This is the May That Was

This May was one of the most enjoyable months of my life. Relaxing but action packed. I retired May 1, so much of this goes without saying. My retirement gift to Pete was to take the month and do as he pleases, so he spent the first two weeks visiting John, Mary and Anna. I enjoyed the quiet transition at home with just Davyd and I. We rode bikes to school, went bird watching, started a butterfly garden, transplanted ferns, went to the library weekly, baked pies in an unhurried pace that I adore.

I moved Ali home from Madison mid-May. Being away at college does wonders for making one appreciate the pleasures of home. Nic graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago two weeks ago. The ceremony was on a beautiful sunny day in Millennium Park, the speakers and honorary degrees were interesting, we stayed at my favorite Chicago Hotel (Hotel Monaco), had brunch at a delightful restaurant (Bin) and of course this mother was proud.

Most days this month you would have found Pete and I outdoors. We honor our homes prior owners John and Ed daily for the extraordinary landscaping they left behind. The yard/gardens have their ying and yang though. May is the month to battle the garlic mustard, buckthorn and honeysuckle that plague most all of Bayside. We have been chasing ours for six years and it finally seems that we might be winning. I scurry to transplant natives from the Fox Point Garden Club sale each May along with boosting the May apples, ostrich ferns, wild ginger and wild strawberries along from our own yard. Our green house is abust with seedlings that I received as a gift from Midewin Tallgrass Prairie. The Wisconsin Herb Society sale at Concordia the third week of May is always a plus – I seem to be hooked on lavender, thyme and nasturtiums.

I have visited neighbors, gone to more social events, walked the beach of Lake Michigan, baked more pies and had more time with my family in the last month then the last year it seems. Life is good!