I don’t advise snapping a selfie as you cycle but in this case it gave me a photo for this blog post.
For me, the beginning of May means many birthdays: my uncle’s, mine, my mom’s, my dad’s and my father-in-law’s, in that order – all true Tauruses. All of them except my uncle live nearby so there are family get-togethers that include amazing food and time together outside in the backyard.
The beginning of May means that softball is back and I can begin to once again experience all the glorious pain and discomfort that comes with sprinting around the bases with sudden stops and starts in-between, throwing a ball as far as possible and wrenching my right arm in the process, and general stiffness throughout my body that requires extended stretching sessions. All that passes after two weeks and the real joy of the game begins.
May also means the rocky post-winter weather levels off to a somewhat predictable pattern. The warmer temperatures bring more enjoyable walks in the evening with our dog Sydney and bike rides on the weekend to Lake Ontario and along the beach strip: the Burlington/Hamilton shoreline.
This past weekend – the Victoria Day weekend – my wife and I cycled about 15 kilometres from our house to the beach strip, hoping to enjoy a plate of French Fries at the popular Hutch’s restaurant. The lineup was fifty people long and out the door so we ditched that idea and pedaled back home: back along the picturesque lakefront path, across the iconic lift bridge, through beautiful and busy Spencer Smith Park and along the paved trail that intersects south Burlington.
That ride was followed by two hours of yard work, because the lawn needed more tending and I wanted to get the canopy up in the backyard. I don’t mind the work when the weather is nice. (It was: 22 degrees Celsius.) Working outside is a great break from months of cleaning and maintaining the inside of the house.
The last two winters have been especially harsh and people have stayed indoors in droves. This May, like last May, has seen an explosion of neighbours on our streets. In the past three weeks we’ve seen and talked to a lot of people that we hadn’t seen since the fall. This poses a minor issue for my wife and daughter when they’re with me, because I like to talk and sometimes they just want to get home. I tell them, ‘It’s nice out, and I haven’t seen these people in months.’
That’s May for me: a time for renewing acquaintances with many of my favourite things.