Look At That: Learning About Cicadas, Laughing About A Credit Card

/ Ally Bean

The Educational Cicada Part – EEK!

SINCE MID-MAY WE’VE BEEN experiencing Cicada Brood 14 here. Cicadas are insects that emerge into the world on a 17 year cycle. It is their year to show up for 4 to 6 weeks then die.

Cicadas, who have beady orangish red eyes, come up out of the ground and climb on/cling to surfaces that have texture, like trees and bricks and screens. They are everywhere outside the house and when clinging to window screens they appear to be watching you inside.

Not creepy at all. 😳

• • •

• • •

WE ARE PEOPLE WHOSE backyard is a woods, thus the arrival of Brood 14 has not been a joyful experience.

I cannot confirm how joyful the cicadas may or may not be, but from their dramatic random flitting about during daylight hours I’d guess they’re happy enough. After all they are here to do one thing: to engage in amorous congress mate.

After mating the adults lay their eggs and the cicada babies (nymphs) hatch in 6 to 10 weeks. Then the nymphs will burrow into the ground where they’ll live until 17 years hence when they emerge.

While cicadas don’t swarm or sting or bite anything or anyone, they are noisy. As in daily highs of 80 decibels [the sound of a lawnmower] to 120 decibels [the sound of a motorcycle revving]. This is what the newspaper told me and I believe it.

It is deafening.

• • •

• • •

HOWEVER HERE’S THE THING about these intrusive bugs. Remember when we got the new deck and I spent about a year deciding which color of Trex to use so that the deck would look natural as if it was made from real wood from the trees in the forest primeval behind us?

Well apparently I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. Come to find out Coastal Bluff, the color of our deck, is such a dead ringer for the tree trunks that cicadas love it.

In fact they find it the perfect place to hang out and do their aforementioned thing— then join the choir invisible drop dead.

All day long.

The Amusing Credit Card Part – WTF!

The other day Z-D walked down to the mailbox, dodging cicadas, and came back into the house laughing while holding up a Visa card. I didn’t understand what was going on because we don’t have Visa.

Welp, come to find out the large company he used to work for, the one he formally retired from in the fall of 2022, had sent him a corporate business credit card with a limit of $15,000.00!

Obviously this was a test of good moral character. 🙄

My first thought was, and try not to think less of me when I say this, a vacation in Hawaii would be nice. Or how about going to London, England, for a week? Yep, we could make good use of that credit card.

BUT WE DIDN’T.

Instead Z-D immediately emailed his former boss letting him know what he had in his hand, asking for guidance about what to do with it.

And eventually, about two weeks later, Zen-Den received a snail mail letter from large company that said [of course] don’t use it and destroy it immediately because there’s been a mistake!

‘Ya think?!!

• 🧡 •
Now it’s your turn to spill the beans.
What’s bugging you in your world today?
If a surprise $15,000.00 landed in your hands, through no malfeasance of your own, what would you think about doing with it?
Tell all in the comments below.
• 💵 •

232 thoughts on “Look At That: Learning About Cicadas, Laughing About A Credit Card”

  1. We are battling very high temperatures these days, though today is cooler. No insects except flies and mosquitoes can survive this heat.
    If someone gifted me 15000$ then I’ll gladly take it but if it’s credit, I’d return it.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. I would think about hiring someone to come and weed every single weed in my garden and in case you couldn’t guess, right now, weeds are bugging me! Lots of rain and they have flourished, lots of rain and little time to go out and weed. But now, we’ve got a few nice days, and it’s overwhelming.

    Liked by 2 people

  3. We don’t have cicadas here so thankfully I don’t have to witness their once-in-seventeen-year orgy.

    The credit card would be tempting. When I was restructured out of my last position, the package included so many months salary. It became evident fairly quickly, that they were overpaying me big time. Trip-to-Europe-and-more big time. But alas, I knew it would eventually come back and bite me in the butt so I contacted HR and let them know. Didn’t even get a thank you though. They just garnished the extra dollars from the remaining payments.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Think about it yes indeed! Plan on what to use it for, of course? Actually do it? No, because I’m one of those nerds who knows the error would be found and I’d be liable for the $$. We had cicadas at the old house. I haven’t heard any here now. Our variety seems to come in August. Then again, my hearing isn’t great these days. I had tinnitus for a while and thought it was crickets outside until we had our first snowstorm and I knew there were no crickets.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kate, see it’s the thinking about it part that I find the most intriguing about the wrong credit card. Oh the possibilities!

      Oh dear, is it wrong that I’m laughing about how you discovered that you had tinnitus? It makes sense and I’m glad you figured it out, but also kind of funny. Like sit-com funny.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I remember a few years ago, when the 17-year cicadas hatched near me, my oldest son and I traveled about 2 miles to see them. It was amazing, and yes, deafening! We have a little woods behind our house too, but these cicadas were not there (thank goodness) – they were in the nearest state game lands. Individually they do look creepy and otherworldly. En mass, they blanket the foliage.

    Maybe a good set of earplugs are in your future?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laurie, they are amazing bugs, I get it. They were all over the trunks of our trees, then started flitting about the yard, but now they’re on the downside of their lives and chillaxing on our deck. Earplugs would have been a good idea, although staying inside has helped. Boring, but quieter.

      Like

  6. I don’t hear cicadas much where I live now but they will always and forever be tied to my memories of the summer month we spent each year at my family’s remote cabin on a lake. I loved spending lazy afternoons reading in the hammock while cicadas provided the background music. But I can see it being very unpleasant if it was a constant drone (and a large cohort).

    I’m pretty sure I’d use the $15K on travel. Experiences is where my heart is these days. (Though there are lots of home upgrades it would be nice to spend that on, too. But I think travel would win out…)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Elisabeth, a few cicadas droning on in the background would be okay, rather like a few frogs croaking out their songs. I could see myself lazing in a hammock, reading, with a little background buzz.

      You know I didn’t even think of using the money for home improvements! My mind went straight to travel, like that was the only way to deal with such a sum.

      Like

  7. No biting bugs here. Yay!!! And I mean NO bugs. No mosquitoes, blackflies, or sandflies. There are bees, wasps, gnats and houseflies. But through a geographical wonder, no biting insects of the summer kind.

    As to the credit card, I would destroy it. It would be nice to have 15,000 land in my lap, but through the lottery would be better!

    Happy Tuesday, Ally, and I hope the ugly, noisy, crunchy critter experience is finished soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lynette, you’ve no summer bug pests! I’m glad for you, but will admit these cicadas are a random occurrence so I’m taking them in stride. Trying not to step on them, shooing them away from me. Ignoring their beady-eyed gaze.

