The Superior Express -

Bring on May! May is much needed this year to bring some needed cheer. It’s a month of colorful flowers blooming, including two of my favorites, lilacs and peonies. It brings warm spring days which draw people outdoors into the sunshine. Bonfires are enjoyed during the cooler evenings and BBQ suppers are on the menu. New baby calves are bouncing around the greening pasturelands and song birds can be heard.

The farm and grass lands make their annual colorful patterns, much like a designed quilt. Green fields of wheat wave as the Kansas winds stir things up once in a while. Browns of the fallowed or worked fields grace the hills. Leaves on the trees burst out, bringing color to the rural landscape. Pure white blossoms are noted on the wild plum bushes. Once in a while a beautiful flowering crab apple or red bud tree is blooming.

The cattle are transported from home lots to their summer homes in the pastures. Farmers are busy with the fall crop planting, checking pasture fences and clipping cedar trees.

There are the winter planning jobs needing to be done. Of course, there is spring house cleaning that should be done but somehow gest put off as the sunshine draws one outside instead.

So far the spring rains have not come like they usually do this time of year, but we pray they will come soon. Memories of spring rains as a youth on the farm include pouring down rain. The downpours would send water flowing into the pasture draws. My sister and I could not wait to run outside after the rain storm passed so we could go through the fence and down to the pasture to wade in the flowing water. What fun it was to go barefoot and feel the mud squash through our toes. Mud pies were made and new water lines were drawn with a stick in the mud.

The country school I attended let school out in April. May meant special outdoor free time before the heat of the summer arrived. From mid morning until the sun went down, my sister and I would enjoy adventures outdoors. Sheets were taken outside to place from a low tree limb to another limb making the perfect playhouse, fort or camping tent. Ponies were saddled and ridden around the farm. Walks would be taken into the pasture to explore and watch the crawdads and frogs near the pond.

With all the “social distancing” and “shut in” time that we’ve endured, it is hoped that in May we can at least get outdoors more often and busy ourselves with yard improvements, garden maintaining and just enjoying these wonderful May days that are ahead of us.