Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Not sure what it's like where you are, but where we live, it's the year of the 13-year cicada. We've found hundreds of shed outer layers, hooked onto plants, porch columns, even onto the nose of a stone porcupine we have! And now all of these bugs are in the nearby tree tops—thousands of them. Their buzzing is incessant and loud. At first we thought it was a neighbor's machinery but were amazed when we finally realized what it was. The one in this photo is pre-shed. Though his red eyes look almost plastic, I knew when he moved that he saw me snapping his photo!