      Yes, winning money in the lottery is the way to go. Or a large family inheritance. I could get behind that.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Those are some very interesting cicada facts you shared AB! I had no idea they grew into adulthood underground. So clearly there are about 500 bazillion cicada nymphs living and growing under the forest floor with a newly mature crop ready to emerge every year?
    Actually nothing much is bugging me…okay maybe my allergies a bit. As to a windfall…hmmm…that would go a long way in helping to purchase a newer car, which I wouldn’t mind having at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, this last month I’ve learned more about cicadas than I ever would have wanted to know. They are the news around here, difficult to overlook whenever you go outside, staring in at you when you’re inside with the blinds open. I don’t know if there are broods every year somewhere, but maybe so? I guess I haven’t learned everything about this bugs.

      A new car! That’s a good way to use your theoretical windfall. I didn’t think of that but like you I could go for a new car.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I have a Subaru, which will likely keep going until I don’t need a car anymore, but it is 12 years old and I’d like something smaller. I wonder how many people would have run straight away with that Visa and spent the entire 15K? 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        • Subarus are known for their durability. If it works for you, then save the money. Of course I drive a 22 y.o. Honda so I may be more frugal than sensible. I wonder, too, who’d just take the credit card and spend, spend, spend…?

          Liked by 1 person

  9. Ally, we encountered Cicadas on a golf vacation in Amelia Island many years ago. What a mess. And, so loud! I didn’t know the ‘educational part’ back then, and assumed it was a way of life for the folks who lived on the golf course. Sounds like you are dealing with it all good-naturedly.

    As for the credit card. That doesn’t surprise me at all.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suzanne, I can imagine how noisy cicadas would be on a golf course. I know we’ve given up going outside for a walk along the street until the little buggers get over themselves and their amorous activities.

      Yep, not surprised by the corporate mistake, still find it funny that it took 2 weeks for anyone to get back to Z-D with a big ole OOPS letter.

      Like

  10. I remember being scared of those cicadas when I was little and a brood hatched at my grandparents’ summer cabin. They terrified me! They were, literally, everywhere. That was NOT a pleasant visit.

    (I still hate bugs.)

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, while I’m not thrilled by these cicadas I know in my mind that they are ultimately harmless. My body, however, does jump when they come at me. As a kid I’d have been scared too.

      Like

  11. Good job choosing cicada-friendly Trex. We’ve had them here, but I don’t remember the last time. Perhaps that means we’re getting close. I’m sure the news will alert us, beginning several months in advance. They are repaving the main runway at BDL, so we are either in the landing or takeoff path for every plane until November. I doubt we’d be bothered if the cicadas showed up.

    As for the credit card, I think I’d be able to resist using it for a cross-country rail trip.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dan, don’t you think that Trex needs to add ‘cicada-friendly’ to their description of Coastal Bluff‽

      Once upon a time we lived in house that was in the path of planes landing or taking off. Did NOT like living there, too unnerving to hear that noise all day long. You’re right you’d not notice the cicada drone.

      A cross-country rail trip sounds wonderful. I could enjoy that. Pity we had to give the money back.

      Liked by 1 person

      • We’ve lived here for 40 years, and the plane really don’t bother us. That said, we’re usually only in the takeoff pattern during storms (we are aligned with the “cross-wind” runway. Also, they shift most traffic to the main runway at night, so we don’t usually hear planes while sleeping/trying to sleep.

        I do think Trex needs to add that to the description.

        Liked by 1 person

        • Your situation with the airport runways sounds ideal, not enough of a nuisance to cause dismay. We weren’t so lucky, we were aligned with the main runway. Did learn a valuable lesson from that house, beware of a good price on a lovely house that doesn’t make sense. Look for the flaw that has nothing to do with the actual house.

          Liked by 1 person

  12. WE TOO ARE PEOPLE WHOSE backyard is a woods. But what’s bugging me is not cicadas but squirrels.

    Hubby got a lovely bird feeder for Father’s Day. Now the birds love the feed, but so do squirrels. The ones who push the birdies away. What to do? We bought a Slinky, but it didn’t stretch long enough to do any good.

    Amazon sent us a box of 3 Slinky toys yesterday. Time will tell if our “fix” is working or not. :-/

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marian, a long time ago I gave up on feeding the birds because of the squirrels— and raccoons. I hope your slinky thing works. I have noticed that our squirrels are feasting on cicada carcasses, so we’ve got that going on here. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I remember the cicada birthing/mating/dying infestation one summer when I was growing up on Long Island many, many decades ago. Talk about a strange life-cycle! Re the $15,000 credit card, it’s important to remember that’s CREDIT, needing to be repaid. STAY AWAY!!! 😂

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I grew up in DC and Virginia with too many broods of cicadas! There’s one ice-cream shop that made a fortune selling “cicada sundaes” for Brood X in Northern Virginia several years ago. I think they still do every summer.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. There was a dead squirrel in front of our house this morning, so that was my deal with nature today. Keeping the dog away from what must have been the most interesting smell in the world was my goal – dealing with disposal was my husband’s. Nature is real, yo.

    If I had an extra $15,000, I’d seriously consider getting started on our bathroom remodel. As it is, we just talk about it a lot without actually doing anything.

    Liked by 1 person

    • NGS, *ick* to the dead squirrel. I can only imagine how much Hannah wanted to get to it! Disposal of it is DEFINITELY a job for your husband. Division of labor, and all that!

      You’re right that $15,000.00 could go a long way to starting a bathroom remodel. On the other hand there’s the whole sticker shock angle of starting a remodeling project. It might only buy you a tub at today’s prices. 😉

      Like

  17. We missed out on last year’s cicada brood (this year’s too) and I was kinda bummed. We get a few every summer, but nothing en masse like you have. They’re a novelty to me and their song, noisy though it may be, feels like the perfect summer soundtrack.

    Didn’t Amorous Congress open for The Choir Invisible at Lollapalooza last year?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mark, a few cicadas would be fun, a light little symphony playing in the background. But Brood 14 is boisterous and clingy and everywhere. With those eyes.

      I’m not sure about last year’s Lollapalooza lineup but you could be right. Seems plausible. 😜

      Liked by 1 person

  18. We don’t hundred or thousands of cicadas here. But we do know when they’ve emerged and start “buzzing” because, as you say, the noise is incredible. I can’t imagine what you’re going through with a whole brood deploying to your deck!

    Good luck.

