MAY meme for Tuesday 4

Welcome friends!

This weeks Tuesday 4 in memory of our frien d Toni Taddeo is from Mary who blogs at Visits With Mary. and it's all about the month of May.   Thanks Mary!

I'm linking up at this blog for the Tuesday 4. Head over here to jump in!

 Hello May

1. May’s First Glimpse — What is the very first thing you notice or feel when May arrives each year?

I first notice all the green.....the green grass is more vibrant and verdant and requires cutting every week here than in April, typically.  Our maple trees in the backyard have larger green leaves which will be at peak by the end of May....and the leaves of my irises are up and will soon have flowers. I also begin to notice "May Flowers" a wildflower that grow in the mountains in the month of May...they are typically a light shade of blue.  They also grow on Cape Cod as we've camped in May there and have seen them in the woods. 

2. Simple May Joys — What small pleasures do you look forward to in May — flowers, breezes, routines, or traditions?

Backyard bonfires when it's still cool enough at night to fully enjoy them, our first adventure on one of our fave lakes with the kayaks usually happens sometime during Memorial Day weekend, beach days with friends and families and hikes on more local trails due to black flies arriving in the mountains in mid-May (typically Mother's Day to Father's Day), and evenings to grill dinner foods like chicken, potatoes, corn, tofu (I tried it last year and it came out great), bison and vegan burgers; breakfast or morning coffee and lunch on the deck when the morning sun is beaming and there's no cold wind......and dinners on the deck once Memorial Day weekend gets here and life slows down a little more and the air is warmer. (our deck gets the sun from dawn until about 2 pm and then is in the shade )

3. May Memories — Do you have a favorite May memory from childhood, family life, or recent years?

A fave memory from childhood: heading up to our camp in the southern Adirondacks to "open it up" for the Summer season; riding on my uncle's boat on the Great Sacandaga  during Memorial Day weekend; eating peanut butter sandwiches on Sunbeam bread at grandma M's who lived right on the lake; playing tag with my 2 younger sisters (the 4th sister wasn't born until I was 15) at camp; sitting by the outdoor fireplace with my dad for the first time since the previous Labor Day weekend. 

A fave family life memory when the girls were little: Spending time at the family beach house on Buzzards Bay (just before you get on Cape Cod proper).....There were just 4 houses on our strip of the peninsula surrounded by ocean and the Audubon Protected lands on the other side (rare birds were there). We loved gathering with Dave's side of the family at "the beach house" that Karen's husband bought for the fam. Our turn to use it was usually the month of August.  Memorial Day weekend in 2012 was a fun one because Karen and Hanna, who was heading back to Scotland in the fall, were there.  Not shown in the pic:  my husband Dave, his parents, Peter's wife Kathy and their kids Adam and Beth. 

my two girls, then 13 and 17 in 2012
Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day Weekend 2012
from l-r: My sister in law Karen (Dave's oldest sis) 
on the ground her only child Hanna age 19
Claire age 13, Courtney age  17, Peter (Dave's older bro) 

  A fave recent memory:   

Memorial Day Weekend at home!
Dave and I
May 2022

Our Oldest  girl had moved out the previous year
to her own apartment but came over for our Memorial Day  bonfire

Our youngest daughter was moving into her own apt
at the end of the summer...here she is with her vegan s'more!
Yes, vegan marshmallows are SO good. Way less sticky than regular ones.
put it with oatmilk dark chocolate and a graham cracker and......yummy!

                                                                                                      
It was so nice to have the girls together and to actually spend Memorial Day weekend at home for once (we used to camp or go to the beach house which is no longer in the family or to either my parents' home in central NYS or to Dave's parents' home in Plymouth Co, MA or we'd be hosting hike and beach bbq days.  That year (2022) we took the kayaks to one of the local state park lakes  and had a picnic but the bulk of the weekend was spent at home in our own backyard. I cherish the memory. 

4. May Intentions — What gentle goals or hopes do you carry into this new month?

I don't know what is meant by "gentle goals" but I carry a couple of hopes:  I hope May is nowhere near as wet (with rain)  as last May so that I can keep my hiking group's scheduled hikes on the days I've scheduled them for and not have to cancel! 

And I'm hoping my husband gets his requested time off (his company is supposed to let him know by the end of this week)  the last week of July for his gaming convention in Cincinnati because it's the week my oldest daughter and I went to head north to the mountains and rent a cottage and do some touring up that way while he's gone. She gets 3 weeks vacation and actually wants to spend a week with me!! 

Happy Tuesday!!