“April showers bring May flowers.” That’s the way the old saying goes, and we certainly had our share of rain during the month of April.
The bird bath has stayed full, the grass has greened up and walking across the yard has felt like walking on a giant sponge many days. All the moisture certainly seems to have done its part to encourage the flowers. Early purple iris are blooming in abundance, a pale yellow variety is beginning to open and our peonies have almost doubled their usual amount of buds.
Today is May Day. Columnist Jo Northrop once began her Simple Country Pleasures column with these words, “Hooray, hooray, the first of May. Let there be fun and frivolity today!”
When we were kids, we delighted in filling small baskets with posies and hanging them on the doorknobs of neighboring family members and friends. Then we’d knock on the door and scamper away to hide until our gift was discovered. There was plenty of fun in delivering those little surprises, but the custom seems to have faded today.
Just because May baskets have fallen out of popularity doesn’t mean we can’t fill a basket with flowers and set it outside the door for others to enjoy. I often use baskets to hold small gifts for friends. It saves on wrapping paper and the basket becomes an additional part of the gift. I have an African violet on the coffee table in the living room, still in the basket in which my friend Starla delivered it, and I treasure both the flower and its container.
We had a busy weekend. Jim bought deli fried chicken and potato salad Friday evening so I didn’t have to cook supper, then took me out for breakfast Saturday morning. After breakfast we visited the farmers’ market and bought some mixed salad greens, then went to see a friend who’s wanting a new gate in her chain link fence. We were out early Sunday morning to join friends for breakfast in Southwest City. That afternoon Jim mowed the yard and used the weed eater while I burned our brush pile that’s been accumulating for several months. Guess that’s my contribution to cleaning up the earth for Earth Day. I was only about a week late.
May is National Pet Month, a time to do something extra special for your animal companions. It amuses me to see the old photo with family members, including the dog and the horse, lined up in front of their humble cabin. Seems earlier generations of our family treated their critters as valued friends too. We tell folks our cat, Miss Abby, owns us rather us owning her because we seem to jump at her command. We have no dogs but I cared for three big dogs, Hammie, Emmett and Cody, last weekend while our friends enjoyed a couple of days in Eureka Springs. They greeted me very warmly when I made my daily visits.
A “Country Living” editor wrote a few years ago that “In May, the house feels light and airy. The garden grows more colorful by the day. And decorating becomes a personal expression of spring. So, refresh your rooms with pretty hues. Set out your loveliest objects. And see anew what a difference a season can make.”
I’ve added some color by bringing in a few of the lovely iris buds and letting them unfold inside the house. A friend helped by bringing me some pretty striped boxes to corral some of my clutter and help me organize.
A newspaper article I clipped recently focused on the popularity of charm bracelets. It seems they swept America in the 1940s and 1950s when soldiers returned from war with charm mementos of cities they’d visited. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but charms hold more memories and most bracelet wearers are delighted to point out the history of their favorite charms.
“We love all the sentimentality and memories they represent,” said one owner of several keepsake bracelets.
I have a treasured charm bracelet started for me by a dear aunt and uncle when I was in high school. Lions, a diploma and a ‘64 are reminders of my years at GHS. Then there are horses and a horseshoe, reflecting my interest in horseback riding, and mementos added during my years at the U of A. A typewriter ties in to my newspaper writing. I’ve added to it over the years with gifts from friends and charms I’ve purchased on various vacation trips. Each one makes me think of special people and places. It’s easy to understand why they are such popular collectibles.
Susan Holland, who works for the Westside Eagle Observer, is a lifelong Benton County resident. She can be reached by email at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 6 on 05/01/2013