May 2026 Wrap-Up
Goodbye May
This last day of May 2026 is one I will be happy to see over. In other words, the month lacked enjoyable experiences. Wacky weather created wacky garden developments. A quick trip to Houston yielded mostly positive outcomes, until the final day. And a surgery with complications hopefully will not leave everlasting damage. So, June will be a welcome arrival.
Houston, Texas
Decades have passed since I was last in Houston and even more years since I lived there. Early May is a nice time to visit. My goal for the trip was to help set up a nursery and wrap up storage organization after a recent move for one of my offspring. Everything was great until the final day.
A trip to a nearby quilt shop yielded two fabrics perfect for curtains in the nursery. An old-fashioned Winnie-the- Pooh allover print and a brown plaid to coordinate. The fabric was spotted within five minutes of entering. However, due to a shopper buying two yards of nearly three dozen fabrics it took over an hour of waiting before we could check out. Things went downhill from there.
Since arriving, I had looked forward to going back to one of my favorite restaurants from my days as a resident. As usual the food was great. Noise from the table behind me a little loud; they were having a fun time. But just as we were leaving someone at the table scooted their chair backwards into the server. Plates teeter-tottered and came crashing down soaking several people including me. The day ended as it began, with a failure of customer service.
May 2026 In The Garden
After unseasonably warm weather from late February through April, May brought snow, sleet and a hard freeze. Exactly the opposite of what a gardener wants. Blooming plants froze and the ground temperature regressed below ideal. Now my peach trees, including the half plum one are dropping yellow leaves. Somehow, one still has peaches growing.
The cherry trees are a bit smarter. They did not blossom as early. But the wacky weather has red fruit in May 2026. About three weeks too soon.
Fortunately, we just had an all day drizzle that has perked up most of the plants. Much better than the usual downpours. (Although we had one of those this past week as well.)
Second 2026 Surgery
Unlike the very successful heart surgery in February, the May eye surgery has been much tougher to deal with. Although my eye is no longer tearing non-stop, it is still matted shut each morning. Even worse was the allergic reaction after the surgery. A five-year-old in the family likened me to a zombie. Since switching medications, I once again look human, but not yet back to normal.
May 2026 In the Library
I attempted my first audio book this month. I failed to complete it. Perhaps the local library will have it. The online order quoted over $20 for a paperback book released several years ago. Too much for me.
Naturally, reading was slow due to compromised vision.
However, Mary Kubicka’s It’s Not Her was just completed. It follows a trend I am uncomfortable with. Tweens misuse of social media or AI leading to death. Culpability By Brice Holsinger was my first encounter. Unlike Holsinger’s early disclosure, Kubicka’s story retains the suspense. So, the book was nearly finished before this reader figured out the triggering event of the Tweens. I have yet to finish Culpability.
I am very disturbed by this trend of blaming actions by children for deaths; accidents or murders. Is this truly a reflection of society? A subtle indictment on modern parenting? Surely alternative plotting exists.
Looking Forward to June Travel
The May babies of 2025 are now one. Time for the next grandbaby to arrive. So, a return trip to Houston as well as a trip to Kentucky to see babies of another kind. And perhaps a quick trip to Wyoming are all on tap. The plane trips will give me time to catch up on reading, but I will need to keep my eyes on the road to Cheyenne.
The beginning of September 2025 was a return from a quick trip to Nashville. So short was our stay that we used the hotel at the airport for two nights. The Hilton Hotel attached to the airport is a beautiful property. Both a pool and restaurant on the rooftop.
As long time readers noted, September 2025 varied from most months. Very few posts and not much reading occurred. Furthermore, the baby quilt is still not finished and only one of the Christmas stockings is started.
The highlight of the garden mid-summer is the peach harvest. This year the crop was moderate in number but large in size. Fresh peaches with meals are the best. But low sugar peach jam and peach pies are also delicious. We were able to share with friends and neighbors.
I try to keep up and acknowledge the emails that come into the blog. Unfortunately, the majority want me to let them publish what they write thereby skipping the cost of a website. Others want me to write on their topic of choice. The vast majority are literary agents doing the job of promoting a client’s book.
March is a good time to start seeds. So, the cool-weather crops were started in early March 2025 while the tomatoes were planted toward the end of the month. Lettuce, kale, spinach and Swiss chard make up most of the plants. Six different tomato varieties were planted. The Genuine Heirloom Marriage Hybrid tomatoes took longer to emerge, and the germination rate was about half. But the seeds were from 2023. Viability decreases over time.
a few seeds were planted in the warmest, sunniest spot in the garden. In the past I have had luck planting before a light snow. So, the predicted cold front was not a concern.
Grandkids and great-nephews enjoyed decorating gingerbread houses. Since the five kids ranged in age from 9 months to 5 years in age, it helped to pre-build the houses. I last experienced the process decades ago. And the get-together was on the 23rd. So, I hope to have a timely post with tips and tricks early next December. Much has changed since my kids were the little ones.
Some months race through and others, like August 2024 linger, allowing one to savor the end of summer. So many hot days punctured by thunderstorms giving respite from the sizzle. County fairs, all day canning sessions, and refinishing furniture wound through the month. And the highlights, relatively cool days in Castle Rock, Colorado watching the BMW Championship professional golf tournament and attendance at a beautiful wedding just down the interstate at the beautiful Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs.
August 2024 outshines last year in the garden. While the tomatoes are not a banner crop, they are a good amount. Cantaloupe are sweet and prolific as are jalapeños. The last week of the month the serrano pepper bush finally flowered, so barring an early freeze, September will offer even more peppers. Green beans are flowering as well. Plus, the two slips of sweet potatoes are thriving.
Weekend trips to Wyoming and the mountains of Colorado provided relief from the heat. Wyoming is a sparsely populated state and has much to offer. It will be interesting to see if the fairly recent discovery of the rare earth minerals needed to make computer chips changes the demographics.
The High Plains is notorious for late freezes and April 2024 was ushered in with temperatures in the teens. But my Bur Oak has leafed out. In almost 30 years, this tree popping forth new leaves means spring is here. And frost is banished for the summer. Perhaps this changing climate will trick both me and the oak, however I am ready to gamble. And once before the oak did leaf out in April.
Children’s book reviews filled up much of the month. 
Sitting and waiting in doctors’ offices and hospitals yields much time for lap quilting. I finished the beautiful