May Day

This is one of those forgotten special days in the US. But in England and Ireland one can still dance around a maypole in small villages on the first of May and wear a crown of flowers.

When I was in kindergarten our teacher Mrs. Leng would have us work for days the week leading up to May Day making “baskets” of rolled construction paper cones to be hand colored with crayons and a pipe cleaner handle attached

Then on the day, she would line us up, have us put a handful of flowers from her garden and blossoming fruit tree twigs into the cups and march us up to the high school. There we would thread our way through the congested hallways to hang the “baskets” on the doors of each classroom. We were pretty pleased with ourselves and ignored the high school scoffers who viewed us “ babies with their baskets.” Some of those scoffers are now in assisted living or nursing homes and they welcome the visits of school children. Getting old changes one’s view.

I suggest that everyone give someone a flower or a basket of flowers on May Day—I know I am heading across the street to my 87 year old neighbor. She probably has more flowers than I do, but I make a mean paper cone basket. Now to find some pipe cleaners.

Happy May Day.