May Day, Mayday!

Oh, look! A post that has nothing to do with Prom! It's a miracle! Also, whatever will I write about? Dilemma!

Here's a thought; it's May, already.

Last time I checked, May is followed by June which is followed by July which is followed by August and; that's summer, people! Already! And, I'm not bikini-worthy, like, at all. I'm working on it, though. In fact, Jana and I are on day three of a twenty-one day challenge to eliminate crap from our diets. So far, we are doing quite well. Yes, we have suffered the inevitable sugar-withdrawal headaches, but, nothing a little ibuprofen and some extra water couldn't handle.

I'm also walking again and trying to build up to running; I'd like to get back to the level that I was at this time last year despite the fact that my hips and feet are determined to derail my every effort.

Summertime also means a return to my gardening. Hugh has already applied the first round of fertilizer to the garden and we will be tilling the soil for a second time this weekend. I won't actually start planting until Mother's Day, when danger of frost has passed.

I'm not making any huge changes to the garden plan this year; I'll stick to the usual vegetables, and, of course, tomatoes will feature heavily, as always (You are welcome, Rowdie-dog). The strawberries that the Man-Cub planted in my granddad's old wheelbarrow last year are already coming up and I am looking forward to having a better crop this year.

Summertime also means flowers on the front porch; I haven't quite decided what varieties I want to plant and am sort of disappointed in the lack of variety from which to choose, since, low-growing annuals are not readily available in our area nurseries (pansies and petunias are the norm, here, and are b-o-r-i-n-g). The season is too short for seeded planting and; I like instant gratification in my porch-box flowers.

Speaking of the porch; school is out on the 22nd of this month (have I mentioned it is May?) and the first Porch Night of the season is tentatively scheduled for the 23rd, barring unpleasant weather, baseball games (oh, yeah, summertime also means baseball!), etc. I can hardly wait.

I'm also really looking forward to longer days, lazier mornings, sultry evenings, sunshine, crickets chirping, lake-spray on my face, the scent of sunscreen, the sweet taste of local cherries, stargazing with my kids, the feeling of sun-warmed beach towels against my skin, the hum of the ceiling fan while I lounge on the porch with a good book, digging through the cool soil of the garden in the early hours of the day, watching my kids release ladybugs into the garden just as the sun is setting, and, of course, to drinking wine with my friends.

May. Already. Yay!