Crickets in the Kitchen

Being in a kitchen on a summer afternoon enjoying the sound of crickets is one of life’s most relaxing experiences for me.

Usually I am chopping or slicing vegetables or preparing a marinade for our evening meal. In winter, I may be listening to music while I do these tasks. But as summer winds down I love to listen to crickets.

Although crickets are a harbinger of summer’s end, they are a welcome sound for me. They signal the most glorious phase of summer, when often-unpredictable August gradually moves into golden sun-drenched September.

Cricket song relaxes me. Who needs a white noise machine when nature produces such lovely sounds?

Most years, we have crickets by the tail end of July. This year, everything is a week early as we had a very pleasant spring.

Crickets take me back to childhood. I recall sipping ice tea or soda in Grandma Annie’s kitchen on late-summer afternoons to the chirping of crickets.

I keep a cast-iron cricket in my kitchen year-round. It is a hearth cricket, a good luck omen and gift from my mother from one of her trips. I’d always wanted my own cricket, having spotted one in an illustration in a childhood book. It doubles as a doorstop.

Crickets are a wonderful seasonal experience. They begin their song as summer’s gardens are reaching their peak. And they provide a wonderful accompaniment to food preparation, further enhancing the experience.

For me they are part and parcel of my kitchen at this wonderful time of year. My French kitchen in America.

Comments

Frizzy said…
I just stumbled upon your site as I was wandering through blogs. I enjoyed your walk down memory lane. I've never thought of crickets the way you do. However, each time I hear a cricket now I'll think of this post and your memories. Thank you for sharing.
Unknown said…
Thank you! I am slow to read comments because I have been on the road a bit and then busy with work projects.

But thank you so much for posting a comment on this one!

Mimi

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