But no - I'm talking about - - - 17 years ago the Magicicada's (Brood XIX to be exact) emerged from their 17 year old holes and erupted in a sea of sound across the midwest and east coast - billions and billions of them. Websites are showing that the emergence has started on the far east coast, starting like a trickle so far.
Scientists say this will be a full scale outbreak year. Soil temps need to be at 64 so we're still a ways away as this part of Wisconsin the soil is 48 degrees 4 to 6 inches down.
This years army of cicadas is known as Brood II (not sure why). But here is the good thing. They cause no harm to humans except for filling the sky's and a noise that can be as loud as a lawn mower at night (seriously). In fact not only do they cause no harm, but I've read in many places they are pretty darn good tasty (I can not vouch for that one).
I'm actually looking forward to the outbreak. I love that noise.
BUT WAIT - in reality the cicada does GOOD. Because they totally overwhelm predators that also think they are tasty only 15% are eaten. The rest live a few weeks and die leaving in some areas 300 dead cicadas per square yard. But what happens is that a dead cicada is like a super duper amazingly rich fertilizer. 400% better then what people use and the nitrogen itself contains an unusual isotopic signature. It has been found that trees grow much faster for 2 or 3 years AFTER an outbreak. Flowers produce seeds 9% larger.
The cicadas have been sucking on roots and so forth underground for 17 years, then they emerge, crawl up trees, shed their hard skins and start singing looking for a mate.
Then they die leaving super charged nitrogen all over the ground.
THERE IS A DOWNSIDE! PETS
Pretend you have an entire yard full of chicken McNuggets and you let your dog and cat out! Yea - it's a free buffet. As I said - they ARE tasty. Large, slow moving, protean rich flying chicken McNuggets. mmmmmmmmm what fun!!!
Vomiting and constipation can occur (although if you have a cat you already have vomiting . . . unless you have a dog that cleans up after your cat).
I'm thinking cicada beer!! Who's with me!
We got the tree in. Josh came over and with his firefighter muscles and we were able to get the tree to the downhill side of the hole. Of course that was a small problem as the last 3 feet going UP to the hole proved to be a rather large problem.
You would think 3 feet would be easy? Come one, what's the problem. Well, with a 400 pound root ball it was a big problem.
Here we are moving the tree
Well, OK, maybe that was a different tree.
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| Front to back birch's, Charlie, Alpha and Beta with Spruce in the background |
We also planted 7 more new plants and a Black Hills Blue Spruce. I still have 2 Buckhorns, 3 Neon Flash Spireas, 1 Ninebark and maybe one more of my favorite plants (and robins most tasty berries) a red chokeberry. PLUS three more plants Elwood purchased for the yard, another clematis and other random flowery things
You see this was Elwoods super bowl. We drove to the Flower Factory Saturday morning (it poured all morning Saturday, our wagon was filling with water) and he spent his yearly allowance of $100 on plants for his garden. The guy, I swear, knows every plant at the flower factory by it's Latin name.
I wish I could find him a job with plants (and on a bus line).
We are complete redoing the rock wall with woodruff which looks grea. The plants we had there covered the rock and were looking sort of . . . sad.
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OH - Auditorium update. Moving forward - insurance is no longer FUBR, talk about a clusterf*ck situation there. Seems know one knew who had the original insurance for the place. SO - now we are back on track and figuring things out! It's like people are TRYING to make this whole thing harder.
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Today is No Diet Day, No Homework Day AND Nurses Day. Plus 76 years ago today the Hindenburg crashed.
Herb Morrison went to Lakehurst to record a normal voice over for a newsreel on the Hindenburg and recorded the famous "Oh the humanity". That recording was flown to New York immediately and was inserted into America's very first coast-to-coast radio news broadcast.
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It seems 42% of Americans do not know that Obamacare is now the law of the land. 12% believe the law was repealed by Congress. 7% believe it was overturned by the Supreme Court.
90% of Americans who already have health insurance are in full Obamacare mode and don't know it except they have stronger, better healthcare and it's more secure (you can't get kicked out when you get sick).
Enough politics.
Have a great first part of the week. mmmmm 70s.
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