On May 2015

May, the fifth month of the year, but one of seven months with 31 days

May, spring in the northern hemisphere, but autumn in the southern hemisphere – making May and November as seasonal equivalents

May, with no other month beginning or ending on the same day of the week as May

The month May was named for Maia, a Roman goddess

Late May, being the official start of the summer vacation season in the US and Canada

May, with its symbols

• Birthstone: emerald
• Birth flower: Lily of the Valley signifying sweetness, humility, and return to happiness
• Zodiac: Taurus (until May 21) and Gemini (May 22 and into June)

May moon

• Called Egg Moon, Grass Moon, and Hare Moon
• Full Moon May 4th 3:43 UTC
• New Moon May 18th 4:13 UTC

May, with national celebrations in Armenia, Canada, Eritrea, Japan, Mexico, Norway, United States, and the UK

May, with many countries celebrating May Day & Mother’s Day, plus Europe celebrating victory over the Nazis in World War II

May embraces Asian American & Pacific Islander heritage, chip your pets, creative beginning, Haitian heritage, audits, Mediterranean diets, Jewish-American heritage, guide dogs, meditation, military appreciation, moving, preservation, older Americans, personal history, preparing tomorrow’s parents, Social Security education, South Asian heritage, date your mate, and recommitment.

May increases awareness in ALS, APS, arthritis, asthma & allergies, medical orphans, brain tumors, celiac, cystic fibrosis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, fibromyalgia, Huntington’s disease, homeschooling, lupus, melanoma & skin cancer, hepatitis, neurofibromatosis, preventing osteoporosis, physiotherapy, Prader-Willi Syndrome, pet cancer, toddler immunization, chemical injury, Tay-Sachs & Canavan diseases, Tourettes Syndrome, borderline personality disorder, high blood pressure, Lyme disease, stroke, preeclampsia, and ultraviolet rays & skin cancer.

May celebrates wetlands, clean air, community living, drums, Freedom Shrine, gifts from the garden, golf, Victorian women, Latino books, barbeque, bikes, eggs, hamburger, inventors,
pets, photos, salads, salsa (the food), strawberries, asparagus, beef, chocolate custard, and drinking water.

May promotes global civility, better hearing & speech, building safety, ecodriving, family wellness, gardening for wildlife, getting caught reading, global health & fitness, food drives for homeless animals, heal the children, healthy vision, Oregon wines, business image improvement, motorcycle safety, foster care, good car keeping, mental health, physical fitness & sports, service dog eye examinations, water safety, Finger Lakes wines, youth traffic safety, revising your work schedule, spiritual literacy, women’s health care, reacting, and respect for chickens.

Any celebratory occasions in your life during May? What songs did you listen to in this post? Have a wonderful month of May.

On the Week Ahead

Another weekend is in the books, so how was your? Come on – you can tell.

Quite the variety of things for us, which included a night of ballroom, an 11-mile tribute bike ride for the friend of many who was murdered in February, two successful handbell rings, and watching a simple movie (Bridesmaids) with my wife and a good bottle of wine.

It was also Masters (golf) weekend, so I tried to watch as much as possible because it’s always an enjoyable tournament. Golf fans are wonderful because no matter the golfer, these fans simply cheer great shots! Congratulations to Adam Scott for winning, and for bringing the first green jacket to the great golf nation of Australia!

A reminder to all the I hope to post Time: The Musical – Act 2 Wednesday night/Thursday with the theme being a specific time in the title. Act 1 provide great musical selections, so I’m hoping Act 2 will be equally successful … so get some songs ready.

Because this is week my golf league starts, let’s kickoff Monday with some humor at the expense of golfers … but Bulldog never saw any of this on his years on the course.

On a Golfing Example of Life

I enjoy interesting stories about people who touch the special string in my heart, and it’s been a while since posting my last one. Brendan Foster, Nick Nelson and Adam Bender, Rebecca Alexander, Erik Compton, and others seen by clicking the Life category provide a variety of inspirations for all of us.

Besides life being full of ups and downs, many of us seem to have the knack for adding to our woes through exaggeration and denial. In the same light, one’s attitude greatly influences self.

Although each of our lives encounters its share of people who are either negative, self centered, a chip on their shoulder, or numerous other issues, the world still contains many good people. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to dwell on the few nimrods affecting us at the moment.

I play golf and have for a long time. Recently a golf-league friend sent me a Golf Channel link for an interview with an everyday person with an extraordinary attitude – Butch Lumpkin.

The YouTube video below shows his story. As a supplement, then click this Golf Channel link to hear his story.

On Golf’s U.S. Open

My favorite golf tournament starts today at Bethpage – an American classic, the USGA U.S. Open. Take your pick: Father’s Day week, a standard of excellence, a tradition of greatness, the high rough, narrow fairways, tough pin placements, and ultra-slick greens – simply a measure of survival as winning requires strength, skill, stamina, intelligent course management, and exceptional execution.

The U.S. Open is our national championship that gives everyone a chance to earn their way by qualifying, which means a dream come true for a few – something they may never achieve in the future and possibly for only two days.

The U.S. Open is very demanding: a major test of mind, body, and skill. The conditions push the limits of the world’s best players, but within the rules of golf and the same for all. For the players who think it’s too demanding or even unfair, keep it in the fairway or don’t play. For spectators who miss a shootout of birdies, then don’t go or don’t watch.

The U.S. Open is about surviving to glory, but as no golfer wants this brutally on a regular basis. Even though I root for the course to bring the best players in the world to their knees, this is the one week a year I marvel at the skills rising to meet the challenge. So good luck guys and advance cheers to the victor. Well, as long as you’re over par.

On Watching Golf

Besides the cold blasts of the wintery months of January and February, I also count on the start of the PGA tour. Not many of the early tournaments really strike my fancy, but how … how could one not enjoy Riviera, the craziness at 16 in Scottsdale, or the beauty and serenity of Pebble Beach.

As the plants start to perk up in the spring months, so does my interest in the tour. Doral and Bay Hill are two key stops on the way to Augusta, and then to the TPC at Sawgrass in early May: Simply more great venues, great sites, and great holes.

I enjoy watching golf on Sunday afternoon for the excitement of that final round. Golf is a great game, and one that I’ve played for a long time. It’s one on one – but not one on one between two great players – but one on one of the player with himself and with the course. At the PGA level, it’s so much about what the player is doing … that is thinking and executing.

Although full-contact golf may be an interesting twist for fantasy television, there’s no defense in golf. If the other player gets on a roll, the opponent is left helpless. That’s one of the reasons why Tiger is so good; when he gets it, there’s no one better.

No matter the player, golf fans love good shots. They wildly cheer – even if the player isn’t well liked or well known – and cheer even more so if the next shot is just as good or even better. Fans love the chase and watching the shifting leaderboard as multiple players give it their best.

Ah yes, I love watching Sunday’s final 9 holes, especially if there’s a competition. Watching a 10-0 baseball game isn’t fun, neither is watching the golfer holding a 4-shot lead with 3 holes to play. Sure meltdowns occasionally occur, but I don’t believe golf fans really like that.

I’ll watch a lot of the Master’s, the U.S. Open (my fav), and the British Open, but, regardless of the event and no matter who’s involved,  a good down-the-stretch golf event is as good as any regular sporting event – well, at least to me.