May Day!

It is May 1st! As a kid is was called May Day (probably still is). When I was in my elementary years in school, we used to prepare for May Day by making little paper baskets in which we glued handles on. Then we filled them with paper flowers and hard candy. It was tradition (or at least where I came from it was tradition) to go around your neighborhood and leave the baskets on your neighbors porches. It was just one of those rights of passage each spring which made us know that soon school would be out, temperatures would be warm and summer would be on us.

One of the most interesting May Days I ever had was when I was in the 3rd grade. We had moved to Clovis, New Mexico the last week of April. As a new kid in a new culture (New Mexico at the time seemed vastly different from KS) I was in awe. What really was awesome though, was how seriously this place took May Day. Forget the little paper baskets with paper flowers.....they had a May Day celebration complete with a May pole, parents and food. I had never seen a May pole before and I was to participate. (Yay me!) Of course everyone else had already had weeks of practice with the May pole (yes....they take practice....LOTS of practice) so I was kind of thrown into the mix at the last minute without any idea of what I was doing. I am sure that year was not the best looking pole they ever had....but it was so much fun. I just remember everything being colorful and the May pole dance was so exciting to a little midwest girl who had never seen such a thing. It is really a good memory. I am just sorry that they don't still do the simple things like May baskets and May poles. My kids will not have memories like that and it is really kind of sad.

 As you can see....it is not that easy!

As May Days go....today is cool and cloudy with chances of rain. Not very May Dayish if you ask me. Probably just as well though as I have lots of cleaning to do and it is much easier being inside cleaning when the warmth of the outside is not beckoning you. Yep....that's me.....cleaning on May Day!

I really am finding it hard to believe that we are already five months into 2011. It seems like just the other day that I was sitting at Lil' Green typing out my plans for the new year. No longer does this year feel very new and I must say....some of those new years plans have at least started to come to fruition. This is the first year in many years (maybe even ever) that I have actually set some goals and worked towards achieving and maintaining them. It is kind of a good feeling. Of course I have much left to achieve and maintain, but so far I have stayed basically focused an on the right track.

Well....I am now pretty confident that none of my MO family read my blog. Otherwise....I know they would have caught the whole coming to MO thing! Hmmm.... It is however official. I am taking my car in this week to have it serviced and provided that there are no major issues with it (this will be my first trip farther than N. Wichita in it) we will be heading east when school is out. Apparently though.....none of those easterners read my blog....so they won't know this til we get there....or until Grandma Carol tells them. lol

I must get to work. I want to start the first week of May with a squeaky clean house. I am also in throw out mode, which means I will be downsizing my clutter (and believe me....my clutter could use some downsizing). Every year I do this....and every year it just seems to reclutter itself. I am thinking there is a little bit of mutation going on here. Sheesh!

I am going to end this with a video of one of the most beautiful renditions of a song I have ever heard. I saw this on a tv special...I believe it was Women of Country Music, just a couple of weeks ago. Carrie Underwood almost made me cry. So with this....I wish you Happy May Day and a wonderful Sunday. Carrie Underwood...How Great Thou Art!