I have several old photographs of me and a deer.
Who: My Dad and me
Where: the Farm in Carsonville Township
Why: Hunting photo
When: 1953 or 1954 I am either two or three years old.
I have been celebrating May Day for about 71 years.
It is very simple, you make a small basket out of rolled up paper or a paper cup, decorate it how ever you wish, make a handle, tuck candy or flowers inside the basket. Take them to a neighbor or friends home, hang them on the door or set them by the door, knock on the door and say Happy May Day! Then run away so they cannot catch you and kiss you!
My Mother used to help us make May Baskets and then we would get in the car and drive to all the neighbors delivering baskets. The baskets were held in muffin tins or cake pans for easy transport...it was us kids job to hold the tins and pans steady while she drove. We would deliver the May Baskets and run back to the car.
A neighbor by the name of Jim Mack told me that when he was a little boy...in the 1930's after evening chores his Mom Mary had treats ready (usually cookies) to put in baskets that they made. He would walk down to Far Guy's Grandparents farm, trying to be sneaky and leave the basket unnoticed. He said Far Guy's Grandmother Meade would come out of the house her apron flying running after him. He told me he would never forget that image of her running after him!
It is a great way to celebrate Spring! Far Guy says" No matter how many times he tripped and fell down running away from a girls house...they never caught him with a kiss."
Me and my May Baskets in 1954, that was my dog Frosty in the background. Yes we can still have snow here in Minnesota in May.
Happy Kids that we delivered May Baskets to yesterday...one day late but the kids still smiled!
I have celebrated May Day since 1953….so that means that this is my 65th May Day.
This is a photo from May Day 1954 when I was 2 years and 8 months old. My May Baskets are lined up on the snowy hood of my parents car.
The tradition as I know it: You decorate baskets fill them with candy and you take them to neighbors and friends. You go up to a door and hang the basket on the door knob, knock and then run, because someone will chase you and try to kiss you. I am old, I will settle for a hug…because I am not running away. Growing up we decorated small baskets to take to neighbor kids and elderly neighbors…it was something fun to do after a long winter.
So the tradition continues. I made some deliveries and took some photos. My Great Nieces and Nephews
Olivia
Brooke
Ava
Kelly was asleep and Hailey was getting ready for a game after school.
Mason and Anna…these two live next door and are growing like weeds!!
I still have three baskets for Teddy, Harlow and Vivian hopefully I will see them soon.
I stopped by my parents.
Mom and Dad May 1 2018
I stopped by a few other places…some favorite people I don’t see often enough.
After supper we delivered a few more baskets and some dog treats for Odda and Putz.
In my opinion May Day is a fun holiday…something as simple as a cute little basket with a bit of candy makes people young and old smile!
I hope you all had a wonderful May Day! If you made a May Basket or got one perhaps you could share the story in a comment.
It must have been a cold snowy late spring in 1954..59 years ago.
May Day 1954 and count them seven May Baskets all for me because my baby brother was way too little to eat candy/cookies back then.
I will be delivering the May Baskets I made after supper this evening.
I made some for the grand boys last weekend..and the baskets earned me some hugs..I mentioned to Adam that he was suppose to run after me and give me a kiss, he just shook his head and said “YEEEW.”
How about you? Will you deliver at least one May Basket to a non suspecting not in the May Day Loop type person ? If so I hope you will share their reaction.
Happy May Day! :)
This photo was taken in the summer of 1954. I was a good big sister.
I am sure I did not let go and let my baby brother topple over..did I?
This photo sat in amongst a bunch of film to be developed for a long time. In January of 1956 the film was finally developed. Those were tough times financially for my parents..crop failures..grasshoppers..army worms..farming was a real challenge back then.
My much younger brother and sister don’t remember the hard times. By the time they were born in 1960 and 1966 my Dad had been working out on the road (construction) for many years to help make ends meet at the farm.
We didn’t have dry cereal out of a box.. only porridge either Oatmeal or Malt O Meal..or Cream of Wheat. I hated and still hate hot cereal. When we had chickens I learned to eat eggs for breakfast…over hard.
There was no syrup for pancakes or French toast. I learned to eat mine plain with butter. My Mom would boil up a syrupy concoction on the stove sometimes..but I found it too sweet. I still like my pancakes plain with butter.
We rarely had a candy bar and if we did it was shared. We would enjoy a whole candy bar all by ourselves every Halloween from Ray and Bev’s grocery store in Ponsford.
My Mom would can what she could..green and yellow beans ( I love yellow beans) and she made a sauce out of rhubarb that was wonderful. This time of year the jars would all be lined up on the shelves in the basement waiting for winter. Quart jars full of Peaches, pears, cherries and rhubarb sauce. Green and Yellow beans, old hens cooked and canned, and pickles..sweet and dill and my favorite Russian dills. Pickled beets and spiced crab apples in half pints. A working crock of sauerkraut..yummy! Sometimes I still get hungry for mashed potatoes covered in sauerkraut.
The only thing I disliked was the stewed tomatoes..I like tomatoes but only fresh ones..not cooked and not chunky. Sometimes supper was some macaroni with some of the horrid stewed tomatoes on top..I would eat the macaroni and slide the chunky tomatoes to the side of my plate..in fact I still do that whenever I encounter chunky tomatoes:)
I guess I used to pick my Mother’s flowers. She took a picture to prove it.
My Mom took this photo and she wrote “Pickin my flowers again.” Apparently I was a repeat offender. It also looks like I might have a dirty face in this photo. This was more than likely taken during the summer of 1954..I would have been almost three years old.
Mom picked one of the lousiest places for a flower bed..the earth was hard there and hardly grew grass. She moved the flower bed eventually..near the outhouse..flowers grew really good over there.
My Mom still grows flowers that I would like to pick.
This is one of my favorites from her garden last week.
A Large Bearded Iris..my favorite flower color yellow! I resisted temptation..and did not pick any of her flowers, however I did take some photos of them:)
This photograph was taken by my Mother, fifty four years ago. I was a little over three years old, and my brother Carey was nine months old.
