a lot of noise.  A lot of noise.  However their tough outer layer and freaky appearance does make them look somewhat menacing, especially to my wife.

Kelly is not really a fan of the cicadas.  They just freak her out.  So much so that a few years ago, while she was hanging out on the porch with Steve, a giant cicada buzzed by them and flew into the screen door.  Kelly panicked.  She ran inside and shut the door behind her leaving Steve to fend for himself.  Once inside she ran down the long hallway to our bedroom and slammed the door shut.  I wasn't there to witness the event but it still makes me laugh thinking about her running away from a harmless bug like it was a giant pterodactyl.  She denies locking the door behind her but in my head I always picture her barricading the door and then hiding under the bed. 

So this summer we will hear the deafening mating call of the 17-year cicadas and though it can be very loud and disruptive to our eardrums, I actually enjoy it.  It's one of the sounds of the summer here in the South.  Now if I can just keep Libby from eating them when she finds them in the yard.