Welding and some humor - don't bug me

A couple of short but funny stories from over the summer.  I have been learning to weld and do it outside using the MIG fluxcore/FCAW-S process.

Over the summer, I was working on some projects and at one point I started hearing a weird sound.  It was very random but seemed close.  I took off my welding shirt to take a break from the substantial summer heat for a few minutes.  I also looked around for the source of the sound but couldn't quite place it.  It was made harder because the Cicadas were buzzing loudly in the nearby woods and a few trees in the yard.  I was thinking that it was our water softener in the garage at one point because it tends to make some noise when it runs but I determined that wasn't it.  I finally went back to my welding for a while.  At a later point, my wife was outside and heard it too - even together we couldn't find the source of the weird sound.  We looked around a while and finally gave up.  It was time for a break and dinner was ready.  I put away my welding shirt and welding supplies and went to the table.  As we were sitting there; the sound started up again.  The wife and I looked at each other and the kids watched us.  I said that sounds like it was coming from near her.  She said it sounded like it was coming from the other side of me.  The sound would only last a second so we sat there.  I turned and looked at the window wondering if something had come inside or was in the window.  Nothing.  I suddenly wondered if something was on my shirt so I turned my back to her and she didn't see anything. A few more minutes go by and then I hear a sound and feel something on my right shoulder - there was something in my shirt!  I screamed like a girl, slapped at my shirt (which resulted in a bad sound from something that didn't like being slapped) as I ran for the door while trying to rip my shirt off.  As I got outside and the shirt fly off, a cicada plopped on the deck - very unhappy.  Not sure what happened to it in the end but I was happy he was gone.  Glad I won't see them again for ~17 years (at least while I am welding).

A bit later in the summer, I was working on a different project and at one point something lightly smacked into my helmet.  I thought maybe a bee bumbled into me or a small piece of metal had somehow gotten flung but I didn't see anything.  Then I heard a scratching sound.  I stopped and looked around - I thought I was scraping my helmet on something but didn't notice anything.  I went back to my welding and after I had some welds done I took a break and was starting to get some more pieces clamped up.  I was reaching over to put a clamp on when suddenly something moved.  I jumped a bit and then realized that it was a preying mantis climbing up the metal frame I was working on.  I am pretty certain it had flown and landed on my helmet which is what I felt smack it and the scratching was it crawling around.  I am guessing he jumped off when I was taking my helmet off and he decided to check out the frame.


I am thinking that the light from welding was attracting my bug brained friends in both of my above stories.  Can't wait to see what "friends" I make next summer.