Surely each month with which we are blessed has its own unique properties. From the traditional cuisine many people prepare on New Year’s Day — such as pork and sauerkraut, favored by those in the North — to a dish called Hoppin’ John — favored by many in the South, made with rice, black-eyed peas and thick cut bacon — both of which are supposed to bring good luck and on to the Mardi Gras celebrations prior to the season of Lent in February and onto to tapping those sugar maples for syrup in New England in March and onto those first April flowers, each month takes on special significance.
As for May, well, as a former school teacher, the month always has signified the bell lap for another school year. That delicious feeling of closure and the anticipation of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer just ahead were always exquisite. Even to me now so very long after that last piece of chalk was put on the ledge, so much of May represents that.
As for its broader historical significances, the month of May is named for Maia, the Roman goddess whose job it was to oversee plant growth. I’d suggest a little thought be given to Maia next Sunday on Mothers’ Day, the traditional day when a lot of tomato plants will be dropped into the soil amidst great hopes of a bountiful harvest come early September.
Of course, the day most favored by many arrives at the end, the last Monday in May, this year, May 29, when we’ll honor on Memorial Day the men and women who gave of themselves on the battlefield to the last measure. It’s a holiday that mixes both somber acknowledgment and the euphoria of hearing swimming-pool splashes and the aromas of hamburgers on the grill.
However, this month also provides recognition for other things, some more significant than others. Just in case you want to acknowledge some of them, please allow me to educate you a bit.
As for today, it’s National Cosmopolitan Day, a day that reminds me of my four decades’ worth of moonlight bartending at the Knights of Columbus, where, usually of Friday nights, when our female patron count typically went up, I’d be called upon to grab the vodka, lime juice, cranberry juice and that shaker stainless bottom and glass top to mix and pour that concoction several times.
So, what else is to come before the end of the month that you may wish to acknowledge? Well, a biggie surely is next Sunday, when we’ll give a nod to our mothers, both past and present, for their unique qualities. I’m thinking I’ll have a little more to say about that topic a week from today.
On May 16, it’ll be time to clean the grill grid and load the charcoal or woodchips or fire up the propane for National Barbeque Day. While in its earliest days, this whole business of cooking over an open flame was pretty basic and economical, that industry has become anything but basic and inexpensive on the top end. For instance, the Kalamazoo K1000HS Freestanding Hybrid Grill will run you $41,375 if you’d like to add that to your cart after dropping in on the company’s website Kalamazoogourmet.com. Personally, I’ll put that in perspective by telling you that’s twice as much as the first house I bought and also more expensive than any of the half dozen new cars I’ve purchased.
On May 19, mark that day on your calendar as National Bike to Work Day. On that day I’ll be thinking about a trip to Ireland about twelve years ago when, on weekdays, I saw hundreds of Dubliners beginning their work day by biking in business attire to get to work. I’ll also give some thought to the great staff at the best cycling shop around, Crankers, on North Main, where KaDee and Jim and the rest of the staff do such a fine job for our area cycling enthusiasts. And that’s true whether it be with their product line of E-Bikes, Cruisers, Hybrid Bikes or one of those gently used bikes I’ve gotten there over the years.
On May 21, give some extra dietary love to what we all know we should eat in greater and more frequent amounts, on Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day. On that day, I’ll give some thought to adding an extra helping, but also I’ll think of one of my old bar patrons who was an avowed veggie hater. When I suggested to him once that he should eat more greens, he laughed and told me he did eat some greens, pistachio ice cream!
On May 24, you may get an urge to go old school and revisit an activity I remember as far more popular in my growing-up 1960s on National Scavenger Hunt Day.
Drawing the month to a close, I may just head out to my favorite walking venue, west of Lima, on May 31 and perambulate Williams Reservoir, to celebrate National Senior Health and Fitness Day.
While I’m sure that I took far too many days for granted in my fritter-away younger years, really, I don’t suppose I need a special reason to celebrate any day, since far fewer remain ahead of me than behind me.
John Grindrod is a regular columnist for The Lima News, a freelance writer and editor and the author of two books. Reach him at [email protected].
