Where are all of those ‘June’ bugs?

Where are they? What, you ask? The Cicadas of course. The “Brood X” cicada, billions of them actually, are in Franklin County and counties in western Ohio and other states. We do have cicadas of course but they are still in the ground – and are not quite ready to erupt. Brood V, as they are identified, emerged in 2016 in our area of the state so it is not likely we will suffer that intolerable noise. According to numerous online sources, the mating call of the male cicada can reach 96 decibels. That’s loud unless you know someone with a cool stereo, amp and a couple of subwoofers cranked up cruising down the street.

That other June “bug,” namely the firefly, glow worm or lightning bug – is out and about in healthy numbers. There is nothing quite like seeing a freshly mowed hayfield filled with fireflies at night. Bring out the jar, punch some holes in the top, and let the kids catch a few. But always remember to let them go after observing them up close. It’s like catch and release with fish. Never keep them overnight. The season is only here for a few weeks so enjoy. It is magical but scientists are predicting fewer of them this year due to habitat and lights near large cities.

What’s happening in the NBA playoffs? It looks like Phoenix is rolling in the West, with Milwaukee and Philadelphia likely facing each other in the East finals as Brooklyn has suffered some key injuries in the playoffs. Anything can happen though in a seven-game series as all of us in Ohio know too well.

As I write this column, today is Flag Day, June 14 – and it is very uplifting to see all of the American flags flying in our community. The Coshocton Rotary club has done a wonderful job with this project, and they deserve our thanks.

The White Sox are rolling in the American League central with the Indians in second, yet the power teams of 2020 are still dominating the league and will most likely be standing at the end of the season and make a solid play-off run.

The hot air balloons floating through the air on Saturday evening was a beautiful sight. Here’s hoping that you were able to grab some great photos. This event is truly spectacular for our community and on Sunday the corvettes rolled into Roscoe Village. More good stuff.

Thankfully, things are opening back up and returning to normal as we continue to beat back the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recently concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit, held in the United Kingdom, had the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan attending with the UK inviting India, Australia, South Korea and South Africa to the conference as well. It is their right as the host nation.

Apparently, U.S. and Russian relations are at an all-time low according to various news sources. This might be because the Russians continue to meddle with things here – like, shutting down a pipeline. That’s just a guess but it seems logical. Cyber security will continue to ramp up.

Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion