Wednesday, May 01, 2013

May is Here!

I cannot decide if my post title is a hearty exaltation for the month of May, or simply a public service announcement for friends in parts of the world where the snow is obscuring all hints of mid-spring.

I feel rather giddy about this new month. This is the month of Mother's Day, and Lady Betty Oprpington's fifth birthday! May is the anniversary month of Chickenblog :: Eleven years of deep thoughts and other musings! May is our Maker Month, when we prepare for and make our annual trek to the Bay Area Maker Faire! This month holds so much in store for us!

Does anyone else remember May Day Baskets? Heather Bullard's recent post, with basket ideas, brought up a fond memory. When I was in first grade, living in Ramona, our teacher had us make little May Day Baskets... probably out of paper, probably with flowers. I guess I don't have a perfect memory of the object, but the feeling of anticipation and delight for the concept remains to this day. She told us the baskets were meant to be gifts that we would leave at the door of a neighbor, a friend. And I recall depictions of dancing around May poles... the flowers, the skirts twirling, the bright ribbons. I would swoon with a wishful longing for the pastoral romance and ceremony. And for all these years, many, I have held May Day Baskets dear to my heart.

Dear to my heart... but nothing I have ever acted on. Is there a lesson here, for me? Heavens! This amounts to forty years of being heart-touched and swoony for a tradition and loveliness that I have held in high regard, and have felt inclined to honor, every year, but then have regretfully postponed every year! I will pardon this trespass, this procrastination, and honor the pleasure I have enjoyed of imagining May Day, baskets, and ribbons and gaiety. The visions have been happy companions all these years. And thank you, Heather Bullard, for refreshing my memories with your lovely post.

Maybe my stacks of happy scraps are my May Day nod to pastoral romance! I picked up two shades of jute, and some white cotton twine, so I could make some mini-bunting. The garden green jute compelled me to start with the cheery yellows and spring green scraps from my stash, and I whipped up my first Mini May Day Bunting.

I cut about a yard and a half of the jute twine... enough for a small strand and extra for tying. My scraps were already pressed, and cut, in varying sizes. Each strip was then folded in half... to give it some weight, and so it would be pretty from either side.

Then I slipped the scrap over the jute, fitting the twine snuggly in the fold, and made a tiny zig-zag stitch, tightly against the twine, to secure the fabric strip in place. In little time, my merry bunting was done and hanging in the Chicken run. And in less time... Ada Goat spied it and started nibbling at it! Goats!

Enjoy a Merry May, friends!

3 comments:

warren said...

I bet that's awseome hanging in the yard too! Of course, you will see it again in a few days when the goats are done with it and it won't be quite as lovely but still, for now, awesome!

ArtyZen said...

Eleven years of blogging - wow, that's a lot of words and much deep thought, Natalie. A real achievement because your posts are still fresh, fun, insightful and full of you. Love your bunting - having never been a seamstress, I don't have a lovely stash but I think I could manage some bunting and it would be such a nice thing to have in my garden. Inspired. Axxx

Tami @ Lemon Tree Tales said...

Wow, has it been five years already since you snuck chickens into your rental house?! It's been great watching the antics of Lady Betty Orpington over the years. Hope you have a lovely May!