Cicada Fever

So in case you guys hadn't heard, this is the year when the 17-year cycle cicadas come out of hiding. I was too young to remember the last time they came out, but from the sounds of it, they are horrifying. I've seen a few cicadas in my lifetime, but always one or two at a time, and never in heat. This year, we're talking 1.5 million cicadas per acre. Another choice cicada fact from that article include the fact that researchers have measured the sound they make at 100 decibels 60 feet away — about as loud as a snowmobile or a woodworking shop. So, come May, the streets will be littered with thousands of red and beady eyed horny insects the size of shrimp that sound like a motorboat. You better believe I'm not leaving my house without a tennis racket.