blondie

... is old. that was pretty much the consensus last nite in innsbrook. and apparently she's a lot older than most of our mothers. wow!

but that's not important right now. what's important is that the radio people say today is the first day of cicada weeks 2004. cnn.com told me that every 17 years all of the cicadas who've been quite content to live in a hole in the ground all that time think it's fun to spring forth, mate, and cause humans to completely freak out. i'm really looking forward to it.

in order to prepare for what's been portrayed as "the end" for the mid-atlantic states, we've been advised to ensure our screens are intact, keep our doors closed as much as possible, limit our pets' time outside, and generally become neighborhoods of recluses during the last few weeks of spring, which features mild temperatures that are perfect for outside lounging. but, no. there will be too many bugs. and the temptation to eat them will be great ... for animals, at least. cicadas are reported to be slow, low-flying big bugs (a.k.a., flying poisonous dog toys).

i actually have a lot of faith that zoey won't eat a cicada. she went thru an extensive bug-eating phase, sure ... who doesn't? it all ended three labor days ago when we were in the holiday tourist trap that is north central pennsylvania and she snatched a yellow jacket out of the air. i didn't see the adventure first-hand, but i did hear the resulting rasping cough. when i turned around, she was frozen in place with her mouth wide open and tongue hanging out. scared to death. i can't imagine a bee sting on the back of the tongue is a pleasant feeling.

just as i got the number of a local vet, she started moving again. slowly. then she drank a gallon of water and within 15 minutes was back to her normal self. but without all the bug-eating. nowadays she'll sniff at a spider or an ant. or a wasp. or a lady bug. or a salamander (i know ... not a bug!) but she rarely ingests them.

so i'm not worried about the cicadas. my house is only 13-years-old. i trust that such modern-day construction is solid enough to keep everything from crumpling under the weight of the cicada plague. but we'll see. if i end up being wrong, maybe you have a comfortable couch?