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Jill McDowell Lincoln
We're celebrating May Day a few days early, starting tomorrow and on Saturday since the shop is closed on the first day of May, Tuesday.
Tomorrow and Saturday are special days overfilled with love and sweet flower memories from when my mom would gather early spring flowers from her garden and assemble a paper cone from construction paper and then hang a pipe hanger to hang the posie on front doors. Lucky recipients would be surprised and overjoyed with the simple floral spring basket, aka, May Day Basket.
These sweet and simple thoughts will fill the next few days with spring memories that live on and on. I enjoy sharing these happy reflections with friends of Bittersweet.
You can read past posts about our May Day event by simply typing the words May Day in the search box. This year marks twenty-one years of hosting this event!
It seems, especially nowadays, that a good old fashioned celebration would help set a more happier atmosphere. All the chatter about bombs lately really worries me, and I'm sure other's feel the same.
Bittersweets May Day Celebration is the perfect getaway from talks of war and bombs. In fact, we'll be chatting about flowers, and gifts, and Mother's day, and flowers again, and the weather. The conversation will be similar to those of days gone by. All is well at this Modern Day Apothecary. Especially on May Day.
This day is reserved for sweet childhood memories. One's that stay forever in your heart and soul.
When I was a kid, and on May Day. Which by the way, if you don't know what day May Day is on. It arrives on the glorious first day of May. Appropriate, don't you think? This day marks many, many happy memories from making simple May Day Baskets with my mom. Alice, my mom, was a creative and resourceful, soft spoken, polite, and beautiful human. Honestly, without a doubt, the best mom a girl could ever have!
Back then, I was influenced by my moms creative mind, and still am today. Isn't that a beautiful thing?
Alice would salvage tin cans after dinner and we'd wash and dry the cans to use as flower vases.
On May Day we'd gather fresh flowers from my moms garden. Lilac, Spirea, Wild Wood Violets, Pussy Willow, and the most Beautiful Red Tulips I'd ever seen! I remember sometimes, we'd assemble construction paper cones rather than tin cans, but most significant in those memories were that mom never purchased anything to make the May Day Baskets. That stuck with me, still does.
It's a most rewarding feeling to build something by using only what you have on hand.
It feels like yesterday, as we jaunted though the garden picking those fresh flowers. Happiness and joy filled my childhood heart knowing we were preparing a beautiful hand made gift for a friend.
Every year at the Apothecary Shop we celebrate this happy memory day.
I make May Day Baskets for my customers, and reserve an entire day for baking yummy confections that will also be shared with my wonderful customers.
My mom isn't here anymore, but memories of her amazing spirit will stay in my heart forever and ever.
May Day represents those happy memories and now I'm sharing them with other's.
Several years ago, after hosting a May Day Celebration at the shop, I found this hanging on my front door.
Somebody knew how special this day was to me. I never knew whom left the May Day Basket.
Yes, typically you hang the basket on the door incognito so that the recipient never knows who left the basket. That in its self is such a glorious gesture. Because there's no recognition of the gift, other than someone out there cares and shares, and takes the time to say I love you.
This picture is from a few May Days ago. It's funny, how I recognize the May Day by what was served. I also served this yummy Grape Salad .
This May Day I've constructed little paper gift bags. I'm in awe about how these are constructed. Simple folds, and a brad are all that is needed to create the pouch. Inside, a variety of tokens.
Have I urged you to Celebrate May Day? I hope so!
We'll be celebrating a little early since the shop is closed on Monday, the first of May.
We've also spread the event over a two day rather than one day. Simply because it gets congested and hard to handle in one day.
Happy May Day! I'm a bit late to proclaim those wishes to you. We had a Madeliene May Day at the apothecary shop. Have you ever made or nibbled on a Madeliene? It's a spongy, cake like butter cookie, that's not too sweet. Madelienes and May Day seem to compliment one another.
Thank you to all that attended the annual May Day Celebration. I had a record attendance on Saturday! I'm constantly pinching myself, because I feel super blessed not just on this special day, but each and every day.
Sweet May Day memories surround my gratitude. Childhood memories wrapped in wild wood violets and old fashioned flowers like spirea and mock orange. We have both bushes in our yard, so those memories appear as soon as they begin to bloom. Mock Orange has an amazing perfume that magically swirls through the fresh spring air along with the scent of fresh cut grass and moist earth. We've had perfect spring rains.
My mom would create the most amazing May Day baskets. She never purchased anything that I recall, but used items on hand and constructed paper cones and salvaged her tin cans for the special day.
My friend Jules and I chatted about May day on our radio show. I had always heard that the May Day thing to do was to hang the basket on the door, and then run and hide so that the recipient wouldn't know who left the basket.
I told her that we did not run. Most of our basket were simply presented to elderly folks, and we usually waited until they greeted us, and then presented the basket.
To this day, I can remember the smiles and happy faces after receiving the colorful bouquets.
I also remember the joy of picking and cutting the flowers knowing they were to be used for such a caring and sharing gift.
We're back from the huge outdoor market. It's hard to tell, because I wanted to duplicate the picture we took last year, but this is a recent capture and there is no strange fog. However, if you blow the picture up and gaze into the window on the right. Tell me if you see a face. A big face! A big mans face! The mystery grows. In fact, our friend Rita snapped 12 or so photo's.
May day....
I wish to explain what May day translates or means to me.
