Cicadas!

 It has been seven years since the last time the cicadse emerged from the earth.  It's an amazing and kind of creepy thing to see.

My first memory of the cicada invasion was in 1970.  My second nephew was born that year. I was a camp counselor that summer, and I will always remember how the little kids would try to tiptoe around so they wouldn't step on the cicadas crunching them underfoot.   We were outdoors all the time and the cicadas would fly into the kids' and adults' faces.    Creepy!

I was 16 that summer.  When I went home every day (I worked at a day camp), I would sit on the curb with my friends and watch the cicadas.  Some of the boys would tie strings or a piece of long hair to the bugs and fly them around like toy airplanes.   We were all prett stoned so I think we all found it pretty amusing.

The next time we had th cicadas, Austin, my fourth bby was born.   I am sure there was cicadas and I am sure I dealt with them.  But I was pretty pre-occupied with baby and kids.

My mother died in the early spring of 2004, just before the cicada invasion that year.   I remember talking on the phone with my sister and while we were both crying, we would go outside and talk and laugh as we watched the cicadas emerging from their shells.  I know that I have pictures-not sure where though.

And now, in 2021, it is the year of the cicada again.  We are living in a newer neighborhood and have not experienced the cicadas very much if at all.  It could be that we are outside of the cicada's range, or it could be that the construction of this neighborhood disrupted the earth and there are none here.

Last week I attended a funeral (more on that later).  I could hear the cicadas from the cemetery though I did not see any.   Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment in Reston, where we used to live.  Nick ran errands whileI was in the doctor's office. He said he could hear them !   I saw one isolated cicada on  the sidewalk outside of the doctor's office.   I'll be back in Reston again today.  Maybe I will hear them then! 

The funeral I attendeed was for our old neighbor who had falled off the roof.   It was sad and strange.  His four children, two of whom had been childhood playmates of my children were there of course.   But now they are grieving adults.     At the cemetery, one of the old family friends said "I remember when we moved here 51 years ago and the cicadas were out.  My first thought was "wow I was not even born yet".  Then when I thought about it I realized, 51 years ago was when I was a camp counselor!!

Meanwhile, in the midsts  of the funeral happenings first born, Courtney was here visiting from Oregon.  She just started a new job (after she had alredy had made her travel plans).  So every day she went into the basement "office" space and worked every day forhours at a time.   

The funeral was on a Friday.  That Saturday we had a fully vaccinated, family gathering at our house.  Nick's sister Betsy, and her husband Royce were here.  Our youngest child (is  30 year old still a child?), Chance, drove up from Richmond.  They all stayed over night, so we had a chance to have a very nice visit.  My late brother's wife, Janet and their daughter Molly, plus my sister andstep sister were all here too.  We had 10 people at the dinner table.  The most people we have been with on over a year!

It was strange to realize ths we had not seen Nick's sister andher husband since their mother's funeral four years ago.  How does time compress like that?

For the first time that I can remember,  I did not take any group picutres.   It was nice to just visit!

Now, it's just Nick and I and Buddy the dog here.  It's strange to have an "empty" house again.   Not having to be quiet, not worryinga about waking anyone p.

Next week we will have another influx of visitors.  Darcy and Jody and their three cats are coming.  They are moving back east and will be staying with us for a while.  No idea how long.  We'll see.