A cicada attacked me last weekend. The cicadas never made it to the city and I was glad to avoid the whole nightmare of them. Then came the attack. We were on our way to the suburbs ( first mistake ) for a birthday party and when I opened the car window to pay a toll ( second mistake ) , a giant, ugly cicada dove in and landed on my shirt. I was shrieking, swearing and screaming at my partner to get it out of the car and to do it without gettting cicada guts all over me. We were very lucky that I didn't crash into the tollgate. When we arrived at the party, we told some friends the story and, after they all made fun of me, our friend Lynne Lampert decided to tell us all about cicada adventures out in the burbs:
For those who haven't seen a cicada yet, your time is almost up. We give cicada tours on a regular basis, and reservations are required. We have seen so many cicadas—dead and alive; big and small; and even an albino cicada, all white with big red eyes. We have two pups, an 80-pound Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Jersey and a 70-pound, mixed breed named Freeda—two loving and affectionate pups! Who would have guessed that the cicada outbreak would have changed their personalities and their eating habits so much? From the moment the cicadas emerged from the ground, the pups were intrigued, curious and very, very hungry! It was as if we had never fed them; they were feasting on live cicadas, empty shells—anything they could find.
Jersey, our OCD dog, is usually obsessed with her ball 24/7, but now it is the cicadas. Every waking moment she wants to go out and consume as many of the noisy little critters as possible. She spends her time scouring the perimeter of the yard, checking out every tree and shrub for signs of the little buggers. Freeda has even gotten into the act. At first she was not impressed, but as the noise grew louder and the bugs were flying all around, Freeda started feasting, too. The pups are so obsessed that they are even late for suppertime and if you have dogs, you know that never happens!
Lastly, as the number one pooper-scooper in our house, it is my job to keep the yard clean. The cicada feces are not a pleasant sight to behold and it is hard to distinguish just what the pups have been dining on lately. Sorry for the specifics, but it has been like a cicada tootsie roll factory out there. We are not sorry to see the cicadas leave. Hopefully, the dogs will not grow wings and red eyes before that happens.
EVENTS:
On June 28 from 7:30-9 p.m., join well-behaved, leashed Chicago pups and their companions on for a relaxing 90-minute lake and river cruise aboard the Skyline Queen. Board at the southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue bridge at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive ( look for the blue awning ) . To make reservations, call ( 312 ) 644-8338, extension 307. or got ot www.anticruelty.org The Anti-Cruelty Society.
On July 11 at 6 p.m. at the North Avenue Beach boathouse, Paws Chicago will hold its 5th Annual Beach Party—All Paws on Deck. There'll be dancing on the deck, cool cocktails, a beachy dinner buffet and a silent auction. While your dog is welcome to hang out with you all night, there is also a relaxing pup deck available. See www.pawschicago.org .
FEATURED PETS FOR ADOPTION
PETER
Hi, I'm Peter! I was found outside as a stray kitten living alongside a church. The nice church people took me in and let me live there for a week until visitors complained. I am a fantastic, great-natured, FIV-positive, nine-month-old kitten. I am very personable and love human affection and playtime equally. Plus, I don't mind if you snuggle me a little or a lot. I also get along very well other FIV-positive cats too. ( By the way, Tree House helps defray the cost of and FIV related illness! ) See www.treehouseanimals.org, call 773-784-5488 or e-mail adoption@treehouseanimals.org .
