Happy May Day!

When I was in third grade I remember May day. We put on a play welcoming spring and made a maypole out in the playground. We strung ribbons or colored string on the flagpole and then would do a dance where the we would weave them round and round and then unwind them. Can't remember the whole thing, but that was a high light of the year. It meant that school would be out soon and summer vacation.


We also made little May baskets with paper flowers we made in class and then take them home to our parents, maybe hang them on the door and then pretend to find them. It was a tradition to say that spring was here.

Z

Z words are fun and full of frolic and life. I looked them up in my thesaurus and there weren't many, as how could you find alternatives for zed and zoo? I know there are a few, but in the thesaurus there weren't many.
There was zeal, zealous, zenith, zero, zest, zigzag and zone.
You could reach your zenith with zeal. Wind up with a zero as you zigzag through school zones or do all that on a:


Zebra: I watch them with zeal as they roam in their zone at the zoo.


I love words and plays on them, and I really do love zebras. They are like horses, but unlike horses. They are silly and fun to watch tossing their short, brushy manes and nibbling at the grass.


What would it be like to ride a zebra? Are they as controllable as horses? Can you tame them?


What a kick that would be to run free over the African plain with the wind in your hair and the brush of his mane on your face as you lean forward to make him go faster, faster.


May your day be filled with zeal and love of the joy in life.

Y?

Y? Because I love you. That is from the old Mickey Mouse Club song and every time I hear "why" that is what I think of. When I was planning what to write it was right there. I could hear my kids ask, after being told not to walk across the street without looking first, why and I would answer, Because I love you and I want you safe".
I could hear them ask it when all I wanted to do was lock them in their room and throw away the key. I know, I know, child services would be on my doorstep. Again, I would answer them, " because I love you". They did not hear "before I have a breakdown". We do what we do for our kids because we love them. It may not be their idea of love, and I know that people use that excuse to do awful, horrible things, but for the most of us, it truly is an act of love to discipline and take away toys, privileges and send them to their rooms.
This takes me to the ultimate sacrifice our God made: sending his only begotten son to die for us so that we may have forgiveness and everlasting life. When you look at the cross and ask Y? know that you will hear, " Because I love you".


Now, back to the biggest kid. Me. I do this because I love it and love me. Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Xylophones

Xylophones have intrigued me since I saw Lionel Hampton play one on television. He made it look easy and it sounded wonderful. Like church chimes. I never knew how he could play as much music as he could without looking at it, but he did. He kept up his end of the piece.


I thought I could play one. I thought I could do anything I set my mind to do.


What I forgot was that I am basically lazy. By that I mean, if I try something, and try it for a while, I will usually find that it is way more work than I want to produce the effect that I do. I want to be Lionel and only practice once a week. For a half hour. Or less. And maybe only every other week.


I have found musical things I can do that takes less practice to produce the effect that I want. Being good is just fine with me. I play hand bells and I sing in the choir.


But, man, I wish I could like Lionel.

Wishes

What if wishes came true and you knew it? I think sometimes our wishes do come true and we don't know it or acknowledge. Perhaps because they are vaguely worded or, as I call them generic wishes.
You know the kind: I wish it would snow so I won't have work or school tomorrow. And then it does, but not enough to keep you from work or school. But, it did snow, and it is what you wished, so you got one. Or even if you got enough to keep you home that day, what do we usually do? We usually say, ' drat. I have to shovel the stuff'. Which may be why the saying 'be careful what you wish for'.


What if the wish for that A in chemistry had come true and you were heralded for being a chem quiz whiz? And then they discovered you weren't? It was just the wish that made you that way. I will leave the outcome of that in your mind. I already have my version.


On the other hand if every wish came true for everyone, we could be drowning in a sea of mermaids and purple ponies. That would not be fun, because if you are a mermaid how are you going to ride your purple pony?

Valley

Valleys are the low point between two high points. There have been valleys of despair in my life and mountains of very high points.


Valleys can be the prettiest part of the journey. When you come over a hill and see the gently sloping sides that go down to the valley where the green grass is thick and beautiful, you know you are at the end of the journey.


In the valleys are where the grass is thickest and the flowers the most beautiful. The stream splits the valley and the trees grow well near the water.


We sometimes feel like the valley is the low point, rather than a beautiful ending to a journey.


In stories of pioneers, they feel a sweet, sweet relief when they have climbed the mountain, and the valley is there to greet them with shade, grass and water.


It usually is not the end of the journey, but the pause that refreshes so that they may carry on to the end.


And so this should also be a pause, before we get to the end of the journey of the alphabet and our April challenge.

Under the Roof

Our house has a roof overhang over the front walkway. It makes it very nice when the weather is dripping and you need to walk from drive to door.


We use it to hang our hummingbird feeder, wind chimes, Christmas lights and flowers.
Flowers.
Spring.
Nesting birds.
I have a spider plant, some call them airplane plants, that we usually hang up for the growing season and it looks very pretty and adds a springtime look to the front of the house.


We love it.


So do the birds.
 Two years ago hubby hung it out for the season. It was very pretty.


He noticed some activity in it one morning. It was a bird checking it out. The next morning more activity. They were building a nest. Not in his plant they weren't. He chased them away.


Later the same day, while he was gone, they moved back in.




Next morning, tear it out.




Build it back.




He had had enough.
He got some netting we had left from a previous project. He wrapped the netting around the plant, being careful not to hurt the plant.




The next morning the birds were ensconced in the plant. They had found a parting of the upper and lower pieces of netting.


These guys were not giving up. Either of them.




While the birds were out, he tore up the nest, it was really just some grass, and sewed the netting together.


We found the birds hanging on the brick in front our window looking at us.
 A long time.




They tried and tried to get back in. They couldn't.
 Husband was happy.




Two days later we went out the back door to the patio, and...you guessed it. They had set up shop over a light. They got to stay there. This time.




Now, we shall see if they return.