The year of the Cicada

 

Italian irs

house at dawn

Naomi selfie

Maya at the farmer's market

Chalk paint project. We have had Maya with us a lot. I try to have her go on a bike ride with me every day

lots of day lilies in bloom asiatic  lilies are almost open Tiger lilies next week

Calla

Salad for my friends along with cauliflower tacos. From my cooking class. I grew the cilantro and lettuce

nearby lake at dawn

Brood X 17 year cicada. They prefer oak trees.I didn't realize I had an oaktree until recently and it is good sized.  It is pretty far from the house so I didn't look at its leaves

For the past few weeks, we have been treated to the constant hum of masses of cicadas especially in the wooded areas where I run. They are harmless as they lack  mouths though somehow they drink. They live above ground for a few weeks mate and die. Their offspring  then spends 17 years underground.  How old will you  be when you see them again? Parents ask their children this, practical math. Maya will be almost 28 and grandma? Will she be alive then?

I have busy, mainly gardening. I keep thinking I am almost finished but I always find things to do. Things should  look their best in a few weeksI think all my gardens look good but this self appointed beautification person on the board claims my big flowers are dragging all the values of the neighborhood by at least $300K per house. Interestingly Zillow claims my house is worth $100K more than hers even though they are the same size. She thinks we all should spend $1000 on new matching mailboxes and we should beautify the front entrance Our share for ripping down perfectly fine crabapples would be $2700. Hell no to that. I sent a note to the whole neighborhood questioning the priorities during this time of covid recovery. She also wants to fine people for what she sees are infractions. Crazy, crazy lady. I said that she was toxic to the neighborhood vibe, not mentioning her by name I was nervous sending this not knowing if people supported her but fortunately they don't.

My injury is almost healed and I am slowly increasing how far I run. The early dawns mean I can bike before rush hour, which has mostly returned. Zero new cases of Covid in our county yesterday! Lots of biking. The sweet smells of wild phlox and honeysuckle have been replaced by the even sweeter aromas of sweetgrass in the country and lindens in the neighborhoods. Today I saw a newborn fawn.

And a return to normalcy. We have eaten inside of restaurants and I even went to the movies. True there was only 4 in the audience. We saw In the Heights. It was wonderful

And I have been cooking and having people over so that is fun. Next week Steves Family comes