Lusty May

Happy May Day! I always think of the naughty rhyme about the First of May this time of year. Do you know it? :)

Speaking of naughty, yesterday I was chatting with John Gray and he happened to mention Marco. Since everyone loves a good Marco story, I thought I'd share a couple of snippets of our ensuing conversation. 

I'm sure I say this every year, but it seems to be taking Marco's spring hormones forever to subside. This nonsense has been going on since February!

First of May

Yesterday I told my husband the naughty rhyme that begins "First of May, first of May..." and he had never heard it before. I can't remember where I first heard it, but it may have been here in blogland. It made him laugh.

Unfortunately May didn't get off to a very good start. I started to feel bad first thing this morning after arriving at work, with a burning, raw feeling developing in my chest along with a cough. I had the nurse take my temperature, and it was slightly elevated, so I left work and came home to take a Covid test. Thankfully, it was negative, but I still feel kind of rough. Body aches, a cough, a slight headache. When I got home this morning I slept for four solid hours, and this was after a full night's sleep. I guess I've picked up some respiratory bug at the school. Fun times! I'm just thankful it's not any worse (or Covid again).

We've been seeing the annual influx of turtles from the creek walking onto our property, probably to lay eggs in the sandy soil. We saw three big ones in our yard on Sunday alone. Poppy is fascinated by them. One was right outside our front door so and I took a short video of Poppy's reaction to it.

We also saw a crow circling around a turtle on our neighbor's property later that day. The turtle kept stretching its head up to watch the crow, and the crow kept landing and creeping nearer and nearer. It was such strange behavior that we Googled it and it turns out that crows will watch for turtles to lay eggs, then come back later to dig them up and eat them! Who would have thought?! I guess this particular turtle knew what was going on, because it kept creeping away until it finally disappeared behind some shrubs. Hopefully if it was a nesting female she was able to hide her stash from predators. But as I told Gregg, "Crows have to eat, too." 

May Day garden update

 Happy May Day! We've been working hard in the garden lately and everything is growing and thriving. I'm getting so much pleasure from working outside this spring!

The mixed annuals are so pretty right now.

The sky one afternoon last week. That beautiful blue.

For the first time, my pomegranate tree is covered in flower buds! And although you can't really tell in this picture, a pair of cardinals have made a nest back in there which we have a great view of from the window in our den.

We took down half of an old wooden picket fence that was leaning and sagging and generally looking bad. This is a trellis we built yesterday from wood that we saved. Waste not, want not, right? This is where I'll be planting the cantaloupes tomorrow. I bought compost and garden soil to mix into the planting holes.

Gregg would not be happy that I'm sharing this picture, but you can really tell how the tomatoes have grown in it and capturing his image was an accident. Shhhh....nobody tell him!

Finally, more repurposed wooden pickets that I put behind the five biggest indeterminate tomatoes this morning. They will serve as stakes to tie the plants to when they start to get tall.

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day!

I didn't want to let the first of May go by without wishing you all a happy day (and month!). I also wanted to share an essay from my favorite nature writer, Hal Borland, to commemorate the holiday.

May 1st

May Baskets
"Do youngsters anywhere still hang May baskets, or has May Day become wholly a date of social significance?

There was a time when May Day meant sentiment. It was preceded by a busy week when young fingers were weaving baskets and small cornucopias out of colored paper. Between spells of basket-making, scouting expeditions were made to the woods and fields, to see how the season went with wild flowers. And at least one trip was made to the candy store.

On April's last day, as late as possible, the scouting expeditions were followed up. Purple violets, preferably those big, dark, long-stemmed ones which grow at the edge of the swamp, were picked. Dogtooth violets were gathered. And windflowers, if any were to be found. Spring beauties were sought, and Dutchman's breeches. And the most delicate of young fern fronds were gathered for garnish. All were carried home in the dusk and stowed carefully in cups and glasses of water.

May Day morning called for early rising. In the bottom of the basket or cornucopia were put a few jelly beans left over from Easter, a few gumdrops, and at least one heart-shaped wafer candy printed with coy words of affection. Then the flowers were added till the basket brimmed with beauty. And at last, before breakfast if possible, the trip was made to Her house, where the basket was hung on the doorknob. The bell was rung and the basketeer ran like mad, to hide around the corner until She came and found the tribute.

That was May Day, in the morning, when there was sentiment in the date. The candy might be cheap, the flowers somewhat wilted; but the sentiment was real. What ever happened to it, anyway?"

Hal Borland
"Sundial of the Seasons"
May 1949

I remember having a Maypole and some kind of "May Queen" thing at school when I was a young girl, but I haven't heard any mention of such things in many, many years. I would love to revive the old custom of leaving little posies for the neighbors on their doorsteps, though. Well, maybe not for Crazy Neighbor but the others I've met have been nice. Especially the sweet 80 year old lady who lives next door--I like her a lot. Maybe next year I'll remember and buy her a little bouquet of daisies to leave on her steps.

We're doing okay here. Gregg isn't hurting quite as much and he got the pain medicine he needs just in case. He goes for a stress test (for his heart) on Friday and then he has some more tests later this month. Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of things and get it all resolved.

