by Karen Shughart
“Tra la, it’s May, the lusty month of May
That lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray
Tra la, it’s here, that shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts merrily appear”
First verse of “The Lusty Month of May” from the Broadway play and movie Camelot
At the end of last month as we were taking our morning walk, bundled up in winter coats, hats and gloves because the temperature had taken a nose dive overnight, the clouds rolled in and obscured the sun, and then it started to snow. Not heavy snow, mind you, but little snowy pellets that looked like baby hail. Oh well, we thought, the daffodils, forsythia and magnolias are blooming, the grass is getting green, and the buds on the trees are just about ready to burst. It was April in the Finger Lakes after all. We hoped that within a few days, at the beginning of May, a switch would flip and we’d be sitting on our front porch drinking wine and greeting neighbors as they walked their dogs and passed by. Sometimes it happens; other times it doesn’t. We handle it with grace because we know that the lusty month of May is just around the corner, and it will be spectacular.
I always thought the word “ lusty” had a different meaning but when I looked up the definition, it said,” healthy and strong; full of vigor.” Who knew? And it’s true. Healthy blooms, a strong warming sun, a community that’s come alive, full of vigor. Wicked little thoughts? I’ll leave that up to you. When I reflected on how I felt about whether this is a shocking time of year, as the lyrics say, I decided I might agree. It is a bit shocking, in a happy way, to know that we probably won’t get snow for another six months and that once the temperature rises, the warm weather is probably here to stay. And yes, it does seem to be a month, especially towards the end of it, when everyone goes blissfully astray.
We slowly creep out of our homes where we’ve been sheltering in place for months and as if magic the streets are alive and bustling with happy chatter, the buzzing of lawn mowers, golf carts zooming about, birds dive bombing and making their nests, and the sound at night of a screech owl. We eagerly meet friends, some of them snowbirds who have newly arrived, at restaurants where we can sit outside on a patio and enjoy a glass of wine or two and watch the boats sail by and swans glide gracefully on the bay. Shops that have been shuttered for the winter open their doors, ice cream stands put out their signs, and we can hear music, all sorts of music, as rock bands, jazz trios, pop groups descend upon our village. Flower festivals, farmers markets, wine trails beckon. Winter has finally said goodbye, the fickleness of April has passed, and we can settle down and enjoy this lovely, lusty, blissful month of May.
