Monday, August 1, 2011

Happy Cricket Day

Saturday, July 30 was "C" day this year.

"C" day is the annual Cricket Day where I hear crickets for the first time.  Goldenrod is in full bloom when their song begins, and the cricket chirps sing that fall is coming soon.

Fall isn't here yet  Not just yet.  The dog days of August have only started, with their heat and humidity.  Sweet blueberries await picking, tomatoes are rushed from the vine to the waiting bread with mayonnaise (ok, I only do that once or twice in a summer because tomatoes and me don't always get along, but it is a summer pleasure) and corn...well, it isn't easy to overdose on fresh area bicolor corn with butter.  Or Smart Balance, since we must watch our cholesterol.

For us in Binghamton, August is also time for the Spiedie Fest, the Chris Thater Memorial bicycle race, and University Fest.

But August also brings us one month closer to fall.  And hence, the song of the crickets can be bittersweet.

I usually hear the first song when walking in the neighborhood.  This year, I heard it from my next door neighbor's porch.  The neighbor who lost his wife on the 4th of July.  So C day was especially bittersweet.  My neighbor, 86 years old, unable to walk without a walker, riddled with arthritis, in the fall/winter of his life. 

How many more C days will he hear?

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