Naked Gardening

It’s May. Time to dance around the Maypole and invite Spring to make her full appearance of flowered splendor. Maia was the Greek Goddess of Fertility, so after the dance, feel free to go off into the fields with the partner of your choice and make merry. The Roman poet Ovid associated May also with “maiores,” Latin for elders, so to honor both meanings, may I suggest taking a 65-year old out into the fields? (Hint, hint).

Coming up soon is Cinco de Mayo, one of a thousand ways our Mexican neighbors have enlivened our culture. In honor of that, may I suggest a barrage of postcards to insist “No walls!” Then comes Mother’s Day and not a bad idea to also nod to our mutual Mother Nature and write some more postcards to the effect of “Climate Change Is Real” (or more poetically, “Our Mother is having hot flashes.”) And then comes Memorial Day and a good time to remind the folks in Washington that soldiers died so that we might have the freedom to carry a sign to the President’s Speech in Pennsylvania that says “The oceans are rising” without getting beat up and thrown out by Bikers for Trump with the full permission of the guy pretending to be President and the support of the police. Mayday, Mexicans, Mothers and Memorials—looks like it will be a busy month for us.

And that’s not to mention recognizing the various holidays that the average person doesn’t even know exist. According to Wikipedia, May is also the month for:

• International Mediterranean Diet Month. (Start making those Greek salads!)

• Better Hearing and Speech Month. (Eh?)

• National Electrical Safety Month (No more electric razors in the bathtub!)

• National Smile Month. ( Start practicing.)

• World Laughter Day (Today! Then downgrade to “smile”)

• National Burger Month (Hmm. Doesn’t go so well with the Mediterranean Diet.)

• Mental Health Awareness Month. (Good time to say it: 45 is certifiable insane.)

• National Moving Month. (Get packing. Especially the folks in the White House.)

• National Teacher Appreciation Day (May 3): (Good time to get rid of DeVos.)

And my all-time favorite on May 7^th.

• World Naked Gardening Day (Don’t forget the sunscreen.)

Happy May!