    Oh, I am so with you on the credit card thing. I too would have been planning (but not executing) a holiday somewhere expensive and fun.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Alexandra, I knew this brood was coming this year and had been warned about the noise, yet it’s been nosier than I thought it’d be. Fortunately it’s already beginning to quiet down as the cicadas die.

      I couldn’t help myself— I instantly started dreaming about my theoretical vacation with my *found* money.

      Like

  20. If all of you lovely bloggers did not share your cicada stories, I would have zero idea what they even look like. In deep summer, we will hear them, but they are a different kind than the 17-year-cycle ones of which you speak.

    And I am trying not to laugh at your deck predicament! You succeeded beyond your wildest imaginings!

    As for the credit card. I can’t help wonder who would be stupid enough to spend away and think they could get away with it. Then again… could they?

    Should such a sum fall into my lap, there is zero doubt that I am Italy-bound!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dale, you know us bloggers, intent on keeping the world informed about bugs that bug us. Cicadas are a story just waiting to be written.

      The deck color, which we like very much because of how well it blends with nature, is in this case a little too spot on. Our neighbors with gray or cedar decks aren’t dealing with this like we are.

      I wonder, too, if someone could get away with using the business credit card and no one would notice. When Z-D was working there were a few people who were caught misusing the card, but how many fell through the cracks…?

      Italy sounds like a good plan. After I see London I’ll join you.

      Like

  21. My sympathies – we once encountered a Mormon locust migration in eastern Nevada and had to drive over them to get anywhere. Ugh and triple ugh. I’ve been on the wrong side of the IRS – not my fault but I was married to someone with a gambling addiction – and so I would immediately return any gifts of money that I knew I hadn’t earned. The IRS will get you for even thinking about spending that money!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Jan, you’re right, we are driving over cicadas, but mostly we’re being bug bombed by them as we drive along. The car wash place is popular this month.

      I take your point about not doing anything financially dubious. We wouldn’t use the credit card knowing the big company would come after us, but hadn’t thought about our friends at the IRS.

      Like

  22. Several years ago (3? 4?) we had an invasion of the cicadas at our Georgia place and it sounded like alien ships were around us all.the.time. It was insane how high their sound can be. Weird about you having to deal with the sex-capades and then the impending death, right there on your deck.
    Free money is never free, right? You guys made the right choice, Hawaii, will still be there. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suz, that’s how Z-D describes the cicada noise: aliens surrounding us. They’re not shy little bugs, I’ll give them that. They’re on a mission and our deck seems to be their preferred rendezvous spot.

      Good point about free money that really isn’t.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. I miss cicadas. During years when they swarmed my daughter and I would rise early and pick the ones on the trees with the soft bodies coming out of their shell. Subsequently they are roasted, chopped up and included in batter for cicada, banana bread. It is pretty good.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Our deck is a similar color to yours, so that explains all the dead cicadas we had on the deck in 2016. Dreading 2033. Will need to take a long vacay that summer!

    Not a bug, but I saw a baby skunk in the neighborhood on my walk two hours ago. He was right by the sidewalk. Freaked me out a little.

    What’s really bugging me is the amount of construction all around us this summer. My husband is having a hard time getting home as it is, and now the state route that our development runs off of is going to be completely torn up from next week until October. Good times.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bijoux, apparently cicadas have their preferred colors, like little interior designers. Fascinating about your similar experience with cicadas.

      I wouldn’t want to get too close to a baby skunk. I understand your freak.

      Oh road construction is the worst. I’m sorry about the endless inconvenience you’ll be experiencing. Fingers crossed the work stays on schedule.

      Like

  27. I was driving alone from Michigan to Alabama a couple weeks ago. As I entered the Kentucky welcome/rest stop there was a noise. I’d heard it there before, it was the cicadas. Last time I had heard them at that location they were louder than the freeway noise. This year it wasn’t nearly that loud and I didn’t think much about it. As I pulled out of the rest stop I thought I heard a noise from my engine. This worried me as once upon a time I had been driving alone with my dog when my car died in Kentucky. We ended up at a hotel for almost a week with no car while a local dealership put a new transmission in. ANYWAY…this time I slowed down and it seemed to get louder. I sped up and I could still hear it. I considered getting off at the next exit. I rolled the window down to see if I could hear it better. I noted it was louder when the trees along the road were closer, and the noise faded as the trees receded. Aha. Then I started to laugh. Even funnier, I saw this week on facebook that a friend of mine, also traveling in the south, also thought there was something wrong with her engine but it turned out to be the noise of the cicadas.

    AND…it took corporate a couple WEEKS to tell your husband to destroy the card? That sounds about right. When I retired I had an employee checking account. (I worked for a bank and we had a no fee account as employees where they direct deposited our payroll.) It was the only account I had at my employer and after I was officially finished I went into a branch to close the account. Turns out they couldn’t do it there because, being an employee account it had personal, payroll stuff in it. So I had to go to the corporate office. Well, that was quite a ways away and I didn’t do it right away. I just let it sit. I got a letter after about 3 weeks that said “It has come to our attention you have NOT closed your employee account. This is unacceptable and must be resolved immediately as you are no longer an employee.” Ahuh. It was rude and felt accusatory like I was trying to pull something over. I drove into corporate and tried to close it and they told me I had to do it over the phone. So I went out to my car and called them and closed the darn account. I am so glad I’m retired.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dawn, I’m smiling about how you mistook cicada noise for car engine trouble. I understand that. Their constant buzz is really something you have to experience before you get it. Thankfully it wasn’t your car after all.

      Your story of your employee checking account situation rings true with me. Left hand doesn’t know what right hand is doing. I’m glad you got it resolved, and in a delightfully ironic way, but really why must things be made so difficult? I’ll be sure to tell Z-D about what happened to you, he’ll *love* it.

      Liked by 1 person

  28. Cicadas are hitting your world now? We were inundated with them last summer. Yuck. The noise. I remember thinking someone had left the windows open even though I had the air on. I’m happy to not be dealing with cicadas this summer. Tank is working hard to improve our landscaping. Coach stripped our deck last summer, and has yet to re-stain it. Me thinks that’s bad for the wood, but it’s not my project so I’m not allowed to ask. It’s a big task, and I think he should hire someone to manage it. But, alas, I say (almost) nothing.

    We wouldn’t keep money if given to us on a credit card. It’s traceable, right? 😉 A deposit erroneously landing in our account might be harder to part with.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ernie, yes, yes, cicada noise in mass is so loud it does sound like the windows are open even when they’re not. It really got on my nerves last week, but now they’re beginning to die out so more quiet.

