Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Magic in the Night






 
The sound of crickets fascinates me… mostly in the summer, cuz let’s face it…if you hear crickets in the winter, you’ve got more to worry about than crickets.

Right now, they’re on their last noisy legs, fighting the change of season and the ensuing evening chill.

Taken alone, most of you probably wouldn’t even notice a cricket...similar to my experience in High School.

You probably don’t even know what one looks like...and no, there’s no top hat and tails involved.

But that’s okay, because while they’re really not all that much to look at, even if you did know what to look for, they’re really just meant to be heard...similar to my experience in life, today.

It takes an attentive ear to discern the arrival of the cricket’s song.  After a long period of winter’s hush, carried through spring and into early summer, the magic suddenly appears en masse, around late July.

One night it’s silent, the next night it’s not...at least, like I said, if you’re paying attention.

Sometimes I sit for hours, just gazing through the trees, chasing the moon skipping across uneven clouds and listen to that whirl of sound.

I can’t imagine a better way to appreciate a soft summer night, right into these first nippy evenings of fall.

Of course, I occasionally pause to peek at the score on my nearby tablet, plus those beers don’t pop their tops all by themselves, you know.

You know?

If you listen to the scientists—and why would you, since scientists have a way of taking the fun out of everything—they would tell you in their very clinical, wonder shattering way, that the song I’m listening to is basically nothing more than a bunch of horny male Gryllus campestris shouting out to their female counterparts, “Hey Baby, hey baby...come to papa I got something just for you!”

Much like any Friday night outside the Wa Wa, down on the Jersey shore.

This also explains why scientists don’t get invited to many mixed social gatherings....

So between breaths of your usual busy evening, take a minute and get out there before it’s too late. There’s probably a few good weeks left before this final remnant of summer disappears into the impending frost.

And then the quiet comes.

For weeks and months, silence owns the night.

Aside from the couple, two houses down that likes to throw pots and pans at each other on the weekends....

And then one night in late July or early August your ears will again awaken to that chirping chorus you didn’t even know you missed until you hear it again...and it makes you smile.

Magic in the night....



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Have you picked up my new book “The Kingdom of Keys” yet?
                                                
No....what's up with that???
 
Better hurry before they're ALL GONE...which is a lie because they'll never be all gone...never....

So why not buy one just to reward my forthrightness..ness...ness?

You might even enjoy it.


And spread the word...cuz nobody else is....

Just sayin....
 
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5 comments:

  1. I heard the crickets, and I wondered if they are supposed to be serenading this late in the year. Must be climate change. May I borrow your observation -- "Magic in the Night?" I'm sure I can use it somewhere.

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  2. i didn't hear the beer open.... ;0) i love the crickets and the cicadas... i will miss them, however, today we only hear the hum of the air conditioner. holy humidity!

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    Replies
    1. Never cared for the cicadas...kind of brash and arrogant....

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  3. Already the windows are closed as it's so chilly outside, so gone are the Summer sounds of the singing crickets and the rattle of the cicadas. All we have left now are the honking geese as they fly over and wave "bye-bye" and call you "why are you fools staying here in the cold weather?" Thanks for the peaceful video - I'll download it and listen to it during the cold, cold days of Winter. This video keeps me grounded during those brutally cold and barren days ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csnUV3Gz4Pk
    - Linda

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