Back to School Blues...

Only last week we had so much fun collecting bugs in the yard. Now the house and garden are quiet every day. Except for the bugs who keep chirping on: Cicadas.
They have been making music all day this hot summer. How come they never run out of energy?
We collected their empty "shells" last week to see how many we could find around the house. They like to hang out on window sills, tree bark, the grape arbor, and the now empty playset.

I think we collected over 50 in all. Some shells where high up on trees and needed to be shot down with arrows. Some we could easily reach with the help of a chair.

The little kids tried them out as decorations on their shirts. How many can I put on my shirt and run around with without them falling off? I believe the record was 16. It was kind of creepy...

After all they are just empty shells. Life is gone from them - like it's gone from the house and our yard - with the kids back in school. I miss them running around the yard.

Soon the cicada's song will stop too, and everything will be completely quiet. I will miss you, Little Cicada!