      We’ve stained our deck together and we’ve hired someone else to do it. Both ways work, just cost different amounts of money or time, but now that we have Trex those days are over.

      Good distinction about how you come by the *found* money. This was definitely a card in hand.

      Like

  29. How nice of you to build a home (crypt?) for the cicadas! 🙂 I imagine that’s not what you had in mind. I am leery of any credit cards, especially those that come unannounced in the mail. There is no such thing as free money! (or a free lunch?)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, yes when we had this house built the first thing we decided on was that it must be cicada friendly— NOT. 🙄 Yet, surprise, surprise, here they are messing with my June plans to be outside.

      I’m with you about unsolicited credit cards. This one we could trace the why of it, but others… no thank you.

      Like

  30. Oh, to have some extra cash! Definitely use it to remodel the kitchen, my dream project. But not if I have to give it back. I saw a huge something crawling around the backyard the other day but ordinarily the only things I have to watch out for are the “presents” the cat leaves. Happy Tuesday!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, one thing about cicadas is that if they’re around where you are, they’ll make themselves known. This I have learned.

      Good use for your *found* money. Much more practical than my theoretical vacations.

      Liked by 1 person

  33. We don’t have cicadas up here right now, but I still remember the sound of them from childhood summers.
    Last year we had a few, but not for very long—and thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as intense as in the southern parts of Illinois.
    It doesn’t get too buggy here until July.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Kari, I know that the cicadas live by their own rules, so they’ll be gone soon enough. A few are charming, but so many are annoying. I wish you well with your bugs come July. May they be quiet and not too bothersome!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. My boot is bugging me today. I had PT yesterday and it hurts! We had cicadas in Palm Springs and they loved the palm trees. That’s the only place they’d hang out. Then there would be all these skeletal remains stuck to our palm trees.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Elizabeth, I’m sorry about you and your boot. I know PT can be a trial to endure. I didn’t know cicadas liked palm trees. I do know about skeletal remains, they’re everywhere around here right now.

      Like

  35. Did you happen to watch “The Americas”? It’s a wonderful documentary series and one episode features cicadas. Super interesting! I think it was on Peacock. Traveling to someplace new would most certainly cross my noggin if I received a chunk of change like that. But obviously, your man did the right thing!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, you’re so right. We aim to make cicadas feel at home here so we planned ahead. Something went wrong when tha credit card was issued, but no thank you gift. Are we really surprised? Nope. I do wonder how many other former employees got a credit card they shouldn’t have.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. not bugs, but raccoons. Lots of them. I’ve already lived trapped 11 of them in the past month, and relocated, saw two little tiny ones yesterday in broad day light. You got to be kidding me. (they steal cat foot, are extremely hard on buildings, and are an all around nuisance!!! If $15,000 dropped into my lap right now (and I could keep it) I would call my drywall sub and line up the next phase of our home build. otherwise, I will just keep plugging away until I have saved up the required funds…. now if you feel like starting a go fund me for DM’s drywall phase of construction, I certainly won’t stop you. I can give or receive with equal grace.

    Liked by 1 person

    • DM, we have raccoons around here, too. Not as many as you but they are little thieves. A few years ago I caught one stealing a cylindrical bird seed feeder, literally dragging it across the deck with the seed in it intending to take it somewhere.

      I like how you’d use your theoretical monetary windfall. Dry wall seems like it should be easy, but isn’t. I can’t say that I’ve ever started a Go Fund Me, but yours would be… unique. Being filled with grace is good.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Margy, they are. That’s one of the points all the articles about cicadas mention. I know that the squirrels are happy while gorging on the cicada corpses. I’ll let you know if our planting beds/lawn benefit from this or not.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. What struck me with the photo of your deck is the lack of fences between the houses. Though I knew most places in America don’t have fences though didn’t know it extended to Canada. Cicadas’ mean a hot summer for us. That’s the thing with “systems” they throw out correspondence and in your case a credit card without a human checking up whether it’s actually needed. We’ve had similar experiences though with medical appts.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Suzanne, I’m in midwest America so no fences between houses is normal. I do know that out west fences between houses are more a thing. Don’t know why, just that when I’ve visited friends in Salt Lake City or Seattle there are fences.

      Dealing with my husband’s last employer has been humorous, but if it was about medical appointments it might be less funny. Still, systems gotta system.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Anne, sounds like a lovely weekend, cicada-free I presume. How odd is it to see a grandson marry? You know you love it, but also it means you are… old!

      Like

      • I revel in my oldness. Life is more exciting and amusing when you can’t see or hear well. Yesterday I was sure neighbor Joyce spoke of flowers, including vidalias. I asked Lise about it today, and she said no! Joyce was talking about azaleas.

        Like

  43. The existential crisis of the Cicada . . .

    Wait! What?!
    I have to burrow into the ground shortly after birth
    And I have to wait 17 years before coming up for air . . . and for sex
    And, after mating, that’s it.
    Full stop.
    I die.

    So, what’s the point?!

    Like

    • For some reason your first comment went to moderation, but your second one appeared. I DON’T KNOW WHY, but I thank you for commenting. WP never makes it easy.

      Like

      • BTW: I’m glad that you and Z-D aren’t “on the lam” after charging up the company credit card issued to him from his past employer. What a goofy thing!

        Like

        • Goofy is right! On the one hand we got a kick out of this mistake, but on the other hand it was a reminder about why retiring from a big company was a good choice. ‘YA KNOW?

          Like

  46. I’m with Dorothy on the weeds. 🙂 As for the cicadas, I’ve been there and done that in the Midwest and hope to not make their acquaintance again. I have a truck battery that keeps dying even though it is less than a year old. Apparently, I have some kind of phantom draw that no one can find. So, I’d take that $15,000 and use it towards a new one with a battery that will last. As for an unintentional gift, I’d turn it in because I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, we’ve got weeds, too. And overgrown bushes because we don’t want to go outside and encounter cicadas. A defective truck battery sounds like a tedious pointless problem. I like your idea that you use your *found* money to get a new one. You said it about not being able to sleep if we’d have kept the money. Yet you have to wonder how many people would keep the money. 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Still learning the ins and outs of living in the South but the cicadas appear to be a yearly presence down here. There are enough broods that the overlaps lead to a lot more visits than every seventeen years. And those ear-splitting noise level comparisons are spot-on.

    As for the loaded credit card, you remind me of a memory from my early days as a professional. I stepped up to a walk-up ATM in downtown San Francisco and when the little door opened, I was offered not $40 but more like $1,040. Whomever was there before me didn’t take their cash. So I promptly walked the stack into the adjoining bank, handed it over and said, “Hey, somebody left their cash in the ATM”. They looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Nope, just doing the right thing 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dave, I didn’t know about the connection between cicadas and the South. I wouldn’t like dealing with these bugs yearly. The noise, you know.

