I listen to a lot of music during the summer, and most often I’m playing the blues. Because I’m listening to the blues today, I decided to enter this photo of a friend playing blues harmonica into the Monochrome Weekly Project. You can visit Aileni at the main site to find other photographers who love to post black and white photos.
I got to pondering about why I listen to so much music in summer, and so rarely put on the stereo in winter. I think it’s to cover the noises of summer. Right about now, when the heat outside is tremendous, the cicadas begin to serenade us. I believe they are singing ardent love songs, but I just wish they would hook up and shut up.
Have you ever heard the cicadas when they get going? Imagine your neighbor’s weed whacker at 6:30 on a Sunday morning — now imagine ten weed whackers at the same time. That’s how annoying they are. They almost make me appreciate that mockingbird in my yard (the one I want to kill encourage to move because he sings the Hallelujah Chorus at all hours of the morning). He swoops in and gobbles those bugs for breakfast.
Eat faster, little mockingbird. You have to keep up your strength.
I figure that I turn the music loud to drown the drone of those bugs. Or, maybe to mask the sound of the air conditioner running constantly! I can hear the electric meter clicking, too, and know our bill will be astronomical.
That’s depressing! Perhaps I shouldn’t be listening to the blues?
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I knew cicadas well in Cyprus when I was in the RAF there. After a while we tended to tune them out – though we played a fair bit of music too.
Aileni´s last blog ..Gravel…
I’m so glad I finally learned how to say that word! (I know I should have looked it up ages ago, but it hardly seemed worth the trouble considering that here in Cali I’m not likely to have need of it.
Wow, your friend looks like a movie actor whose name I can’t remember. He usually plays a minor villian… hmmmm. Great character shot in monochrome!
Thorne´s last blog ..Sand Chair
Our property backs up to a swampy preserve… we have the tree frogs… singing tree frogs… with the occasional bass bull frog chiming in… yes, lots of summer noise!
srp´s last blog ..Monday Medley
Nice shot of him playing the harmonica. It looks great in mono. I think the actor Thorne is referring to is Dennis Hopper; he does look a little like him.
cluelessinboston´s last blog ..Monochrome Monday
I grew up listening to cicadas all summer every summer. And then I moved about 25 miles north to what appears to be a cicada-free community. If only I could find the Utopian mosquito-free community.
Kitty Krueger´s last blog ..The single best thing ever done to a cabbage
Your friend totally looks like Dennis Hopper! I love the sound of a harmonica. I know a lot of people find it annoying, but I think the tone is uplifting, even if it’s playing the blues. We had cicadas a few years ago and the noise was deafening in my backyard. We could hardly even sit out there all summer.
Jessica The Rock Chick´s last blog ..Na Cho Nachos! (Summer Stock Sunday)