Mayday!

Isn't it odd that the internationally recognized distress call is also the name, with a slightly different spelling, May Day, of the celebration of the coming of spring. The second, May Day, involves dancing and May poles and bonfires and cavorting, which just might lead to a distress call. A slightly humorous and ironic juxtaposition.

Another such ironic juxtaposition is shown in the picture of the road that's in front of our house. Yes, after 110 years we are finally getting new sewer, water, sidewalks, curb and road. Everything will be beautiful once it's finished. The sign in the quagmire tells us not to park on the street between the hours of 7AM and 5PM. Thank you, to those concerned about our safety amidst the construction, for the helpful and necessary (?) sign.

And finally, I want to tell you about a juxtaposition of words that makes me laugh every time I share this incident. My husband and I were driving back from visiting some out of town relatives. I was doing the driving. I soon realized that my husband was looking at me. Softly he touched my face with his fingers and said, "When the sunlight hits your face like that" (Oh my goodness, I thought, a beautiful, romantic moment!) "I can see this really long hair growing out of your chin." I explained the facts of aging to that man that I love and told him I would pluck as soon as we got home.

When I related this story to the Tuesday arts and crafts group at the senior care facility the women, as expected, burst into howls of laughter. Then the group got quiet and the women started to relate how much they longed for simple, romantic gestures. "Men just don't realize how important it is," they said, nodding to each other. These are women in their 70's and 80's. There's still time to let them know.