the sounds of summer

We all hear it. Just as the sun begins to set, the cicadas in the trees begin their singing. I personally think it's a beautiful sound. Not nearly as annoying as crickets. But how often do we actually get to see the cicadas? Apparently they enjoy keeping to themselves high in the trees, away from any human contact. This does not bother me at all. I don't like bugs, especially when they are near me. But as I walked toward the house when I got home from work today, I happened to look down on the walkway, and lo and behold...a cicada sat helplessly in my path. He certainly did not appear to be there purposefully. He may have been hurt. Or perhaps he was out for a stroll and suddenly became overwhelmed with the 98 degree weather. But I didn't care about his predicament. I just needed to get past him so I could enter my home safely. So I stood there for a minute to see if he was going to move, and he didn't. In case you haven't seen a cicada before, they're about 2 inches long (or at least this one was) and they are really ugly. They look like monster bugs. So of course I was scared to step over it, for fear he would suddenly decide to leap into the air just as I straddled his beastly body, flying up my skirt in a last-ditch effort to return to his home high atop the oak tree in our backyard. After a few seconds of observation of the repulsive creature, I decided it was safe to scurry by. I am happy to announce that I did, in fact, arrive safely at my destination of the back door. Of course, I managed to go back outside & get a picture of the hideous being. I am still amazed at how close I got to him to get a good picture. So feel free to print off this picture and gaze at it as you listen to the orchestra of cicadas in your own backyard tonight. I have named him Jon. Yes, Jon Cicada.