      You did the right thing. I’d have done the same. $1,000 is a lot of money then and now. I wonder how someone forgot that much money at the ATM? Seems odd.🤔

      Like

  48. I’ve heard about cicadas, but thankfully, we don’t have them here. At least the creepy-looking bugs don’t bite or sting or stink. (I hope!) I went on YouTube to look up how they sound, and there were many examples ranging from a nice background noise to a busy traffic jam. I hope they’ll leave you alone soon! We are happily low on bugs at the moment!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Michelle, the best thing about cicadas, beyond how infrequently they appear, is that they aren’t aggressive. I didn’t think to check online to hear them, heard enough of their noise in real life. Glad you’re low on bugs at the moment, hope to be the same way here soon.

      Like

  49. Your cicada story sounds hideous. I understand that there are annual cicadas (ones that appear each year) and periodical cicadas (ones that emerge every 13-17 years—what took you so long?🤣) Those decibal levels could make a person go crazy.

    Your credit card story made me think about all the regular scams I get online from people sending me my “latest invoice” for virus protection. I must get ten of those each month. I’m estimating my virus protection bill stands around $5,000 so far this year. 😒

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pete, annual cicadas are nothing much, but these periodical broods are loud and absolutely in your way whenever you step outside. Fortunately they don’t attack in a swarm but the noise has gotten on my last nerve. SHUT UP already, will ‘ya!

      There are online scams aplenty. I’m sure someone must fall for them, but really? I’m pleased to read that you’re all caught up on your virus protection! No fool you! 😜

      Liked by 1 person

  50. Oh, my. If $15K actually dropped in my lap, I’d pay off my credit cards, spend $4.99 for a good pair of earplugs to block out the cicadas, and put the rest in savings.

    That’s a joke about the earplugs. I’m actually rather fond of cicadas. I think of them as the white noise of summer. In fact, I’m putting together a post about them for this coming weekend. In Spanish, they’re known as La Cigarra, and there’s some interesting folklore about them. There’s a famous song, as well; I’ll be sharing that. It’s much more appealing than the racket the creatures make.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I like your pragmatic use of the theoretical $15,000.00.

      I look forward to your researched post about cicadas. I wrote about them based on my irritation and then added my cursory knowledge about them gleaned from the regional newspaper. Folklore, you say? Cool!

      Liked by 1 person

  51. We’ve had cicadas around here and they can be loud, but we don’t have these 17-year emergences (?) where you are overwhelmed with them. Actually, for us, it’s the tree frogs that sometimes will bark up a storm when they’re happy (I just assume it’s because they are happy).

    What really bugs me these days is chiggers … and mosquitoes but chiggers mostly. Occasionally I’ll hunker down in the front yard and pull weeds. I like to do that while listening to an audiobook. I like to literally pull the weeds out rather than use a weed-whacker because I want to get the roots out as well. I’m doing a kind of experiment in our yard: we have a strawberry plant and a couple of different ground cover-type plants. As the plants grow and spread out, I’ve been pulling up grass and weeds, creating an earthen border around the plants. Don’t ask why. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago itchy bumps started popping up on my arms. They remind me of the chigger bites I had gotten at the Refuge a couple of times. Anti-itch cream helps a little bit, but not as much as I need. So, chiggers are my nemesis.

    I’d happily accept $15K depending on where it’s coming from and whether there were any strings attached. I guess with the corporate credit card, one could assume that the corporation would foot the bill, but I’d think you would probably get caught even before you returned from your vacay. Z-D did the right thing, but I bet it was fun to imagine the traveling you could do with $15K.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marie, I don’t know why this region gets these broods of cicadas, but we do. And even when we’re told to expect a particular brood, they don’t always show up on your street. Cicadas are organized, but also random. Overall they’re just a bother.

      Chiggers are a big ICK! I like your approach to weeding, I try to get to the roots too. At least your anti-itch cream helps some, but it seems like weeding is an act of kindness so why are you being punished‽ 😉

      We knew there was no way we were going to use the credit card but it was fun to think about vacations we’d been on and would like to repeat— hence London and Hawaii. But alas, they remain a dream.

      Liked by 1 person

  52. That sounds (and is) awful with the cicada invasion Ally. Ugh! There was a large cicada invasion here, maybe 10 or so years ago and the experts had warned us about the Brood # and to take precautions with ornamental, smaller trees because the cicadas had a fondness for chowing down on them. So I wrapped my Weeping Lace-Leaf Japanese Maple up, swaddled it like you would a baby for the entire invasion. Luckily there was no damage, but what I found odd with these strange-looking bugs was that they were shedding their exoskeletons and they liked to do this on the rose bushes. Maybe using the thorns to give them a head start re: the shed? I don’t know but it wasn’t great going into the backyard and seeing all these “shells” hanging off the roses. Yes, the noise is deafening and nerve-wracking as well. I know that even the normal Summertime cicadas are a pain, but when we had the large invasion, it would drive you crazy.

    Here in Michigan we have “fishfly time” with so many fishflies hanging out at the shoreline and they have a short lifespan as well. They like to cling to buildings and you too. I’m not scared of them like I am of spiders or centipedes, but they often land on my clothing and I see it in my peripheral vision and usually let out a scream of surprise – they’re not a ugly as cicadas, but ….

    I just signed up for some landscaping work to repair what the other landscaper did/didn’t do last year – this guy seems more professional. It is too much work for me, even if I did it all the first time, but back in 1985, yes, a job for younger legs. So I’d put my windfall toward that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, a few neighbors have young trees and they’ve swaddled their trunks in netting, but our trees are older so we were told cicada damage will be minimal. I haven’t seen any cicada carcasses on our rosebushes though. Your theory for why you found them there makes sense, but I do wonder if our Brood 14 is a bunch of dimwits for not using the rose bushes. 😉

      Fishflies? If we have them I don’t know about them. It’s when you can see any insect coming at you that makes them the worst. I shriek in surprise on principle.

      We depend on landscapers more now, too. It’d be a good way to spend your *found* money by making the world a prettier place.

