Cicadas?

[altivo]

I heard them today. Here, in my own woods. I think, though, that the time for the 17 year variety is past and these must be the first of the regular annual broods. Fireflies are dancing in the dusk as I write, too, and the first katydid is hanging on the kitchen windowscreen.

Still haven't fixed on a pattern for the next weave, but I know the dimensions I want so I can start winding the warp now. Gary will be gone to a Civil War recreation much of the weekend, but I got him to help me pull the loom out from the wall (it's heavy and large) so I can warp and thread as soon as I'm ready.

The regular interruptions in the network connection to the relocated library server continued this morning. While it could be a denial of service attack, and has some of the symptoms, it could also be that the VPN just isn't configured properly. That wouldn't surprise me at all, since getting it working was not easy nor straightforward.

Unlike many, I'm not going to complain that everyone ran off to AC and I'm stuck at home. I for one have no desire to be there. It's just too big for me to deal with. Us country horses prefer smaller groups and a lot less frenzy. In fact, MFF is approaching the too big limit for me as well.

I just finished Tim Susman's Common and Precious today. I'm stunned. The story is one of those that can grab you by the halter and shake you until your eyes begin to rattle, it's that powerful by the end. Distinctly furry, but definitely not yiffy, which I appreciate, it has a universality that applies to all people, whether they have fur or are naked apes. The message is one that needs to be heard, and I hope it finds a wider audience than seems likely at the moment. It's a must read, in my opinion.

Now I think I'll get some wine and go watch those fireflies, but through the plate glass rather than exposing my skin to the mosquitos who are also out in abundance.

Comments

[t-h-squirrel.livejournal.com]

AC is out of my reach.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

In what sense? Distance? Cost?

[t-h-squirrel.livejournal.com]

Yep.

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

One of those beautiful country scenes you just wish everyone would be able to experience. If more people did, I'm convinced we'd have a better environment. How do we expect them to care if they don't know it?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I'm afraid most people can't appreciate such a scene any more. It's too quiet, moves too slow, and can't hold their attention for more than three seconds. Our entire culture suffers from ADHD, induced and continuously aggravated by media bombardment, video games, and general fast living.

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

Strange that nothing changes in this fast-track culture but the television lineup. What's new on the summer schedule?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh. I wouldn't know. I suspect you don't know either. ;p

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

Actually I do! Play with the pups, watch Gracie grow up, watch my garlic and potatoes come up, have visit with my bro and nieces that I haven't seen since oh, I was in hospital two years ago, more photography, try and catch pics of the beavers, do pics from offshore of Steep Rock beach, go to the narrows area, do photography there, sell photography, insulate the barn, install wood stove, build kitchen, craft fursuit head. Um... yah, that's the summer lineup.

[jmaynard.livejournal.com]

AC was too big for me. RCFM wasn't. I might find out about MFF firsthand this year.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If you come to MFF I should see you there. :)

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Cicadas are cool...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I like the sound. It's associated with summer, going well back into my childhood. The bugs themselves are kinda ugly, but we don't usually see them.

"...the little critters of nature- they don't know that they're ugly..."

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

I prefer to think of them as "uniquely featured" :P but yeah, they remind me of my growing years, too.

Re: "...the little critters of nature- they don't know that they're ugly..."

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You had red bug-eyes and wings? Hmmm.

Re: "...the little critters of nature- they don't know that they're ugly..."

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

...after I crawled out of the ground- but then I shed my skin and I don't now :P

(actually, I used to hear them in the midday where I lived...)

Re: "...the little critters of nature- they don't know that they're ugly..."

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Afternoons and early evening, when the temperature is highest. That's when they are noisiest.

The katydids and treefrogs, though, start at dusk and get louder until about midnight. They can be deafening here.

Re: "...the little critters of nature- they don't know that they're ugly..."

[gabrielhorse.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah... there was one place I used to live with a pond several blocks away... if it rained, I could hear the frogs at night from inside the house!

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

Well they probably think you're pretty gross too! All pink and soft and just... ewwww!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

They are entitled to their opinion. And as long as they stay up in the trees, that's fine with me, because I don't even go up there. ;p

[atomicat.livejournal.com]

Had to look em up (we don't have em up here). Yah, they ain't gonna be winning no beauty prizes. Ah, reminds me... have a HUGE moth to show my nieces when they get here. Just popped er in a jar last night. *checks* Yep, doing fine. Will let it go of course once I get some photo-ops. Hmmm, setup... by the lady's slippers perhaps?

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

I did not know what a cicada was until I consulted wiki. How do they all know how to come up at the same time?!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sex is a powerful motivator I guess. ;p

According to my friend who is a nature museum curator, the 17 year cicada emerges when the soil temperature and humidity reaches a certain level in the spring. The 17 year wait is not entirely reliable, and some do emerge a year or two early or late, but the numbers are so small and the chances of such non-conformists managing to mate successfully are so slim that it doesn't matter much.

The evolutionary conditions that created the 13 and 17 year cycles are not clear at all. We also have more common cicadas that take only a year or two to mature. They aren't as large and spectacular, but they are certainly populous and noisy. They start emerging in July and reach their peak in about the first week of August, when they can be deafeningly loud in some years. I imagine it's temperature (a higher one) that triggers that emergence too.

[sofawolf.livejournal.com]

[Malin] Thanks for the very kind words about Common & Precious! I did a book signing recently at the bookstore down the street, which I mention only because furries made up only about half the audience. A couple people I know from writing workshops who attended have now read the book and told me they enjoyed it too, so I'm still hoping to get the word out beyond the fandom, albeit slowly... and anything you can do to help is appreciated, including this notice. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I will be posting something to my Clydesdale Librarian web site about it soon. I'll let you know when it appears. Still mostly a furry audience, but you're right, every little bit helps. I have really enjoyed all the New Tibet stories, but this novel is truly powerful. :D