# Crickets



## AlanE

Why is this region so quiet?


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## Steve B.

AlanE said:


> Why is this region so quiet?


The whole site is dead. Plus it's 16 degrees out, it's a predominantly road cycling forum and nobody's riding, so nothing to say.


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## DaveG

Steve B. said:


> The whole site is dead. Plus it's 16 degrees out, it's a predominantly road cycling forum and nobody's riding, so nothing to say.


Its even cold in my basement where my trainer is. Only 63 days until spring


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## AlanE

It's been dead for months. It's surprising to me because the mid-atlantic is a great area for road cycling.


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## ljvb

It's just too damn cold.. in fact.. I live in the West River south of Annapolis.. it is cold enough that yesterday (the warmest day of the week for this week), the entire river in my area is frozen.. I'm going ice skating on it tonight off my dock. 6 to 10 inches of solid ice...


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## AlanE

Yeah, I get it. It's cold. Now. But where were all the mid-atlantic folks the rest of the year?


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## Rip Van Cycle

Hope to do more riding west of the Delaware River this year...


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## majbuzz

Just bumping the thread to dig up some action. It’s pretty nasty here in Northern Virginia now but great CX weather. Not PA nasty but that’s fine with me. Can’t believe Erie got so much snow last month.


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## pmf

Yesterday was the first day above freezing since Christmas Eve. The howling wind and cold last week and this weekend were awful. At least we didn't get any snow in the DC area. 

The title of this thread got my attention. My son has a lizard that eats live crickets. Every Saturday I go to Petco and buy 50 medium live crickets. Had I of know that this stupid creature eats $7 worth of crickets every week, I'd have never said yes. So I go up there last Saturday and their entire shipment got frozen on the way in. Pet Smart had some, but only the large ones. So I bought 20 large ones to tide things over. What I didn't realize was that the large ones have wings that are developed enough to chirp. So at least at my house, there's chirping crickets.


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## Mcfarton

I live in Montgomery county MD and for the last month I have used a space heater to warm up my basement where my trainer is. Saturday morning is a maybe for me to get outside on the bike for the first time in weeks. And thanks for the pro tip on not letting any lizards in the house.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## majbuzz

I’m seeing warmer conditions this week so looking forward to that. The whole cricket story is pretty dang funny, of course they aren’t in my house. Hopefully the lizard gets them soon.


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## pmf

Cricket Update -- Petco had a new shipment in and I was able to buy 30 small ones to tide the lizard over until Saturday. I dumped the remaining large chirpies out and fixed up the cage for the new ones. This lizard thing is so fun -- aside from enjoying a reptile that rarely moves, I get to clean out the cricket cage and stock it with new food and gel every weekend (gel takes the place of water because crickets will drown themselves trying to drink water). It's like having two pets. A reptile and a cage full of bugs. And unlike gold fish and hermit crabs, these things live for 30 years. And there's still a large cricket, somewhere in the lizard cage, chirping away.


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## ljvb

pmf said:


> Cricket Update -- Petco had a new shipment in and I was able to buy 30 small ones to tide the lizard over until Saturday. I dumped the remaining large chirpies out and fixed up the cage for the new ones. This lizard thing is so fun -- aside from enjoying a reptile that rarely moves, I get to clean out the cricket cage and stock it with new food and gel every weekend (gel takes the place of water because crickets will drown themselves trying to drink water). It's like having two pets. A reptile and a cage full of bugs. And unlike gold fish and hermit crabs, these things live for 30 years. And there's still a large cricket, somewhere in the lizard cage, chirping away.


I'm trying not to laugh.. really I am.. but I am failing miserably. Sorry.. At least you don't have a Giant Great Dane and a Dalmatian that eats you out of the house.. $50 40 pound bag of food every 3 weeks or so.


