One of the fun things we farm kids did during the month of
May was to make little paper baskets at our country school and then play “May
Baskets.” It was game where a couple of us kids, unannounced to the rest of
neighborhood, would fill our little paper May Baskets with flowers. Anything we could find, violets, apple
blossoms, even dandelions.
Then in the dark of night, we would begin visiting the neighbor
farms with kids. We’d hang a May Basket
on their kitchen door, yell “May Basket” and then run like the dickens. The kids at the place where we hung the May Basket,
would run after us, eventually catching us and joining us as we walked to the next
farm. The farms were a half mile apart,
so before the night was over, we would have walked several miles. But what fun it was on a warm May night, with
all the sounds and smells of spring hanging in the warm air. It was a way to share the spring spirit with
our neighbors.
Our biggest challenge, as we walked from farm to farm, was
dealing with the farm dogs. Some were
friendly, but a few of them would just as soon tear your pants off and chew you
on the ankle as allow you to pet them. I
knew the names of most of the farm dogs, and tried to calm them as we hung a
May basket on their master’s kitchen door.
Afterall, one of the dog’s jobs was to prevent the very thing that we
were doing. Sneaking up to the kitchen
door in the dead of night. I don’t remember any serious dog confrontations, but
a farm dog could never be ignored.
The May Basket tradition goes back as far as the 12th
and 13th centuries In Germany.
Some believe the ancient Romans practiced the tradition. Flowers have long been a symbol of the coming
of spring, and thus should be celebrated.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Sharing flowers is one way to celebrate
the coming of spring.
WHERE
TO BUY MY BOOKS:
.
You can buy my books at your local bookstore.
order online from bookshop.org, Amazon.com, or purchase from the Friends of the Patterson
Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for
prices and ordering, or contact the librarian: barnard@wildroselibrary.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984.
www.wildroselibrary.org
If you live in the
western part of the state, stop at Ruth’s home town, Westby, visit
Dregne’s. and look at their great
selection of my books. Order a book from them by calling 1-877-634-4414. They
will be happy to help you. If you live
in northcentral Wisconsin, stop at the Janke bookstore in Wausau (phone
715-845-9648). They have a large
selection of my books.
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