“A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Mid-Atlantic Weather Watch: Cloudy, mild (1,2,3,4,5) with showers and cool temperatures (6,7,8). Fair, windy, and cool (9,10,11,12); STORMS, some severe (13,14,15,16)turning fair and mild (17,18,19,20). Showers (21,22,23,24) with cloudy skies, warm (25,26). STORMS again, some severe (27,28,29,30,31).
Tornado Watch: The Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack sees some tornado activity in the Mid-Atlantic Region from the 27th to the 31st of May.
Full Moon: May’s Full Moon will occur on May 14th and has traditionally be called Flower Moon (or as the Huron Indians called it, Budding Moon) because of the many flowers that start to emerge and blossom during this month. Farmers came to refer to it as Milk Moon because of the noticeable increase in milk produced by their cows as the weather starts to
warm.
Special Notes: May is ‘Older Americans Month’. In April of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and the National Council of Senior Citizens together designated May as Senior Citizens Month in recognition of the 17 million Americans who had reached the age of 65. In 1980, Senior Citizens Month became Older Americans Month. Mark your May calendars for these
special days in May: National Day of Prayer (Friday, May 2nd), Cinco de Mayo (Monday, May 5th), and World No Tobacco Day (Saturday, May 31st).
Holidays: Mothers are honored on Mother’s Day which falls on Sunday May 11th. Make her day special with a show of appreciation for her gift of life to you, be it a sentimental card or flowers, or just spending some quality time with her. How about instead of giving her cut flowers (that only last so long) consider planting some of her favorite ones outdoors
for a lasting tribute. Armed Forces Day is Saturday, May 17th, and Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 26th. Have fun and start off the 2014 summer season right with a family picnic, barbeque with friends and neighbors, or special outing with the kids. In your fun, don’t forget that the day is to remember those have served in our military, those who currently serve,
and those who will serve in the future. Remember the sacrifices they make every day in order to protect our freedoms.
The Garden: Once your last frost data has passed, warm season crops can be planted. Start seeds for melon and squash at the end of the month. Begin pinching annuals and perennials so the plants fill in and produce more blooms. Prune evergreens when the new growth starts to turn a darker shade of green. Also, prune stone fruits (cherry, almond, peach,
nectarine, plum) at bloom time. Fertilize existing, spring-flowering shrubs in late spring after they finish blooming. Before you start mowing the grass again, let it grow a little taller than the recommended growing height before cutting. This will give the lawn a jump-start and make it stronger. Set the mowing deck to trim the grass back one-third, and then
gradually lower it to the proper height for the specific type of grass.
