Laowai

I've been enjoying my garden and I feel like my veggie plot is setting up to have a really good year. I put all my herbs in pots this year to make more room for extra tomato plants.

The peas are growing so fast on their new taller trellis.

I've been picking more rhubarb and made some jam.

I like composting.

One row of lettuce makes plenty of salad.

My false indigo is showing off.

I could have called this post "Cicada Update" because for the last few days that's the dominate news from my yard. We're getting two broods hatching this summer. Apparently the last time these two broods emerged together Thomas Jefferson was president. So far only one has started hatching but it has been dramatic already.

I went outside to find this a couple days ago. Oh my!

But then the next morning this same spot was even worse! The cicadas crawl out of the ground and then find a place to shed their exoskeleton. So the crusty brown leftovers are everywhere.

It sort of puts you off gardening when there are big bugs clinging everywhere. And the lawn is just crawling with them – especially under trees. No barefoot walking in the grass for a while. Even walking on the driveway I keep my eyes down to avoid the crunch underfoot. Yuck.

I find the cicadas interesting and disturbing at the same time. After they emerge from their old bodies they sit around until they have enough strength to fly into a tree. They should start singing for their mates soon and we expect it will be deafening.