MAY DAY

Today is May first. When I was child that was a very important day. It was the day to deliver May baskets to our friends. My family couldn't afford to put money into this event so Mom saved cardboard cartons for us. We covered the boxes with crepe paper, using home-made paste, braided strips of crepe paper for the handle, then filled the boxes with candy. If candy was short in supply we would wait until a basket was delivered to our door and then transfer the candy into our humble baskets. The proper way to deliver these sweet treats was to place them outside the front door of the house, knock calling out "MAY BASKET" and then run as fast as possible so as not to be detected.

One of the benefits of growing old is that one can have memories that the younger generation with all their gadgets know nothing of. My childhood included skipping rope, climbing trees, playing hop scotch, roller skating, making May baskets, walking on the rails of the railroad track, making mud pies ,playing with paper dolls. I took no lessons, belonged to no clubs and don't remember ever eating out except at the dime store soda fountain. I especially liked collecting pop bottles for the 2 cent each cash return. I smile to think of the simplicity of my first 10 years. Even my feed-sack dresses were not an embarrassment to me.
Well there it is; I now have my own GOOD OLD DAYS and sound just like my mother.
Is that such a bad thing after all?