      Liked by 1 person

      • I’m glad you don’t have to worry about cicada damage from those Brood 14. Just as well you don’t see their shells hanging around your house – it was very weird. Fishflies are bad in the month of June, found mostly near the water. They sometimes swarm and they will land on the street – people have been known to slide on them while walking or driving if there are enough of them, as their bodies are greasy. Why did God invent bugs anyway? I ask myself that with ticks as Michigan has a new type of tick. Not that we want to crow about that! Yes, about five years ago I redid my mulch beds and had 36 bags of mulch to spread; by the last bag, I really didn’t care where it landed; I was just glad to be done with the project.

        Liked by 1 person

        • That’s truly icky about slipping on icky bugs while walking outside. I’ve never heard of that before but can imagine it now that you tell me about it. Did I say ICK?

          Ticks scare me. They spread disease and living close to nature with deer around I am aware of them. 35 bags of mulch is a big project. I can imagine how you just wanted it over with. On the flip side once planting beds have been mulched, they look beautiful.

          Liked by 1 person

          • When the news media didn’t seem to have a slew of crises at hand, they used to send the cub reporters out to cover the annual fishfly stories. Once my all-news station posted a photo of an ATM kiosk that had so many fishflies clinging to it, that you could barely see the keypad/screen. Ticks are worrisome and soon, as a result of all this rain, (we had another bad storm tonight on the heels of yesterday’s severe weather), all that standing water is going to be a haven for mosquitoes and worries about West Nile Virus.

            That was a big project and it does look nice when it is freshly mulched and it also gives the robins and squirrels something to do: the robins throw the mulch onto the lawn while pecking for worms and the squirrels dig holes and bury peanuts and other treasures in it. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

            • An ATM so buggy you couldn’t use it— and the bugs were insects not computer coding! That’s wonderfully weird. Hadn’t thought about mosquitoes yet, but they’re on their way here too.

              Same squirrels and robins here. They do what they do and while I understand it I do grumble when I see the messes they make. Oh well, they don’t seem to care about my opinion and carry on.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Yes, wonderfully weird – bugs and birds are the bane of existence in the garden. The squirrels make their own mischief and used to chew on the AT&T landline phone lines making it necessary to have a tech come out and re-wrap the lines which they chewed.

                Liked by 1 person

  53. When we lived in the Philippines and in Vanuatu, we had cicadas all the time–no 17-year cycle. I seldom saw one. As I remember, they weren’t very large or strange looking. When you went out in the evening, you could hear a sweet little hum in the trees. I loved it.
    I don’t think we have any here in the Pacific NW. The first time I heard about the cicada invasion was when my daughter moved to Nashville. What a phenomenon!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Nicki, a phenomenon is right! Your cicada experience with a few humming in the background I wouldn’t mind, but this is loud and during daylight hours it’s noisy outside everywhere. They’re on sidewalks and in parking lots so that you’re never spared. Fortunately Brood 14 is beginning to die so the quiet will return soon.

      Like

  54. Even I, love the deck. No wonder, cicadas love it, too. That’s quite amount of money, but if I have like that, I’ll donate to some charity a portion of it.

    Like

  55. We don’t have cicadas here but when hubs and I drove across country last spring, we discovered the “joys” of those noisy, creepy bugs along the way. I had one fall down my back, under my t-shirt and I nearly disrobed in public. Eek is right!

    Whether because of guilt or having a good moral conscious, I could never take advantage of a mistaken $15,000 windfall. Now, if someone wants to gift me that kind of money, I’m sure I could out it to good use.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, if a cicada got under my t-shirt I’d be like you ready to disrobe in public. So far I’ve only been dive-bombed in the face. I freaked out of course because… CREEPY.

      You make a good distinction between mistakenly getting money versus a rightful windfall of money. If the $15,000.00 had come from the lottery or an inheritance then we’d be on vacation as I speak.

      Like

  56. Oh my goodness – that Cicada lifecycle is so interesting (says the woman who doesn’t have to live with them). What evolutionary process is benefitted by bugs showing up to mate every 17 years and nothing in between? That is fascinating. Sorry they are loud and don’t sound very appealing!

    Liked by 1 person

  57. We had periodical cicadas last year — what a racket!
    What’s bugging me these days is an outbreak of eastern bark centipedes. Every day I use my trusty hand held small vacuum — normally used for spiders — to dispatch whoever I encounter crawling along the floor. Apparently they’re fond of the moisture from all the rain we’ve been having lately. I’ve grown used to watching my step…

    Like

    • Barbara, yes you’re right these cicadas are nothing but a constant racket.

      You have centipedes! Well that is icky. I wouldn’t want to step on one. I understand why you’re vacuuming them up, I would too. We’ve had a lot of rain here this month, but so far our bugs have stayed outside.

      Liked by 1 person

  58. What’s bugging you in your world today?
    Actually, not that much to be honest. I should be annoyed with so many things, but I’m not. I guess I’ve been oversaturated with so many things lately that I just can’t be bothered with more stuff.

    If a surprise $15,000.00 landed in your hands, through no malfeasance of your own, what would you think about doing with it?

    I’d probably just save it for now for a rainy day 😂.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Fedora Pancakes, it’s great that you’re in a good state of mind, nothing bugging you. I agree that there is only so much a person can worry about!

      Very pragmatic use of your *found* money.

      Liked by 1 person

  59. How nice of you to provide such an expansive playground for the cicadas!

    It’s too bad that they are so hideous. I feel kind of bad for them. But I also don’t want to be anywhere near them.

    Liked by 1 person

  60. Cicadas aside, you made me LOL with your confessional here, Ally: “My first thought was, and try not to think less of me when I say this, a vacation in Hawaii would be nice.” There you are! Truth teller. I’d think the same, for a millisecond. 😜🥰😜

    Liked by 1 person

  61. omg omg OMG
    So I’ve heard the cicadas scream loudly and I cried over them in that movie Lucas from the ’80s but I’ve never ever EVA seen one up close like that. If those were frolicking on my deck then dying out there, requiring me to sweep up their carcasses — well, I may have to consider using that $15,000 to launch savings for relocation far away from the cicadas. Just saying.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, during this month I’ve had the opportunity to get to know cicadas up close and personal. They have the weirdest eyes… just staring at you… all the time. I’ve swept the deck more times in the last few weeks than in the last few years.

      Excellent idea about what to do with your credit card windfall. I know that commenters have said that Seattle doesn’t have cicadas. A place to consider. 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  62. Oh Ally! I commiserate with you! We had a double brood of cicadas last year. The eerie, spaceship sound of them could be heard everywhere! They were on practically every leaf on the bushes. They would fly at me on the way to my car. And yes, they were all over my balcony. Even the birds seemed tired of eating them. A friend said her dog had eaten a ton of them and grew tired of them also! So you have my condolences.

