Wednesday, May 15, 2019

May Day Flower Delivery


As mentioned yesterday, I'd saved a magazine clipping with high hopes of putting together May baskets this year.

Let me rewind a bit and give some of my history with May Day. In my early 20's, I lived in an adorable older apartment building painted yellow now lovingly referred to as the yellow apartments. The old windows had lovely wide sills for flowers and candles. Their charm was one of my favorite things about living there, but I digress.

While living in the yellow apartments, I would collect old juice and vegetable cans early Spring and head to the local home store for a six pack or two of pansies. In Colorado, pansies are just coming out in time for May Day and they are the most cheerful flowers - they sort of became the May Day mascots to me!

Cans would be decorated with cute patterned papers and calico fabrics. Handles would be tied and tags handwritten. I'd think up a route and make my plan ahead of time and then get up very early, while still dark and still in my pj's, and deliver flowers and cheer to porches across town.


Over the years, I have sporadically maintained variations of my May Day deliveries though the success of pulling it off has dwindled as the years have passed. Knowing my Mom was going to be here and having a cute idea ready to go, I was determined and ready to make it happen again this year.

The last day of April was standardized testing for our kids, so my Mom and I stopped in the local grocery store for some floral supplies. I'm pretty sure that when we arrived home I was zero help with whatever chores were waiting - I only had eyes for making May baskets!

Tissue paper was layered in aqua berry baskets and Oui yogurt jars made a willing vessel for the base. Then the art of layering flowers began - it was a balm to my soul to do this beauty-making. Four little baskets were assembled and standing at the ready along the edge of the kitchen counter. Paper straws and washi tape became May poles tucked into flowers and twine and tags completed the gift.


Morning arrived and Mom and I were up early - she offered to chauffeur me on this joy-spreading mission and what fun we had! Tiptoeing up to friends porches in the dark, wearing my pj's, crossing the bridge at the most beautiful sunrise I think I've ever seen with sail boats silhouetted in the foreground.

We saw beautiful shades of color in the sky, reflections on the water, fog in the trees and more. We got stopped on the swing bridge on the way home and simultaneously suggested donuts for breakfast - it just felt like the right thing to do we both agreed!

Happiness bubbled in my heart at this spreading of joy and beauty! Such fun! Such wonder at the imaginings of friends stepping onto their porches and smiling at the unexpected surprise.


Before breakfast, our little mission was complete but it was such a joy to hear from those friends throughout the morning as they found their goodies and suspected how they arrived!

Oh, I really must keep this tradition going. It is such fun!


3 comments:

Mary Ann said...

So pretty and so fun!

Wendi said...

I've always loved your May Day tradition.

Mom said...

So fun to do this with you! :)