"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there"
- Robert Browning (1812—1889)

Mid-Atlantic Weather Watch: Warm, scattered showers north and isolated thunderstorms, south (1, 2, 3, 4, 5); showers and isolated thunderstorms, then turning cooler (6, 7); fair, turning hot 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16); heavy rain, thunderstorms (17, 18); dry, chilly, light frost west, then warmer (19, 20, 21), turning hot with isolated showers and thunderstorms (23, 24, 25); showers and thunderstorms (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31).

Extreme Weather Watch: Severe thunderstorm (5); more severe thunderstorms with heavy rain (17, 18); still more severe thunderstorms, heavy rain (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)

Full Moon: The Full Moon in May occurs on Sunday, May 15th. Many Native American tribes called it Flower Moon because of the many flowers that start to emerge and blossom during this month. While the Huron tribes specifically chose to call it Budding Moon for the very same reasons! The colonial farmer called it Milk Moon because of the noticeable increase in milk produced by his dairy cows.

Special Notes: The first day of Shawwai begins at sunset on May 2nd. National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 5th, was established in 1952 at the direct suggestion of Reverend Billy Graham (1918–2018). It was signed into law under Ronald Reagan in 1988.

Holidays: Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on Thursday, May 5th. Mothers are honored on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 8th. That "very special lady" deserves a nice dinner out, a sentimental card and/or nice flower arrangement, or just a telephone call to say, "I love you"! Rogation Sunday falls on May 22nd, and Ascension Day follows on Thursday, May 26th. Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 30th. On this day we honor those who have died protecting our freedoms and to all those who are currently serving today. Their unflinching service and sacrifice have protected our way of life. We should also extend that recognition to include doctors, all health care workers, and all who are deemed essential in this troubled time.

The Garden: Carrots, lettuce, potatoes, corn, beans, peas and most popular vegetables, with the exception of the warmer weather crops, can be seeded or planted into the vegetable garden at any time now. Wait until mid to late May before planting the warmer weather crops like Tomatoes, Squash, cucumber, pumpkins and peppers. Now is a good time start repairing your lawn. Fill in the bare spots by slightly loosening surface of the soil and sow a good quality lawn seed over the area evenly. Tamp the seed in gently and water. Keep the patch moist by covering with light mulch of lawn clippings. This is the time to eliminate lawn weeds by hand pulling, or the application of a 'weed and feed' fertilizer.... before they go to seed! Setting your mower for a higher cut during the spring months will help the grass to grow in fuller and help choke out the weeds

The Farm: Best for planting root crops (27, 28, 29); weeding and stirring the soil (2, 3, 4, 30, 31); planting above-ground crops (5, 6); harvesting all crops (16, 17, 18); best days for setting hens and incubators (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23); slaughtering and butchering meat (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 30, 31); harvest and store grains (22, 23, 24, 2t5, 26, 27, 28, 29); transplanting (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 30, 31); weaning of small animals and livestock (176 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24).

John Gruber’s Thought For Today’s Living:

"Never let a day go by that you don’t give more to your fellow man and to your community than you receive."