    Good for Z-D for checking about that credit card! But if I had the money, I would pay off debts and throw some in a savings account. Would love to travel, but I don’t yet have a renewed passport.

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, you know exactly what it’s like to live with cicadas. They are everywhere and while they aren’t aggressive they do fly into you when you’re outside. Plus the noise. So tired to the droning sound

      Your use of the money is practical. I applaud you on your common sense. I renewed my passport in early 2020 and the process wasn’t bad. I got my new passport but then didn’t want to go anywhere.

      Liked by 1 person

  63. All I’d ever heard about cicadas is that they provide that constant tropical hum. What you’ve describes sounds positively rackety, and they sound revolting to look at as well. I would very much not like to share my living space with them, you have my utmost sympathies. After this year, do you get a 17 year break?

    I laughed out loud at that credit card arriving. Younger me would’ve doubtless been hugely tempted to run up some bills. Older me knows that I’d be obliged to pay them back, and would probably be taken to court over non-payment, so wouldn’t risk it. That doesn’t mean I’d not enjoy a bit of dream shopping in my head at the prospect that it would free money 😉

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, a few of them would make lovely background music, but this many is just noise pollution. I’m tired of hearing it and fortunately this week the racket is beginning to die down.

      We’ll get a 17 year break from Brood 14 but there are other broods out there. Sometimes even when it’s predicted that your area will be invaded, it doesn’t happen. Cicadas are epitome of random.

      We didn’t do a thing with the credit card other than to laugh at its existence. But the places we could have gone with that amount of money… 🤔

      Like

  64. The $15,000? I would cash it out, wrap it up, and hide it under my mattress so that I could stew over how I wanted to spend it. OK, maybe I’d actually put it in the bank. But I wouldn’t make an immediate decision, I’d rather play around with options until I knew I was making the right decision.
    Bugs? Today a carpenter bee buzzed right up to my chest and stayed there, buzzing and swooping in and out like he was talking to me. So I talked back and asked how his day was going and chitchatted a bit. Finally, I told him I had to leave &, I promise you, he gave a reluctant buzz as he flew away. I think I might have made a friend.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Gwen, I do like your deliberate careful approach to handling your *found* money. So cautious and pragmatic!

      I’m thrilled to know that you made a new friend today. You must be sweet for a bee to take such an interest in you. You got him to buzz off in the best way possible. Good job.

      Liked by 1 person

  66. Ooh, I didn’t know it was cicadas year again! I feel like they were JUST here. I can’t imagine how noisy and intrusive they must be!

    I do not think less of you at all to daydream about an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii or London! I would do the same, HA. Let’s see… a random $15,000 would allow me to pay off my student loans and put a big dent in my car loan. Or maybe I would be very selfish and use it for travel!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Stephany, cicadas are annoying but also have a limited time engagement when they show up so I try not to grumble. In fact they’re already dying out since when I published this just a few days ago.

      Your practical uses for the money would be sensible. My immediate idea of a vacation was unrealistic, impractical, and not gonna happen. But for a moment I was a dreamer.

      Like

  67. Hi Ally, I don’t think we have Cicadas around here … I should research. Yet, evident when we have travelled. Huge laugh out loud … ‘amorous.’ I enjoy nature’s white noise, yet this sounds like a new category of sound/noise. Bugging me in my world? … hmmmmm … always noisy neighbours and their 4 dogs (you read it correctly) Re: $15,000 … I am on a kick of finding a way to make money for charity and get my daily steps in … mini research this morning … possibly, you are my answer and inspo, Ally, in some roundabout creative way … 💕 Erica

    Liked by 1 person

    • Erica/Erika, I, too, like nature’s background sounds when they are in the background. However this cicada droning stuff is in your face, assaulting your ears, all day long. Annoying.

      4 dogs, huh? That would be noisy. I wonder how much they spend monthly on food? [Rhetorical question]

      Happy to be inspiration in any way possible. Happy walking!

      Liked by 1 person

  68. Hi Ally! First of all, the cicadas are creepy. I thought living near Lake Winnebago (a number of years ago) when the May lake flies hatched was bad, but that would have been a cake walk for you and hubby. I got the shivers just reading about the cicadas all around your house. I laughed about the mating, though, as my friend and I watched two different pair of birds mating on vacation. As if no one was watching…lol

    What was bugging me on Tuesday? A hot airplane on the tarmac, on the last segment of our journey home. What really bugged me was having the remnant of a cough from a cold during vacation and enduring a 24-hour stomach bug the day after I returned. I am feeling fine now, but I may need to start eating Wheaties.

    I would travel on $15,000, probably to Europe, as long as I knew I wouldn’t be arrested when I got home. Which means I probably wouldn’t go to Europe.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mary, flies around lakes are more aggressive than cicadas which is one good thing about them. The thing about them arriving when they did is that they kept me inside the house and cabin fever set in. Usually June is my month to be outside as much as possible, but not this year.

      Yuck. I don’t like waiting on the tarmac and I don’t like having a cold while on vacation and I don’t like stomach bugs. My condolences, but your photos on IG were wonderful to see.

      I take your point about *yay* Europe, *boo* coming back to be arrested. I know we’d never use the credit card but for a moment it was enticing.

      Liked by 1 person

  69. I grew up in the south and vividly remember cicadas, not in a great way. Thank goodness New England is not infested. I would have done what Z-D did with the Visa card. Sigh!

    Liked by 1 person

  70. My sympathies Ally, I had heard about the circada problem a few years ago, but we don’t have them here yet….they are definitely ugly bugs. I do like the color of your deck though! I would have sent the credit card back, because ya know they would have eventually found out and wanted to be reimbursed….

    Liked by 1 person

    • Joni, fortunately the cicadas are beginning to die so the noise has died down with them as well. Still not a fan of them, but I doubt they care about my opinion of them.

      We knew nothing good would come from using the credit card, but it made for a good laugh dreaming about what we could do.

      Liked by 1 person

  71. We don’t have cicadas, yet. I grew broccoli last year. At first, the juncos feasted on the leaves. I covered the entire raised bed with a net, but the bugs finished off the leaves and left me with the stalks. I’m not growing broccoli this year. Last year again, I saw some caterpillars on the petunias. I was delighted at first because I love butterflies, but there were more than a hundred, some went on to the geraniums. They were black and ugly looking. I suspected they were moth caterpillars. I ended up removing all the petunias and put them in the green bin. This year, I got slugs eating my strawberries, insects invading the leaves of the fruit trees. I was busy taking care of these situations since we came back from the trip a couple of days ago.

