Happy Month of May

Good morning on this lovely first of May. It is 7:00 am, Eastern Standard Time as I right this and the sun is still rising. I have been up all night and have tried my best to pull together a hub to celebrate the day. Ironically there are a good many things attached to May Day this year. I thought this would be a simple tale of May Poles, and the Queen of May, but it isn't, not anymore.

I decided to take part in the 60 days challenge proposed by Sunforged and am only half done with my hubs. I need to make 15 more by May 2nd 2010, to keep my schedule. The research I have done on this day could easily make up all fifteen of those hubs!

Today, in many cultures, marked a "cross-quarter day" of the calendar, the opposite of which is November 1st. This marking the Celtic Holiday of Beltane, and was considered the beginning of summer. Historically the seasons were celebrated with festivals, singing, dancing, and heralded with bonfires traditionally lit on April 30th to cleanse and purify the earth.

In Germanic, Scandinavian, and Greek cultures, the celebration involved dancing around a May Pole, often wrapping it with ribbons, known as "garlanding" the May Pole. Meanwhile, Wiccan celebrants considered May Day one of their eight Sabats.

This, however, was not what I found to be the most prevalent information in my search. Ironically this day is now and for over a hundred years, associated with organized labor unions and strikes. It is "International Worker's Day" effectively Labour Day. I was used to Labor day being in September, this year it will fall on Monday the 6th.

In keeping with the spring/summer theme I had started with, I have gathered songs of the season. Happy May Day!

Growing up we always heard the phrase, "April Showers bring May Flowers" and this is what I had intended to write about. The lovely things that May brings. I saw a butterfly the other day, the first I have seen, and yesterday I had the most beautiful red roses bloom. Yes the rain has done its job, bringing life back to our gardens. 

Bird singing in the wee hours of the morning, bees buzzing, and butterflies fluttering by, are sights we will see now for the remainder of the summer. Winter is gone, no more frost warnings.

The next choice by Celtic Woman is The Voice. It is that voice that calls to us to grow, to evolve, to be better. It calls us to cast off winter's chill and let the light shine in. 

Clean your windows and open the blinds, let the sun shine into your home today. Open the doors and windows and let the fresh air rush through your home, airing out the staleness of winter.

It's time to break out the gardening tools and see that they are not rusted. If they are you can soak them in some coca cola to get rid of the oxidation, then clean them with WD40. It is a great time to get the beds ready for planting, it isn't too hot yet, so you can turn the soil and perhaps get some good black garden dirt at your local Lowe's or Home Depot.
Seeds can be reasonably purchased in the garden departments as well as seedlings that are already started. Another good place for seeds is the dollar store.

There is nothing more rewarding than planting a garden and watching it grow. The sense of accomplishment alone is worth it. If you are worried about your skills as a gardener, you might try creating a "portable garden" by purchasing large containers and placing them on wheeled bases. This way, if they are getting too much direct sunlight, or not enough, they can be easily moved to a better location on your patio.

You might even try your hand at growing your own pineapple. This is a project that can be done as a family and is relatively simple to do. The only thing you have to be careful of is if you choose to move your pineapple plant outdoors, as raccoons love pineapple plants. They can be grown indoors and will still produce fruit, although it may take up to three years.