Stephen C. Foster had that song published in 1862 (by Daughaday & Hammond, Philadelphia)...a noted songwriter of over 280 songs, many of which became a popular part of American life in the mid 1800s up through his death in 1864. As popular as they were, he lived and died in poverty due to the lack of copyright laws...he benefitted little financially from his music. Even though the U.S. Copyright law had been enacted on May 31, 1790, it didn't protect his life's works.
May notwithstanding, all months, of course, have their intrinsic beauty and special attributes, but Spring has most definitely sprung for us here in the temperate mid-latitudes by May. Here in the Southeast we had that nasty killing freeze weeks ago which took away a significant part of our lush blossoming...and now vegetation is rebounding as best it can from that sting.
And just this weekend have my hummers arrived from the South. I had some long-overdue knee surgergy Friday afternoon, but just the day before had heard their tell-tale chatter in the trees, or so I imagined it to be...put the hummingbird feeder out and, voila, Saturday morning there they fed, a few weeks delayed in their annual return by the late freeze and loss of food source. I imagine they're right happy to have the feeders up.
So what is May known for? How many remember, much less even know about, Mayday celebrations and the Maypole? So I began turning over some May rocks to discover a few May factoids...
Lots of famous birthdays, of course: John F. Kennedy, Walt Whitman. Karl Marx, Pierre Curie, Florence Nightengale, Irving Berlin, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Harry S Truman, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...among myriad others. Of course, if you think of all the 'famous' people that are living or ever lived, they had to fit into one of a very limited number of months with birthdays...still, it makes you conjur up their images and reflect as you choose upon them and their impact on you, if any...
It was also the 'birth' of some important organizations, like the Clara Barton's efforts started on May 21, 1881 which evolved into the Red Cross we know today... the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia May 25, 1787, with George Washington as president...that famed meeting of east-west railroads at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, wherein the golden spike sealed the first transcontinental railway...the U.S. began regular airmail service on May 15, 1918...and on this day in 1931 the New York City icon the Empire State Building opened its doors...
Good for some holidays and special goings-on, too...Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of May) was first observed in 1908, later becoming a public holiday May 9, 1914...Memorial Day (now the last Monday in May) was first observed May 5, 1866...back in 1950, the 3rd Saturday of May was set aside for Armed Forces Day, which in prior years had armed forces celebrating their own day...and we've come to celebrate the Kentucky Derby slated for the first Saturday each May.
Got something pretty neat going on in Charlotte tomorrow, Wednesday. In the Pro-Am golf match preceding the Wachovia PGA Tournament starting this week, Tiger Woods is paired with Michael Jordan...kind of a May milestone in its own way. Sounds like that pairing suits them to a T(ee).
Time for stretching exercises...gorgeous warm day in the making with lots of Carolina blue skies. "May" you enjoy your day, whatever your endeavors!
May notwithstanding, all months, of course, have their intrinsic beauty and special attributes, but Spring has most definitely sprung for us here in the temperate mid-latitudes by May. Here in the Southeast we had that nasty killing freeze weeks ago which took away a significant part of our lush blossoming...and now vegetation is rebounding as best it can from that sting.
And just this weekend have my hummers arrived from the South. I had some long-overdue knee surgergy Friday afternoon, but just the day before had heard their tell-tale chatter in the trees, or so I imagined it to be...put the hummingbird feeder out and, voila, Saturday morning there they fed, a few weeks delayed in their annual return by the late freeze and loss of food source. I imagine they're right happy to have the feeders up.
So what is May known for? How many remember, much less even know about, Mayday celebrations and the Maypole? So I began turning over some May rocks to discover a few May factoids...
Lots of famous birthdays, of course: John F. Kennedy, Walt Whitman. Karl Marx, Pierre Curie, Florence Nightengale, Irving Berlin, Johannes Brahms, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Harry S Truman, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...among myriad others. Of course, if you think of all the 'famous' people that are living or ever lived, they had to fit into one of a very limited number of months with birthdays...still, it makes you conjur up their images and reflect as you choose upon them and their impact on you, if any...
It was also the 'birth' of some important organizations, like the Clara Barton's efforts started on May 21, 1881 which evolved into the Red Cross we know today... the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia May 25, 1787, with George Washington as president...that famed meeting of east-west railroads at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, wherein the golden spike sealed the first transcontinental railway...the U.S. began regular airmail service on May 15, 1918...and on this day in 1931 the New York City icon the Empire State Building opened its doors...
Good for some holidays and special goings-on, too...Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of May) was first observed in 1908, later becoming a public holiday May 9, 1914...Memorial Day (now the last Monday in May) was first observed May 5, 1866...back in 1950, the 3rd Saturday of May was set aside for Armed Forces Day, which in prior years had armed forces celebrating their own day...and we've come to celebrate the Kentucky Derby slated for the first Saturday each May.
Got something pretty neat going on in Charlotte tomorrow, Wednesday. In the Pro-Am golf match preceding the Wachovia PGA Tournament starting this week, Tiger Woods is paired with Michael Jordan...kind of a May milestone in its own way. Sounds like that pairing suits them to a T(ee).
Time for stretching exercises...gorgeous warm day in the making with lots of Carolina blue skies. "May" you enjoy your day, whatever your endeavors!
2 comments:
Happy May :p
Indeed!
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