Firstly, no thoughts of past political May days or going further, Pagan rituals. For me, May day represents a simple kind compassionate caring and sharing day. As a child when May 1st arrived my sweet, soft spoken mom would construct paper cones and fill them with fresh flowers. Then she would ask me, her daughter, to help gather the flower baskets and place them in the car. We would travel around town and hang some sunshine flower baskets on neighbors, friends and elderly folks doors. Sometime's we would sit from afar and wait for the recipient to open the door! A may day basket will brighten and let someone know you care. Someone cares. The subject of may day is dear to my heart and I have many loving words to describe how I feel about this day.
Today is May Day! I wish you a happy day filled with smiles and good things. The shop will be celebrating may day.
The day this picture was taken was very much like today with sunny skies and warm temperatures.
We're headed off, over the hills and through the woods to the annual outdoor vintage market. I'm taking my camera! May day kicks off tomorrow at 10 a.m. It's almost too much spring excitement! Feels like Christmas, maybe better. Lovely, aromatic spring. Thinking you are my favorite of the seasons.
I'll be baking this afternoon. The May day celebration revolves around the confections.
Yesterday a girl dropped by the shop and asked me what May day was? She lived in Australia. I was more than eager to explain. I think she liked the concept of being thoughtful and considerate and caring and sharing. For me, that's what May day reflects.
The huge shop porch is the perfect downtown perch. Chirp, chirp.
Oh how we're moving in super speed at the shops! The week of our May day celebration and my list of things to do remains extra long. I'm planning the menu. Last week I pondered finger food thoughts of simply offering a couple of confections. This week the menu has transformed into a seven course meal! Well, I might be exaggerating a tad bit. However, it has grown. I've never been one to limit the array of finger foods for a party.
Stuffed Strawberries
Lemon Tarts
Rose Sugar Cookies
Savory Bites
Gooey Butter Cake
Fresh Lemonade
The stuffed strawberries are to die for! I'll share the receipts after the event.
The forty May day baskets are made and ready to hand out to guests. It's been a standing joke at the shop concerning the baskets. My shop is stuffed to capacity right now and I have little space to keep the baskets until the event. I placed them in an old metal egg basket on an empty stool out in the open. Customers were going crazy over the hand made baskets. I had to find a hiding place for the baskets!
I shared a tutorial on how to make the baskets. You can type may day basket in the search box located on the right side bar if you're interested in making some. There's still time!
Clap, Clap, Clap...
So very pleased as pudding with the new French Basket wrappings. Do you like it?
We had the best May Day at the shop! When I got home on Thursday someone had left a May Day basket on my door filled with red buds and lilacs. Needless to say the kind thoughtful gesture added even more joy to the day.
I'm on un-wind, relax mode after the busy week and Julie and I are traveling north to our favorite outdoor vintage market this weekend.
Lennis brought home a batch of morel mushrooms and I can smell the lilacs from the kitchen window as I type.
Thank you to all that attended the May event. It means a great deal to me that you take time from your busy spring schedules to attend.
Those simple cotton frocks and the wild plum blossoms falling like rain, love, love, in love with spring!
Tomorrow I'll be baking all day for the May Day event. In case you haven't seen or received an invite here's the details of the special event. It's going to a little cool on Thursday but knowing the calender says May 1 helps to set the May Day mood.
I'm going to be having giveaways all three days! The hostess gifts will be spread out over three days, but I encourage you to come early if you can to get one! You really must try the chocolate raspberry cake and the petite pimento and cheese sandwiches, oh, and the grape salad. So easy to make and is a great spring fruit salad dish. Click here for the receipt.
The week of May Day! I anticipate this one day all year, I do. If I wasn't a shop girl I'd more than likely head to the hills and pick some wild plum bouquets. What I mean to say is if the busy life of being a shop girl allowed me to have time to head to the hills and pick wild plum bouquets! It' does not. The milk weed seeds arrived on Saturday. I put together the little hostess packets of seeds to give to customers beginning May 1, May Day. Baking a variety of confections. Especially excited about this cake and mostly because of its beauty.
Good morning Miss May! I'm so happy you're here. Please come in and stay a spell. I shall pour you a cup of tea.
This day always brings sweet happy memories from my childhood. My mom would gather little bouquets of flowers from her garden and arrange them in recycled tin cans dressed in pretty paper and ribbon. She would punch holes in the sides of the cans so that she could insert a ribbon for hanging the posies. Then we drove down the street of our small town to deliver the flowers to the lucky recipients. May day tradition calls for hanging the soulful gift on the door knob, and then running and waiting from afar to capture the moment. Mom did it a little different. I remember waiting and handing the May day baskets to the friend or neighbor. Then we would usually sit and visit for awhile.
My aunt G recalls her fond memories of May day. I also received a sweet letter from my aunt a few years ago. My great aunt Enid also encouraged and celebrated the first day of May. You may recall me talking about my talented great aunt. Do you remember the Enid Apron?
My aunt Glenna's letter...
Here is how your mom and I made the May Baskets at Aunt Enid's urging. Use it however you will. (The Russian government used to celebrate May Day during the Cold War, so I think that's why America stopped. I'm glad you're reviving it.) We used:
- construction paper, any color folded like a paper drinking cup, pipe cleaners for handles, and these blossoms: pink and white clover, wild violets, snippets of snow balls and lilacs, wild ox-eyed daisies, and if in bloom, the blossoms from apricot or plum tree, although of course apple or peach or pear would do fine. So I'm not sure what your mom may have used, but sometimes the snow balls were in bloom too, and I definitely recall the lilacs and wild violets! Your blog is wonderful! Have fun.
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