Crickets and purple bushes

I am sitting at my kitchen table watching and listening to Jeopardy on TV.  I am staring out the kitchen window watching the sky turn from beautiful blue with puffy white clouds to light gray soon to be black.  This is the time of dusk.  The birds are singing their last songs before nightfall comes.  The flowers are closing for the night.  They are ready to open tomorrow morning - rain or shine.  The night is coming closer and less birds are singing, but they are singing.

The crickets are out now chirping loudly.  Did you know you can determine the temperature based on the number of cricket chirps.  I learned this when I was teaching.  Now when you are lying quietly with your window open you can calculate the temperature outside.  Amazing!

Did you know that you can tell the temperature by counting the chirps of a cricket? It's true! Here's the formula:

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Fahrenheit, count number of chirps in 14 seconds then add 40 to get temperature.

Example: 30 chirps + 40 = 70° F

To convert cricket chirps to degrees Celsius, count number of chirps in 25 seconds, divide by 3, then add 4 to get temperature.

Example: 48 chirps /(divided by) 3 + 4 = 20° C

I know it is colder in my home than it is outside.

I love Spring.  There is a beautiful purple flowering bush in my front yard.  It will bloom for up to 7 days.  Then the purple petals fall to the ground and it stays green throughout the Summer.  The anticipation of this flowering bush reminds me that Spring is an amazing season.  All of the bushes and trees sleeping throughout the Winter months begin to awaken.  The beauty of the bush last no more than 7 days.  The brilliant color of purple and green brings a smile to me.  We have live in this house for 19 years.  I never noticed the bush for the first 3 years living here.  The year Max was 3 years old and in the hospital for 27 days (mostly in ICU).  We were so happy we were coming home from the hospital.  The car turned the corner and the purple bush was stunning.  It stood out among all the other bushes and trees.  It was a sign of new beginnings.  

This bush will always be special.  Each year I wait for this bush to bloom.