May Day

When I was in high school, I had a friend who introduced me to May Day baskets. Those who know that I am all thumbs when it comes to the craftier side of life might find it amusing to imagine how my baskets might have looked; but I gamely gave it my all, threading construction paper strips into a makeshift basket that would then hold some candy and perhaps a dime store bauble. We gave them to our friends and teachers, who were overly generous in their praise; but our hearts were in the right place. We also tried doing a May Pole with crepe paper streamers, but that's a different story.

As life progressed for me, and my four kids came along, I remember trying to do May Day baskets perhaps once or twice. But as those kids grew, May eventually became the harbinger of the dreaded Full Schedule rather than the time to weave paper baskets. There is a front page article in the AZ Republic today that echoes that theme:

The holidays have nothing on the end-of-the-school-year rush as the most hectic time for families. This is their busy season, with Little League playoffs, dance recitals, field days, field trips and class parties.

There are graduation announcements to mail and fourth-grade social-studies reports coming due. Weekends are packed with Scout campouts, religion classes, sleepovers and prom. Throw in Mother's Day, and that's another Sunday shot.

All this is on top of routine spelling tests and math homework, dentist appointments and allergy shots. Families report they have twice as many things to do in May.

This has been my mantra for many years: the holiday season in November and December for a family in America cannot compare to the May end-of-school-year activities. The more kids you have, the harder it is; we often employed the "divide and conquer" strategy, with The Mister attending one child's awards ceremony while I was at another's end-of-year party. There are a thousand variations to the theme, and sometimes the aunts and uncles were asked for help, and then sometimes it would be a sibling: "Could you go to your brother's concert, while Dad goes to your sister's academic night and I go to the planning meeting for next year's booster club?"

If you need something to eat for lunch tomorrow as you run hither and yon, you might drop by Joe's Real BBQ downtown; tomorrow is his annual Free Lunch day:

Last year Joe's Real BBQ served free meals to about 4,500 people on its free meal promotional day, and on Wednesday, Joe Johnston said he hopes to top that number. Free food will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant will offer a choice between the pulled pork or chopped beef sandwiches, both beans and coleslaw for sides, and a drink. Johnston advises diners to arrive later to avoid large crowds.

Folks have asked me how I like my empty nest. Let me just say that I love it. Especially in May. Yes, I do miss the hubbub and the chaos, but I get to enjoy that again every time one of the kids comes home, usually with other kids in tow. I love that, too.

Maybe I'll get out the construction paper and try my hand at those baskets again.