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I had forgotten how early the cicadas arrive to serenade us all; at least this year I believe they began before July 4th. Perhaps they are just a bit early this year. I personally associate the cicadas with late summer, and I believe they will be done for the year by September. However on that last point I profess much uncertainty; their arrival is a bit more noticeable than their exit.
You really have to experience the sound to understand: A thousand voices and a thousand choirs, all vying for victory in the suddenly-competitive aural market. Stroll down a winding lane and appreciate being in the center of a whirlwind of sound, each ghostly song somehow distinct from the next.
What human word is suitable for the sound? Screaming? Crying? Screeching? English fails in this regard, perhaps Chinese has a more suitable term. Would it be unreasonable to surmise that Shanghai lingo has a good sound for this? I will have to look into that.
In the evenings the sound only intensifies, as the common noise of life abates, but then finally dies away. In the night, a few solitary souls will sing, for very brief times. And then, come morning, first one, and then the next, and a few more, singing, stopping, listening, singing singing…
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The Le Gou (big supermarket, for the uninitiated, and no, that name is not French) at Wuyi Road has got hummingbirds! They must have put up a feeder; I had heard that if you offer nectar, they will come. They have quite a number of them, (hummingbirds, that is, not feeders), flitting around as they are wont to do.
The little things really are incredible. We are just part of their landscape, and they are free to swoop around and over us without a care, and they do! Oh they do.
In open defiance to the natural order of things, they peacefully coexist with mankind, by simply ignoring us completely. I might be inclined to get angry about their insolence, but the darn things are just so cute. Plus, have you ever tried to catch one? Good luck with that.
OG Pic from: www.flickr.com/photos/slow_boat_to_china/1134253239/