The Creat Cicada Caper

Yeah, I know, Fio's posting late. Usually an early riser, she didn't get up till 9:30 today. Blame it on the cicada.

For three nights running, her sleep has been rudely interrupted at random intervals by a sudden raucous rattling. On Wednesday, her first cotton-brained conjecture was that a rattlesnake had somehow crawled inside the house. But when she gathered her wits about her, she realized that no matter how sinisterly clever a snake was, it couldn't shinny up a brick wall. Besides, the sound had almost a chirp to it. Eventually she concluded it was a male cicada uttering arias of despair over lack of matrimonial opportunities.

Husband heard the sound Thursday night and assured her the bug was outside, yodeling from the balcony railing. In fact, he was sure he could see its red eyes glaring at him through the pane glass, but the sound really didn't bother him. At least not enough to risk the red eyes.

Fio thought that, after two days, the bug would dry up and blow away, but last night it was as loud as ever, and changing locations to boot, which made her realize the cicada was not outside, but somewhere in the room. Putting her untimely awakening to good use, Fio got on the internet and learned everything there is to know about cicadas, then resolved to seek the villain out the next morning.

But Husband, who got up at a decent hour, beat her to it. The great green bug was lurking the wall on HIS side of the bed. Now for the removal. Fio contemplated a fly swatter or PCV pipe, with someone inhaling--preferably not Fio--on the other end of it. Husband, of a more practical nature, grabbed a broom and dust pan. A sweep of the broom to knock the bug off the wall, another sweep to load it on the end of the broom, and it was out the balcony door.

Which brings up another concern. What about those red eyes glaring through the glass?