    Scams? My late father-in-law received a check in the mail. He was going to deposit it. We asked him not to do it. We learned later on that the check looked legit, the bank would accept the deposit but there was no funds behind the check. The consequence if people deposit the checks? Who knows.

    Greaat post and great questions as always, Ally!

    Like

    • Miriam, I don’t know about junco bugs, we don’t have them here to my knowledge, but they are bad bugs for attacking your broccoli. How dare they‽ We get moth caterpillars occasionally but never on geraniums. Interesting to know that detail.

      Excellent point about not knowing what the consequences would have been if your FIL had cashed the check. I never thought about that, but it does sound like unnecessary trouble for all involved.

      Thanks for stopping by to read and comment. Always great to see you here.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Got it. Bird… bug… what’s in a name! 😁

      Now I’m wondering about the wisdom of planting petunias and geraniums together. Not that we’re having any moth problems this year, but something to keep in mind for the future.

      Liked by 1 person

  74. Someone told me about an app called iNaturalist that will identify insects, etc., with uploaded photos and audio. I ended up with iNat Classic and tried it for the first time last night while walking at dusk. My untrained ear detected frogs and crickets, perhaps cicadas. I uploaded the audio: as for feedback, crickets—I mean—nothing. Now I have the updated iNaturalist version. We’ll see how it works on another attempt.

    By the way, this is Crystal from another blog you follow and which I’ve ditched. 👋🏻

    Liked by 1 person

    • Crystal, I knew there were apps that would identify sounds in the forest but I’ve never tried one. Interesting to know about your experience with the one app. Hope the other one works for you.

      Happy to see you here. Yay to the new blog.

      Liked by 1 person

  76. Ally, that is crazy about the deck color being a loving color for the cicadas – and I am familiar with how loud – and annoying they can be – even though, as you noted, they are kind of harmless. And of course they likely play a very important part in the eco system and all that.
    And that credit card sounds crazy to get and such a little scam hmmmm – so many bad actors in the world

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yvette, our neighbors with gray or cedar colored decks aren’t finding as many cicadas on theirs. But here at Chez Bean with our deck perfectly in tune with nature, we’ve got cicada-a-gogo going on.

      I don’t know what the deal was with that credit card, but I know that Z-D wasn’t the only retired person to get one. It made us laugh. As did the untimely snail mail letter.

      Liked by 1 person

  77. Is it weird that I kinda miss the cicadas? Here, because of all the pools not being taken care of – behind houses that are for sale or left behind in empty lots – plus the empty lots themselves that are now ponds (when you remove the foundation, you leave behind a big hole in the ground that fills with rainwater and drains oh, so slowly), we are having major mosquito issues. Not loud, not ugly, but they do bite. Folks can’t sit outside at all!

    P.S. The last cicada outbreak I had a friend that deep fried them. Said they were interesting to eat.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Pat, I know there are fans of cicada out there. I hold no grudge against the bugs, but they are noisy. Considering you’re dealing with mosquitoes, I’ll take non-biting cicadas.

      A few people have mentioned eating cicadas. I don’t think I’d do that, but if you don’t get sick from doing so then go for it.

      Liked by 1 person

  78. $15K?!?! that sounds like a dangerous amount of credit… I break out in a sweat when I get close to $1K and rush to pay it all back!! If I won it in the loot though, no strings attached, I would probably buy a second-hand-car for my daughter who just got her license… although that probably has a different set of strings attached! Linda xx

    Liked by 1 person

    • Linda, I was surprised by the amount on the corporate credit card too, but my husband wasn’t. He said that’s about what his limit was when he was working.

      A second-hand car would be an excellent use for *found* money. However I’m laughing about the strings that’d be attached to the car for your daughter. Yep, there would be.

      Liked by 1 person

  79. Oh my the cicadas debacle. And you picked just the right colour for your deck, how thoughtful of you. 🤣
    As far as the Visa, I think I’d do like you, be tempted, but give it up. And I suppose there was no gratitude from the big corp for doing the right thing? Of course not.

    Liked by 1 person

  80. How awful about the cicadas! 😲 Maybe you should repaint your deck a different colour? As for the credit card, any money you spend would have to be paid back. Why go into unnecessary debt? I would have done the same thing and reported the error. Nothing is ever free. 😆

    Liked by 1 person

    • Debbie D., the cicadas have been a new experience for us, but they’re already pretty much gone. They don’t live long.

      No truer words: Nothing is ever free. The credit card has been shredded as it should be.

      Liked by 1 person

  81. I’ve heard about cicadas, but have never experienced them personally. (Thank goodness!) How long does this mating season usually last? Do you know? Good on you for not spending the $15,000. Of course, I knew you wouldn’t. It is funny that three years later, they hadn’t canceled his card, though. I feel like they should have let you make one purchase with it before destroying it!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Christie, the mating season is anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks. Already there are fewer around and by July 1 it should be over. That’s what the newspaper tells me.

      I agree that it is odd that somehow Z-D was still on the company’s credit card list. It would have been lovely to be allowed one purchase, maybe a dinner for two at a fine dining restaurant. For old times sake like when he wined and dined. 😋

      Like

  82. “There’s been a mistake.” Haha! Ya think, indeed! Of course I would do the right thing, but I’d also consider appliances that need replacing, or car parts, or cars. 😛

    So sorry about inadvertently building a cicada graveyard. There must be some satisfaction in seeing them dead, though, right? 🙂 How far are you into the, what was it, 6-10 weeks?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ilsa Ray, I didn’t even think about getting new appliances which makes me wonder: who am I? Usually home improvements are #1 on my list of priorities.

      The cicadas are all gone now. They arrived mid-May and have died off quickly this past week. I saw one flying around yesterday and felt sorry for the dude, all alone in this world with no friends to be found.

      Liked by 1 person

  83. Oh my, you have a symphony of cicadas out back AND your porch all the more enticing them to stay! I guess you will have to put up with the noise for now… In the summer there are a chorus of them outside my window, but I don’t think as loud as what you are describing. Still, their noise is noticeable – they don’t bug me, but they still bug me anyway.

    It was very honest and ethical of your husband to turn in the card. If I had that much credit with no strings attached, I think a trip somewhere would be nice. Maybe could even book a really nice hotel with a really nice view for a night or two.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mabel, a background chorus of cicadas is pleasant, like a few crickets chirping out back, but this many cicadas all around the house all day is annoying. Fortunately they’re almost all dead now, so back to quite normal.

      I like your idea of going to a nice hotel with a great view and enjoying it. I could see us doing that but of course we didn’t keep the credit card so here we stay.

      Like

Comments are closed.