Through The Seasons Part 4
It's now mid to late summer in west central Nebraska. The calendar would say mid-summer, but since the kids start back to school on August 19, it is very much late summer for them and their families trying to squeeze in school shopping and a few more days of fun and adventure.
A couple days late, but here is the fourth installment of my "through the seasons" series: May 5, 2010 at 6:10 p.m.
June 5, 2010, 8:30 a.m.
July 5, 2010, 10:00 a.m.
And finally, the most recent photo, taken on August 7, 2010 at about 8:30 a.m. About the only change from the July photograph is that the corn has now reached its full height. In just a few short days, the crop will be mature and the farmers will cut off the irrigation to begin the drying process, making it ready for harvest sometime in late October and November.
At this time of year, what really speaks of the summer marching on are the sounds rather than the sights. The weatherman tells us that because of our early snow last year (remember the October Blizzard?), all of the little insects that grow beneath the dirt to emerge in the spring were well insulated from the cold, and therefore survived at an unusual rate.
The most obvious of these critters right now are the locusts. Their buzzing in the trees is so loud that sometimes it's hard to hear any other souhd. This is especially true in the early evening, as we found out at Friday night's House Concert. Thank goodness the artist brought sound equipment, otherwise all we would have enjoyed would have been the concert of the locusts.
Walk through any uncut grass and the rattle of the grasshoppers song makes you think that you could be surrounded by a den of rattlesnakes, as the sound is eerily similar. Although still small, the crickets are beginning to compete with the locusts. Local news is talking about an invasion of these pests, and it's hard to take a step without destroying several cricket lives. Soon they will reach maturity and their chirping in the night will be impossible to ignore.
Thanks for stopping by. We can enjoy coffee on the patio enjoying the sounds of summer.
A couple days late, but here is the fourth installment of my "through the seasons" series: May 5, 2010 at 6:10 p.m.
June 5, 2010, 8:30 a.m.
July 5, 2010, 10:00 a.m.
And finally, the most recent photo, taken on August 7, 2010 at about 8:30 a.m. About the only change from the July photograph is that the corn has now reached its full height. In just a few short days, the crop will be mature and the farmers will cut off the irrigation to begin the drying process, making it ready for harvest sometime in late October and November.
At this time of year, what really speaks of the summer marching on are the sounds rather than the sights. The weatherman tells us that because of our early snow last year (remember the October Blizzard?), all of the little insects that grow beneath the dirt to emerge in the spring were well insulated from the cold, and therefore survived at an unusual rate. The most obvious of these critters right now are the locusts. Their buzzing in the trees is so loud that sometimes it's hard to hear any other souhd. This is especially true in the early evening, as we found out at Friday night's House Concert. Thank goodness the artist brought sound equipment, otherwise all we would have enjoyed would have been the concert of the locusts.
Walk through any uncut grass and the rattle of the grasshoppers song makes you think that you could be surrounded by a den of rattlesnakes, as the sound is eerily similar. Although still small, the crickets are beginning to compete with the locusts. Local news is talking about an invasion of these pests, and it's hard to take a step without destroying several cricket lives. Soon they will reach maturity and their chirping in the night will be impossible to ignore.
All of the insect eating birds should be fat and sassy this fall.
Thanks for stopping by. We can enjoy coffee on the patio enjoying the sounds of summer.
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