Bluegirl, that's a good point about adjusting to whatever your experience says is normal - like traffic noises or train sounds if you live near their passages, or heat in a Nevada summer, or cold in a Minnesota winter. It's just what you expect and we build positive associations with it for the pleasant events that happen in that period. As a relative outsider to cicadas, the negative associations have gotten firmly established before any positive ones could set in. Tammy and MG have plenty of their own negative experiences too, and if they start laying eggs in my rose canes we'll definitely move them into my mental "bad bug" category. Of course, I'm not big on loud repetitive uncontrollable sounds anyway - having lived in landlocked places all my life I find the sounds of ocean waves to be slightly disturbing and annoying, though not to the same extent. I'd way rather listen to crickets chirping than a tape of ocean sounds during "deep relaxation" parts of yoga class, but I realize I'm in the minority here. So, Michael, if these chirping sounds are all mating behaviors, does that mean that crickets and grasshoppers are just more, um, horny than other bugs, or is it that they have quicker life cycles and we're hearing new generations of cricket males like perpetual teenagers desperate for a date on Saturday night? You'd think if the same old thing didn't get results last night, they'd give up or try something new, but I guess that doesn't apply to teenagers either... Cynthia

Oh, so that's what it looks like under all those leaves. That community pot might not actually need another plant, Nicholas. Maybe a rock, until those other plants fill out a little bit more. OT: @plantmanagerkaren--No, ma'am. I've only had this one ID since I discovered plants a couple of years ago. "Fakechuchi" is what my sister and I call adeniums, as opposed to "realchuchi" or plumerias. Pagan

@AA--I think the triple sheeting is a good idea in your case. I always sleep hot, so I never use my down comforter. I also found it never looked "neat" and was a PITA to take the cover off and wash. So, I use white cotton percale bottom and top sheets, and a linen coverlet in white. I live in Chicago so it does get cold. In the winter, I add a down blanket into the mix. (Restoration Hardware has nice light-weight down blankets that aren't too hot and are easy to wash). If I had pets, I would probably also add a top sheet like you are suggested, like they do in some hotels. I think that setup is also mentioned in Cheryl Mendelson's book "Home Comforts." And FWIW, I think white is easiest to wash, and I love to be able to launder my bed linens with hot water and a bit of real bleach on rare occasions :-) I add color with pillows!

Ex-pat Brit here. Yes, 'to fancy' another person definitely means to be attracted to them romantically/sexually, but it can also be used in other contexts to mean 'feel a desire for' in a non-sexual way as in 'Cor, I don't half fancy a cup of tea!' or 'Where do you fancy going for dinner tonight?'. Then there are sayings like 'A little bit of what you fancy does you good' which is a deliberately slightly naughty way to say 'Go for it', about something like an indulgent second slice of cake, probably said with a grin and/or a wink. The adjective 'fancy' generally means elaborate in style and/or a bit posh. You can describe someone as a bit of a 'fancy-pants' or speak of someone's fancy new car. If something 'tickles your fancy' it means it appeals to you/evokes a desire for it. My mother, whose name was Nancy, was irritated by the saying, from a song I think, 'Nancy, Nancy, tickle your fancy', which was deliberately ambiguous/suggestive. 'Fanny' in Britain refers to..ahem..a ladies 'front bottom'! (The British of all classes love a bit of word-play, particularly if risque alternative meanings are involved.) :-)