I've always wondered about this anecdote, partly because I still see a lot of bugs when going out into the country. Is it that there are actually fewer bugs, or do the more aerodynamic cars of today cause fewer dead bugs to stick to bumpers/grills/windshields?

I see this comment so much, but it was never true where I lived. In fact, I only ever experienced the insects covering my windshield thing for the first time less than a decade ago when driving through North Dakota, Montana.... Big, open spaces, I guess. Where I grew up, there were trees and houses everywhere, no real open spaces. So maybe that made the difference.

I just drove through Montana again and had barely half a dozen insects on my windshield throughout the trip, so I do believe that's a very obvious sign for people who live in that kind of area.

Anyway, what I miss is frogs. I used to see frogs and toads and even turtles all the time. Can hardly remember the last time I saw one.

I will always associate the endless screech of cicada as the sound of ungodly heat and summer vacation.

Mosquitoes can still fuck right off.