Going back to work after spring break wasn't too painful. It really helps to like your job, not to mention the fact that summer break is only 25 (school) days away. This morning the principal called out from his office, "Mrs. Barlow, can you come in here, please?" and when I went it he looked grim and told me to shut the door and sit down. I felt dread creeping all over me and braced myself for whatever was coming. Then he smiled broadly and told me that classified district employees get an evaluation every two years, and he had just completed my first one. He rated me as "Exemplary" in all categories, which was the highest rating, and wrote some really nice comments at the end. I nearly cried--evaluations were always traumatic at my old job. Not only were they often very unfair, but they were always slightly demeaning. (It was that way for all the employees, the company made a practice of never giving very positive reviews in an effort to keep the yearly raises small). It's so nice to work in a place where you feel valued! I told Mr. Oates that I love my job, and he replied, "We love having you here." Wasn't that nice of him? :)

Anyway, it's been a pretty good first of May. How has yours been? Did you give anyone flowers, dance around a Maypole, or somehow mark the occasion? I hope everyone has had a good one!

The beginning of May

Thanks, everyone, for the supportive comments about my fall on Monday. Yesterday I was pretty sore all along my left side, from my neck down to my knee. I felt like I had pulled some muscles, and I may very well have. I hit the ground hard! But today I feel much better. I'm still a little bit sore, and the bruise on my arm is pretty sensitive to the touch, but overall things are much improved.

Gregg is at the dermatologist's office having the small basal cell carcinoma on his forehead removed. I tried to get him to let me drive him, or at least go with him, but he insisted that it wasn't necessary. The nurses said it should be pretty quick and straightforward and he'll only be getting a small area of skin numbed. There were no restrictions on driving or anything else, so he told me to stay home and enjoy the day off. He suggested I might want to ride my bike, since the weather is so nice...ha ha ha! I think I'll let my bruises, scrapes, and pulled muscles finish healing first, thank you very much!

It is a beautiful day outside, though. Blue sky, cooler temperatures, and the magnolias and jasmine have burst into bloom. I knew the jasmine was starting to flower before I actually saw it, because of the sweet smell. We were returning from our nightly walk with the dogs and I caught the barest hint of jasmine in the air. Sure enough, the next morning when I went outside to check, the first tiny white flowers were beginning to open. I knew the magnolia trees in the neighborhood were about to bloom, too, because even after dark all the huge white flower buds are easy to see. It's amazing what all you can notice even after dark if you pay attention!

Here's one of the first blooms on a young magnolia tree in our yard. I went out just now (at midday) to take the picture. This is the only one within reach so far. It's about 2 feet above my head.

I pulled the branch down to get that second picture for you. These blooms are enormous--roughly the size of dinner plates. And oh! The smell is heavenly. It's a very soft lemon scent without a hint of the usual zest of citrus. It's reminds me of lemon mixed with cream and sugar. Lovely.

The perfume of a whole fence covered in Confederate Jasmine, on the other hand, is anything but subtle. It's strong and sweet and unmistakable. Every year this vine takes up more and more space on the fence around the backyard. It's a monster--but a very pretty one.

These are the kind of pictures I meant to share here on May Day (before my fall).  The month is off to a beautiful start here in my little part of the world.

May Day blooming

On my way to work this morning I saw masses of honeysuckle flowers blooming for the first time this year. It made me smile to remember how, as a kid, I used to pick apart the flowers to taste the tiny drop of nectar inside. (I wonder if children still do that?) After I got home, I saw that a local friend of mine had posted lovely pictures of "the first honeysuckle of the year" on her Facebook page. Apparently they bloomed overnight all over town, and it makes me happy to know that I'm not the only person who noticed and appreciated it!

Honeysuckle seems so appropriate for May Day; those pretty little yellow and white flowers are an early summer staple in Southern gardens and roadsides. The sweet fragrance is equally attractive to bees, hummingbirds, and people.

Happy May Day, everyone!



L. japonica
Japanese Honeysuckle

Bringing in the May

Vintage photo circa 1907
Fourteen little girls dance
around a Maypole.

The lovely month of May has arrived! This is a traditional day to give small baskets of flowers to neighbors and friends, to stay up late (preferable outdoors) and have romantic trysts, to dance around maypoles. New life is everywhere and summer is finally here!

In honor of the holiday I wove a very delicate wreath of jasmine vines. I have a large hedge of confederate jasmine growing in a corner of the backyard. It was almost dark when I made my wreath, and the first quarter moon was shining overhead when I finished. I can't wait to see it tomorrow morning! The flowers smell very sweet and the lengths of vine have lovely curly tendrils all over.

While out driving today I stopped at a farm stand and bought 10 pounds of tiny, sweet, perfect local strawberries. Some will be frozen, some will be eaten with cream and sugar over the next few days, and some (three pounds or so) were put in a basket and dropped off at a friend's house on the way home. This was my version of creating a May basket for a friend. It was so much fun to surprise someone with a little basket of spring happiness! I highly recommend giving a little basket of flowers, fruit, or some other little personal token of spring to a neighbor or friend.

Happy May Day to everyone!