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## pmf

ljvb said:


> I'm trying not to laugh.. really I am.. but I am failing miserably. Sorry.. At least you don't have a Giant Great Dane and a Dalmatian that eats you out of the house.. $50 40 pound bag of food every 3 weeks or so.


Oh, I've been there and done that. After my Doberman died I adopted a Great Dane from the Mid Atlantic Great Dane Rescue. He was a huge dog -- weighed 190 lbs, stood 40" at the shoulder and had a tail that was 3' long. I was living alone at the time, so the rescue insisted that I install a dog door to the fenced back yard. The opening was 3' tall and maybe 2' wide. People used to ask if I was worried that someone would crawl through it and rob the house. I'd reply - 'would you crawl through that dog door? Its not like there's a poodle on the other side of it. He slept on mattresses I bought because I couldn't find a dog bed large enough. I had to elevate his water bowl to make drinking easier. He got a double dose of everything at the vet. And the food -- I'd buy 2-3 40 lbs bags of food at a time. Sometimes the clerk would say 'wow -- how many dogs do you have?' I'd tell him just one, but he's always real hungry. I miss that dog. He was the nicest dog. He had a growl like a lion, but I don't think he'd hurt anyone. He could pick up a basketball in his mouth. I think that if someone broke into the house, he probably would have slept through it. He'd had a hard life before I adopted him, and I could always tell he appreciated my. He liked to sit on my foot and lean on me when I was sitting on the couch watching TV. Now I'm down to 2 cats, 2 teenage boys, one lizard and a cage full of crickets. 

Enjoy your dog, because they don't last long.


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## DaveG

pmf said:


> He liked to sit on my foot and lean on me when I was sitting on the couch watching TV. .


Going way off topic, but every Dane I have come across has that trait where they lean into you. I scratch my head how something like that gets bred into a dog? And why? Anyway, we have 2 Danes on our block and our Newfie like to play with them. They are more gentle than she is


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## pmf

I've heard that they were bred to guard castles and fight in battles. Most of the aggressiveness must have been bred out of them, because they're pretty mellow. I do remember one night when I was out walking him and a Rottweiler came out of no where and jumped on him. There was no owner around; the dog was running around lose. My dog grabbed him, flipped him upside down on the ground and starting shaking him around like a rag doll. Had the entire dog's head in his mouth. I thought he was going to kill the thing. I pried his jaws open and the Rottweiler took off like a bat out of hell. They're definitely capable of doing some damage. More than once I'd be walking him down the street and a car would drive by and then slam on his brakes a few seconds later. The driver was staring at my dog and almost rear ended the car in front of him.


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## AlanE

My Akitas do the leaning thing also.


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## majbuzz

I can’t imagine cleaning up the backyard after a Great Dane went out there.


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## SuperPletch

I will ride tomorrow. It will be above freezing and not raining. here in Northern Virginia they have been using sooooo much salt and brine on the roads I will probably stick to the W&OD trail. with or without my great dane


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## hfc

A balmy 44 for a high in Central VA today. I will get out on the bike this afternoon. I squeezed in a couple of rides last week when warming weather coincided with days off. This month will be the first one ever for me where virtual trainer miles outnumber real miles.

My dog likes the cold weather. She’s is a poop eater and the stuff out in the woods gets nice and firm this time of year.


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## majbuzz

Anyone live in PA? I have a grudge with a furry rodent who claims to be a weatherman.


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## hfc

majbuzz said:


> Anyone live in PA? I have a grudge with a furry rodent who claims to be a weatherman.


I’m confused by the whole Groundhog Day thing. Is 6 more weeks of winter good or bad? It sounds about right to me. How do we know if he (or she) sees a shadow. What if he’s not paying attention?


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## DaveG

hfc said:


> I’m confused by the whole Groundhog Day thing. Is 6 more weeks of winter good or bad? It sounds about right to me. How do we know if he (or she) sees a shadow. What if he’s not paying attention?


Groundhog day is just a diversion to give us hope that winter will end soon.


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