Happy May Day! May Day falls smack dab in the middle of Spring. Up north, May usually feels like spring but there is no telling what March or April will feel like. I remember catching a plane for spring break on a 70 degree St. Patrick's Day in 2009 just as easily as I remember waking up to snow flurries on April 30, 2004, the morning after prom! On May Day, the only flowers that are usually in bloom are crocus, tulips and daffodils.
Down here in the south, May feels like summer. March was an unseasonably cold month throughout the country and in Houston, a lot of the flowers (particularly the azaleas) were late to bloom. April was a bit of a roller coaster with temperatures ranging from the low 40s all the way up to 92 degrees! The spring flowers are long gone and the trees are no longer dropping pollen. By May, temperatures generally hover in the mid 80s but often jump into the 90s, making it feel like summer instead of spring.
The first of May will always hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I loved making May baskets out of craft paper and filling them with flowers. My mom would come home from work to find all of her newly blooming daffodils cut and hanging from the neighbors' door handles. She was never pleased to find her flowers cut to the ground, but she never scolded me.
In Houston, I haven't seen any tulips or daffodils. Because I can't pick those special heralds of spring, hang them in May baskets on my neighbors' door handles, ring the door bell, and run away, I'm going to share pictures of the spring flowers we had down here in Texas! The first three pictures (paintbrushes and bluebonnets) were taken between Belleville, TX and Brenham, TX. The last two, the field of bluebonnets and the purple flowers, were taken at McKinney Falls State Park and in downtown Austin, respectively. C and I took these photos during the last two weekends of March.
Down here in the south, May feels like summer. March was an unseasonably cold month throughout the country and in Houston, a lot of the flowers (particularly the azaleas) were late to bloom. April was a bit of a roller coaster with temperatures ranging from the low 40s all the way up to 92 degrees! The spring flowers are long gone and the trees are no longer dropping pollen. By May, temperatures generally hover in the mid 80s but often jump into the 90s, making it feel like summer instead of spring.
The first of May will always hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I loved making May baskets out of craft paper and filling them with flowers. My mom would come home from work to find all of her newly blooming daffodils cut and hanging from the neighbors' door handles. She was never pleased to find her flowers cut to the ground, but she never scolded me.
In Houston, I haven't seen any tulips or daffodils. Because I can't pick those special heralds of spring, hang them in May baskets on my neighbors' door handles, ring the door bell, and run away, I'm going to share pictures of the spring flowers we had down here in Texas! The first three pictures (paintbrushes and bluebonnets) were taken between Belleville, TX and Brenham, TX. The last two, the field of bluebonnets and the purple flowers, were taken at McKinney Falls State Park and in downtown Austin, respectively. C and I took these photos during the last two weekends of March.
Flowers aren't the only things that mark spring. Changes in the produce at the local grocery store are also quite telling. First, it's the citrus fruits. Citrus season begins in the winter and continues into the spring. (Remember when I told you about our adventure to the pick-your-own citrus farm?) Some varieties of tangerines and mandarines peak during early spring. In March, I found deliciously sweet Ojai Pixie Tangerines at the grocery store and used them to make an adorable, half-sized Clementine Mousse Cheesecake.
Then, I found reasonably priced rhubarb (down from $5.99/lb to $1.99/lb), another sure sign of spring! I was beyond excited and picked up a half pound to turn into a half-sized Rhubarb Custard Pie from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book (p. 79). I worked from home on Good Friday and sat at the dining room table editing a manuscript and snacking on pie. I had a beautiful bouquet of pink tulips and white freesia sitting on the table next to me, filling the room with a lovely floral scent. It was delightful.
Finally, local strawberries hit the market! I started volunteering 4 hours a week to teach a level 1 English as a Second language (ESL) class for adults. While teaching interrogative words (Who? When? Where?), I learned that one of my students would be turning 60 on the 26th. I decided to surprise her by bringing a birthday cake to the next class. I made Yellow Cake with vanilla buttercream and and added chopped strawberries to the filling between the two layers. I've never loved cake, but I did enjoy the small slice I tried!
I love the produce available in spring but I can't wait for the bounty of summer. Sometime soon, probably later this month, it will be peach season. That will be a sure sign of summer in the US, regardless of latitude.
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