Hearing *cicadas* - for the first past 5.69 time of my life (your math might vary)!1

[UTUSN]

They sound tentative, low volume, non-intrusive. Maybe this crop are drowsy to start?

When I was young they sounded *LOUD* and sort of annoying! - and long-winded - wait, wind's got nothing to do with it, amirite?!1

[MerryHolidays]

1. I had a cicada summer decades ago

It was one of the most incredible sights ever. First there was nothing, then for a month or so, the numbers were staggering, and then they simply vanished...several dead ones here and there, but no live ones.

Nature is an incredible thing, and yet is the most natural thing!

[UTUSN]

2. Just a month? I never was aware of the span, seemed to go on forever when I was young!1 And LOUD

[MerryHolidays]

3. It's not long at all.

If I recall, the one I went through started in mid-May and was over by mid/late June at the latest.

[sprinkleeninow]

4. Y'all were young AND loud?!!1

[UTUSN]

7. Not so LOUD as YOU!!!!!!!!1

[sprinkleeninow]

8. Guilty as charged11!1!

[sprinkleeninow]

11. Dedicated to you:

Rod Stewart • 'Forever Young'

[UTUSN]

12. Wow, thanks but aren't your crushes going to... never mind!1

[sprinkleeninow]

13. What. Crushing interfere with my reasoning/logic?

⚓ 🚢 ☀️ 🌈 🌠

[UTUSN]

14. What does Reason have to do with emotional French things?!1

[sprinkleeninow]

15. I KNEW IT! I just KNEW it.

That Franch would be mentioned.

He's happily married and we are simply brothers and sisters in humanity.

Now, as for another someone someone...hmmm...

[UTUSN]

16. You have a lot of competition for that one!1

[sprinkleeninow]

17. Mb, mb not.

I feel we're pretty sympatico. Tico tico.

'Tico Tico'

[UTUSN]

18. DU needs an emoticon for cartoon large STEPPING *out* of a discussion!

[sprinkleeninow]

19. I was just gonna ask forgiveness from the Original Poster.

Sea worthy buddy of mine also had a hand innit. I was under the influencer's spell.

Please forgive me, OP. 💛

[UTUSN]

21. If the mysterious OP is moi, no plea is needed. & thanks for the fun and song dedication!

[sprinkleeninow]

22. Ah, well.You got me inna tizz. Ahm just a mixed up kiddo.

A pleasant balance of this night be to you. 💛

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. give 'em a few days to get up to strength.

My memory of the cycles is they start low and slow, then get deafening.

altho that same memory can't tell me the last time I heard them, I do recall at least 3 times in the last 21 years, so guess they were the 7 year ones.

[happybird]

6. I'm wondering if my memory of them is big because I was young??

Nothing here, yet, they should be out next week. My memory of them is there were thousands, everywhere, and they were super loud, and they were around all summer. Idk if that is accurate, though?

My friend and I are considering freaking out our fellow coworker, who is from the Philippines, by telling her they are poisonous with a deadly bite. Because we are assholes and her reaction will be spectacular.


ETA: Hmm. I don’t remember them last time they came out. I was 28. Maybe we weren’t at ground zero that time? The time I do remember is when I was 11.

[ret5hd]

9. Murder Crickets!!!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

10. There was a "dead" titan beetle found in a big package...

... of raw material delivered from South America to one of my past employers.

The guys in shipping & receiving placed that gigantic thing next to a woman who was skittish around bugs anyway. She finally saw it, then let out a shriek that was absolutely ear-splitting! That poor woman was trembling and looked like she was ready to cry as the guys in shipping laughed and assured her it was dead.

Then one of the laughing shipping guys picked it up again, and the giant bug moved its legs! Then he also let out a yell, and some curse words, before dropping it!

So it was still alive, but just barely. Those guys kept it in their work station for awhile, and it never moved again after the next day.

[madamesilverspurs]

20. 1964ish

First time I remember hearing them. We'd just moved to Albuquerque and the rental house was near an old church that rang its bells on the hour; the cicadas were so loud they drowned out those bells. Most amazing thing was the way they started and stopped together, like somebody flipped a switch.


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