May, chapter 5 of 12
Because the last four days of the month were stormy and unseasonably cool, I am inclined to dub the entire month the same, but I look at the wheel and there only nine days of inclement weather. Nine days does not an entire month make.
This was the second of two super full moons this calendar year and it did not disappoint. Super moon means it’s at perigee, or at its closest point to the earth. It was bright and big and made four in the morning seem like an odd sort of daylight. Kind of silver tone.
The flowers, birds, mayflies, bugs, and bats are in abundance after what seems like a long absence. The scent of honeysuckle, wisteria, and lilacs perfume the sometimes balmy air.
I learned about a new flower called the Star of Bethlehem. It bloomed on our river lot in the dappled shade near the bank. The iris from my daughter’s house in Tennessee is in its third year and flourishing.
This is the fifth month I’ve recorded what is happening in the natural world around me and I’ve noticed some positive shifts.
It no longer bothers me to stop what I’m doing to watch the birds or butterflies. I feel more confident drawing freehand in pen. There’s a sweet anticipation of discovery to each new day.
One of the best side benefits I’ve realized from this project though is the reinforcement of the belief I have it in me to see something through. As of today, June 4th, I have spent 155 days tending a journal by hand.
As each month goes by, the book grows and so do I.
