Cicada fun, fashion questions, baby bunnies, and more (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

I’ve been joking that I wanted to find a cicada swatter to add to my flyswatter collection during the visit from Brood X. I haven’t seen one yet. But our friends Nick and Quinn stopped by this morning to deliver cupcakes with candy cicadas and flyswatters on them.

The cupcakes are from Cake, which makes incredible cupcakes, so I would have been excited enough about that alone. But the swatters on top had me absolutely giddy. Apparently, the cupcakes were only available for one day with advance orders. I’m thrilled. They’re the icing on the cake of a historic cicada visit that is just barely starting.

~2~

We know the cicadas are coming, but we haven’t seen any yet in our yard. I’ve offered each of our boys $5 for the first cicada or cicada shell they find. I don’t know how soon they’ll find one, but it won’t be for lack of trying.

~3~

I got new glasses this week! I didn’t need a new prescription, though I know it’s coming since I’ll be 45 this summer, and I’ve had glasses for 40 years.

“They make you look like a librarian,” my younger son told me.

“Thank you!” I said.

He seemed confused. Apparently, it wasn’t really meant as a compliment. But it worked for me.

It reminded me of the scene in The Office where Pam is wearing glasses and Kevin asks her to say, “These are due back Thursday.”

~4~

When you are temporarily removing your mask, do you take it off, push it down to your chin, or dangle it from your ear? I hate the feel of it on my chin, so I always dangle it from my ear, but I don’t see many people doing that. It makes me wonder whether not everyone’s ears are designed to hold a mask well.

These aren’t the questions that keep me up at night, but I do wonder.

~5~

We seem to have a family of rabbits living under our deck.

The baby bunnies are growing quickly, and they are starting to get more independent and adventure out into the yard on their own. I’m hoping the hawks and cats stay away so they will survive and thrive. We’ve been keeping an eye out for the cats that are stalking the deck, but I am not going to be faster than a hawk.

But I love seeing the bunnies around the yard. Spring is such a beautiful time of year.

~6~

I’ve been working remotely since March of last year, but every now and then I get to see colleagues in person—and it’s always so much fun. I saw one on a trip to M&T Bank Stadium earlier this week as we’re preparing for our Commencement ceremony, and I saw another for a meeting on my deck yesterday afternoon.

Zoom is wonderful, and I’m grateful that it exists. It’s made so much possible over the past 15 months. And, in many ways, it’s more efficient than meeting in person. But nothing beats sitting in the sunshine and having a real in-person conversation while the birds fly by and the baby bunnies explore the yard.

I’m looking forward to seeing people in real life this spring and summer.

~7~

We celebrated Mother’s Day with a day off from cooking for me and a trip to pick out a hanging basket. That has become our annual Mother’s Day tradition, and it works well for us. It requires a simple, achievable family outing, and we end up with a hanging basket we’ll enjoy all summer.

Last year a couple of house wrens moved in and raised a family of babies in our hanging basket. That may have indirectly led to our acquiring finches.

This year, I’m hoping the basket leads to nothing in particular but a summer enjoying a beautiful basket.

Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and enjoy a beautiful weekend!

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