May Basket


When I was a little girl, there was a large woodsy area close to my home. In one part of it there was a big field of what we called "bluebells." They are more formally called "grape hyacinths." They were always in bloom around May 1. In a nearby area was a great big patch of violets. Neither the bluebells or the violets grew in our yards at home, and we thought this area of the woods to be a magical place.
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At the very end of April, we'd make small baskets out of construction paper and flour-and-water paste. On May 1 we would go pick bluebells and violets and put them in the baskets and leave them on the doorsteps of people in the neighborhood. We loved doing it, but never got much feedback on it.
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I work at a Quaker school and my very best friends there are the members of the Pre-K (4-going-on-5-year-old) class. Yesterday I came to work to find a basket with a blooming impatiens plant hanging on my door handle.
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It was the first May basket I ever received! I was SO happy!
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Imagine waiting 50 or more years and then finding out how happy you had made your neighbors . . . .
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Quiltgranny said…
My Granny would fill her Maybaskets with a doiley and then some tulips from her garden. She was not my real Granny, but I remember her so dearly - and she taught me so much about unconditional love. She and I would fill the baskets, then we'd choose who would get them. We'd walk together, and she would hide while I put them on the door handle, ring the bell and run. When we got home, we'd giggle and laugh about the little sweet surprises we left. I was just thinking about this today, and here I read your post about YOUR MayDay basket - how sweet!
Friday, May 12, 2006 11:26:00 PM
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