Recipes for Living Take the Time to Celebrate

I love roses. They are such lovely flowers and smell oh, so good! I don’t get to smell them very often, but whenever I come across some, I always slow down simply to look.

That’s fairly simple for me this time of year because I live near a park which hosts a lovely rose garden. It is a beautiful location for outdoor nuptuals every year.

In addition to weddings, May is a month rich with holiday celebration opportunities. Although I haven’t heard anyone mention it for several decades, Mayday used to be a day I really enjoyed. I was fascinated by the idea of a Maypole. We actually had one when I was in early elementary school. It took us about half way through the process to figure out how to get the ribbons interwoven properly. I haven’t seen one since. However, there were a few years when we did get to observe the tradition of secretly delivering a basket of flowers by hanging it on someone’s door. Alas, this too is a practice which has now fallen by the wayside.

It might not be popular in all states, but Cinco de Mayo is party time where I live. Our fair city follows the pattern established by our great country as the melting pot of the world. Thus, we have quite a sizeable portion of our population which is of Mexican descent. Every year, they have a huge celebration in the largest of our city parks to celebrate one of Mexico’s battle victories. There is lots of music, laughter and food, not unlike America’s Fourth of July celebrations of independence.

If the two previous events don’t catch your interest, perhaps it is because they get lost in the process of making everything special for Mother’s Day. Cards, balloons, flowers and special menus for eating out are advertised for weeks in advance. How can we thank mothers for all they do in just one day? Remember, their focus and attention is on their children 24/7/365 days a year for at least two decades and generally even longer.

Some think picking up the phone and calling Mom is an obligation while others tend to spend money for gifts otherwise overlooked. I know all the restaurants in town get super busy for that one day. One year, a local favorite added a huge tent to the back of their building to accommodate all the extra customers. I’m probably in the minority on this, but if I’m going to eat outside, I’d rather use a picnic table so I can actually enjoy

By Kandy Derden Things To Do Editor