At Home in May 2023

5/31/2023

May Celebrations

Don and I spent the entire month of May, getting caught up at home... and celebrating here and there.

A May Day surprise (from very special neighbors) was our first little celebration!

Cinco de Mayo

Weather was just right for margaritas and guacamole on Cinco de Mayo.

We added some Mexican carryouts and some mariachi music1

Royal Celebrations

You know it's a relaxed month, when there's time to revolve the morning around the TV, watching Prince Charles become King Charles III!

We didn't get up in the wee morning hours to watch, it live. But we taped the 4-hour event and watched the best parts with breakfast. Served on the Royal Doulton china, of course.

Mother's Day TV

We hadn't intended on eating our pasta in front of the TV on Mother's Day. But by the time we finished FaceTiming with the kids and Zooming with my siblings, the daylight had disappeared.

I still got what I had hoped for... ravioli and chianti (in a champagne flute!) and an Italian movie. My kind of celebrating!

Celebrating with House Projects

New paint always feels good. We got the bathroom and kitchen painted.

After the mirror mishap in April, we were prompted to make some changes.

This is our mirror, shortly after we heard the dramatic shattering from the other room. "Shattering" actually sounds too gentle. The sound was more like an explosion! But no one got hurt. Not even finger cuts, with the 3-hour clean up!

Weeks later, when the workmen carried in the new mirror, I held my breath. But all was good! That's worth celebrating.

Walks & Runs

It was nice to get back to regular exercise in May. Don and I got back into our own walk and run routines.

I love to run early, before the sun's up. But I started getting nervous about hidden obstacles.

There were so many odd discoveries on the sidewalks, in May.

Now I run when there is some light.

Lake Drama

The lake behind our house is usually calm and predictable.

But the lake got very active in the month of May

Birds

For the first time in 25 years, we spotted a bald eagle from our yard.

He stayed around the lake for just 2 days and then he was gone.

But this pretty guy, left the lake and wandered into our yard and made himself at home.

Gator Drama

Luckily, this 9-foot alligator did not invite himself into our yard. But he did live in our lake for about 10 days.

Mostly he stayed in the water

He enjoyed the fountain behind our house. He camped out near our mailbox and near the "Catch & Release" sign.

I took this photo (from the car) on Mother's Day morning. He was facing the same culdesac, that he had visited day before. He seemed to be thinking about exploring again. He actually ended up on someone's porch.

Mother's Day "Rescue"

In the afternoon on Mother's Day, I briefly watched a skilled "Alligator Rescuer" capture the gator.

I only watched for a bit. It was actually kind of sad. But this post is about happy stuff. The happy part is that the gator was relocated, not killed. And hopefully we'll go another 25 years being gator-free in our neighborhood. I didn't realize how stressed I was, until he was moved.

Enjoying Others

On my birthday in April, I vowed to enjoy and celebrate with more people this year. I tried not to forget that vow, as we entered a new month.

I'm a happy hermit at heart, but I know being with others really does feel good.

Now and then, I have to remind myself what it was like 3 years ago. In May of 2020 we were all pretty isolated, during the first pandemic spring.

Celebrate

So in May 2023, we said cheers with others.