Welcome to May

I decided to go with a very simple title for this blog.  Why?  Because I feel like May is the only month that is very simple, very, Spring friendly.  Some facts about May:

• It is the last full month of Spring.  Where did spring go this year?  I spent over half the season so far with the heat on and freezing or prematurely celebrating the summer to come.  After all, Ohio is not California, Florida, Texas, or Arizona, four of the notorious months where temps can get into the 90’s around June 1^st or before.
• May Day.  It is official, as I said earlier, we are at the halfway point before summer makes her debut for the year.  When my parents were children, they grew up in the same town of Guinea/Moundsville, Alabama, 8 miles north of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, my mom said that they used to dance around the maypole and did other activities that celebrated spring.  According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the tradition started with “Ancient Celts dancing around a tree” not a pole, praying for crops and fertility. If the pairing was a hit, then the courtship will continue, followed by marriage 6 weeks later in June.  No wonder June became the top-rated wedding month of the year.  Blame the Maypole.
• Lei Day.  On May 1 in Hawaii, it is also Lei Day.  If you ever visited Hawaii, which is on my bucket list of places to travel to, you can receive leis everywhere you go, from the airport to hotels and events.  They are given in the symbol of welcome, goodbye, affection, celebration, or honor which is in the spirit of Aloha. This celebration started on May 1, 1928, long before the territory became a state in 1959. 
• Cinco De Mayo.  Everyone knows about May 5^th, it is the day we celebrate Mexican food, right?  Um, wrong, in fact, we celebrate this Mexican holiday in the wrong way here in the United States. In fact, this is a day of victory celebration when the Mexicans won over the French army at The Battle of Puebla in 1862.   So, in technicality, this is not a day where you can get 5 marguerites for $5.  I always caution people to drink responsibly and do not get caught.
• For Star Wars fans, there is Star Wars day, or May the 4^th (get it, May the 4th be with you, May the Force be With You-I can feel that pun going over some person’s head really quickly as they give that look of confusion, LOL).  Nothing special if you are not a Star Wars fan. I am personally a Star Trek fan, but I have seen all but the last movie that came out, and I respect these fans.  You are limited to one eye roll if your co-worker comes in dressed as Chewbacca The Wookie on that day.  Yes, it will be scary, but trust me, by 5 pm, it will be all over with.  Two eye rolls if he screams like
  
  him.  Pray that he does not get fired.  OK, I am done.
• Mother’s day.  This year, it is May 12, and it is merely an appreciation day for all things mother.  Cook for her (although if you are under 12, peanut butter and jelly sandwich will do…. let dad or a restaurant do the rest), present a gift from the heart, or a simple, “I love you” will do.  Do not forget to say thank you.
• Victoria Day.  I am not Canadian, so I know nothing about this day, except it, celebrates Queen Victoria’s birthday. May 20^th
• Memorial Day.  Here in the States (United States) we celebrate those who passed on and served in the military.  Many people go to the gravesites of beloved ones who served, place an American flag or flowers on the grave and reflect on how much the military has served this country.  This month, it is celebrated on May 27^th.

Now for some fun celebrations:

According to the Almanac, May is:

• Get caught Reading month
• National Good Car-Keeping month
• Scrapbook/paper crafting month
• May 1^st- School Principal’s day
• May 2-World Tuna Day (dang I could have tuna sushi-I had salmon sushi for dinner)
• May 5-11: Root Canal Awareness week
• May 8: No socks day (Humm, I should start wearing sandals on that day-YAY!)
• May 14: Dance like a chicken day.  Don’t ask.
• May 28:  Slugs Return from Capistrano Day.  Again, do not ask, but you can celebrate with a game called Best Fiends. 

Other notable things you can do for the month of May:

• Are there any weddings that you have been invited to?  Prepare your planner for all things wedding by:
• Marking the date, which includes any special events leading up to the wedding, especially if you are part of the wedding party.
• Now is the time to buy the gifts.  Look for discounts and coupons, but also be aware of the price on some gifts.  Online shopping may be the way to go and excuse to shop on Amazon, but it may not always be the best price.
• Consider getting a gift that will benefit both the bride and groom, not one or the other.
• When in doubt, get a gift card so they can both be present and pick out the gift.  Make sure that it is a universal gift card (like a Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, or Discover) so they can spend at any place. Also, put enough money on the card so the couple does not have to use their own money for the difference.
• Do you usually put off spring cleaning until this month?  Some advice for May 2020:  Prepare in April.  Do a walkthrough in the house to see what needs to be cleaned and organized by the end of the month.  For example, I started to prepare (I am being honest, half prepared) last week. 
• The two major areas I am concentrating on this month is my master bedroom and craft room, which are leftovers from last year (May 2018).  In my complex, they usually will have a big bin (more like a shipping container) where you can place your broken, unwanted stuff there. Last year, I throw out my old sewing machine, which was sitting in the garage since 2013 when I changed out the old carpet, but never brought the machine back in the condo.  The reason why I threw it out was the bugs.  I saw one crawl of it one day as I was getting into my car, saw the bin, turned around, got it, and chucked into the bin on the way out.  I already see a couple of items that are ready for the bin this year.
• January, I went to Ikea to get a Kallax unit (3 x 4 or 4 x3 depending on which way I turn it) and it still needs to be put up.  I need to clean my room to put the 9-cube Closet Maid unit in my room.  Two items from my room need to go to that bin in the complex.  I also need to buy a smaller Kallax unit (2 x 4) to replace the current bookshelf in the living room. This is a real example of what I need to do and what I wrote down last month for May.
• As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, May is Good car-keeping month.  Now is the time for us to service our cars.  Again, I am being honest, every time I turn on my car, it tells me to get my oil changed.  It has been doing it for 5 months (Busted by my father last month).  I engine has been running rough, probably because I did not get the oil changed.  I also need to get the back door (which says Gate Door on my dashboard, I have a Dodge Caliber 2008) arms replaced since they will not hold up the door anymore.  Everything gets put on the back seat. Comment below if you plan on or have done some preventive maintenance on your car or other vehicles.  May I also mention that since the weather is getting warmer, watch out for Motorcycles, mopeds, scooters, and bikers, as well as pedestrians.

So what does all of this Mean?

As I change and grow this blog, as well as my other one, My Ambiance Life, my website and blog, P. Lynne Designs, my YouTube channel, as well as other things, such as my social media, I want to bring you one of the best contents and I may make some mistakes (such as not making videos during this time), I am building my business and my social footprint. To some of you, it may not mean anything, but I believe in leading by example, and I hope you have enjoyed this post.

If you have enjoyed this little spot or want to see more, please let me know in the comments below.

Until then peace, Happy May, and God Bless.