"May, with alle thy floures and thy grene,
Welcome be thou fair and fressh, May"

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400)

Weather Watch: fair and warm (1,2,3,4). Heavy rains, stormy (5,6) with fair and mild temperatures returning to the region (7,8,9,10,11). Fair again but a bit warmer (12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20). Showers and storms (21,22) with fair and warm weather again (23,24,25,26,27,28). Storms likely from the southwest (29,30,31).

Tornado Watch: The Almanack sees tornado activity in the Mid-Atlantic Region from May 3rd to the 5th. Watch Out!

Full Moon: May's Full Moon will occur on Monday, May 19th at 9:00AM EDST. It has always been referred to as the FLOWER MOON for obvious reasons! Those April showers have brought forth an abundance of the most beautiful flowers that bloom at this time of year. Early American farmers also called it the Milk Moon because their cows seemed to produce more milk during this month then others.

Special Notes: May is Older Americans Month. Back in April,1963, President John F. Kennedy and the National Council of Senior Citizens together designated May as Senior Citizens Month in recognition of the 17 million Americans who had reached the age of 65. In 1980, Senior Citizens Month became Older Americans Month.

Holidays: Do something special for Mom on her day, Sunday, May 11th. Instead of giving her cut flowers, consider planting some of her favorite ones outdoors. Memorial Day is observed on Monday, May 26th. Celebrate the start of the 2008 summer season with a long weekend but do try to remember that without the dedication and sacrifices made by many in our armed services branches, we would not be enjoying our way of life today.

The Garden: There is still time to plant annuals to enjoy this Spring and Summer. For the vegetable gardener, check when the ground temperatures reach around 70 degrees Fahrenheit and then go ahead and plant. It will be safe to begin planting Okra, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Peanuts, Watermelon, Cow Peas, Black-eyed Peas, Crowder Peas, Butter Peas and Butter Beans.

J. Grubers' Thought for Today's Living:

"If you have opinions on matters affecting your community, express them; but also respect the rights of others to make their thoughts known, too"