Let's Talk with Nancy J. Cohen
Let’s Talk with Nancy J Cohen
May 9, 2019
May Musings
by Nancy J. Cohen
May is the last month of delightful spring weather before summer hits, and with it comes the heat and humidity that will last until mid-October. The stores are showing summer fashions, barbecue implements, and pool accessories to get you in the mood. My approach to summer here in South Florida is a far cry from what it used to be when I grew up in New Jersey.
Summer in my youth meant family dinners on our screened-in back porch, outdoor barbecues, warm days and cooler evenings, giant mosquitoes and flitting fireflies. When I got bored, my father would take me to the local Dairy Queen for hot fudge sundaes. Our lawn grew green and flowers bloomed along with my dad’s backyard vegetable garden. Those were leisurely days where the only swimming pools were at country clubs you had to join.
Things are different in Florida. Our wonderful weather is now, before the humidity kicks in. Summer nights never cool down. It’s hot from dawn to dusk. And it is hurricane season. Thunderstorms are frequent reminders of the tempests that could wreak destruction. On the first day of June, citizens are advised to replenish their hurricane supplies and review their evacuation plans.
We only have less than one month now until storm season officially starts. So these last few weeks are the final hurrah before the steamy weather sets in and the clouds roil on the horizon. I like tracing the thunderheads boiling up to the heavens, as long as I’m inside somewhere safe. Safety is important, too, for small children near pools. It’s not the time to let down your guard like we could up north, when summers were carefree vacations from school and a time for play.
What does the month of May mean to you? Does it portend outdoor fun or stormy skies ahead?
While you’re here, check out our May Book Vault. Lots of cool books for our winning entrant to select from during the May 1-18, 2019 contest. Click here to visit our contest page.
Posted in Let's Talk, with Nancy J. Cohen • Tags: BLB Discussion, Let's Talk, May Musings, Nancy J Cohen | 12 Comments
We still get snow in May up here in the mountains. In Florida, I hated to go outside in the heat and humidity, so staying indoors when it’s cold is no different.
It is terribly humid, but I prefer the humidity to very dry air. I feel the moisture is good for my skin. Hope your climate warms up soon.
As much as I enjoy the temps of May here in NJ, the pollen wreaks havoc on my respiratory system. I love turning off the heat and opening the windows, but I suffer for it afterwards and eventually have to turn on the AC to filter out all the pollen.
I hope you have a mild hurricane season this year, Nancy. Stay safe!
I hope we have a mild hurricane season, too. I am not in the mood to prepare the house this year with so much going on.
Summer is coming! Yes, we mean that just like GOT’s Winter is coming. It’s HOT from about nine in the morning until nine at night. We change our schedule to walk very early or very late. We eat cold dishes and avoid the midday blast of heat. But, I also spend lots of time in the pool swimming and reading in the long afternoons.
Yes, the afternoons are great for siesta time or catching up on reading newsletters. We try to get in our morning walk right before the sun comes up.
In coastal GA, May is often the start of the muggy-buggy season. We have special flies for this month, May flies, and they are dastardly fiends. I hate them, along with Love Bugs, who’ve started appearing as blotches all over the vehicles. But it’s all part of living in a paradise. You take the good with the bad. For me, May is a preparation time for visits with grandchildren. I’m no longer on a school schedule, but they are and I greatly look forward to seeing them. As a writer, May usually means Malice Domestic and hanging out with readers and writers. I just did that, and I have a sort of post-glow going on still. There’s so much energy at a fan conference, and to anyone who’s never been, I highly recommend it.
Yes, I’m still winding down from Malice, too, and trying to get caught up on everything. We have love bugs here as well. In fact, they figure into my latest WIP. But the flies…they’re all yours.
Ahhh, May! My birth month! My Happi Anni month with John! 19 years ~ wow, where does the time go? Here in SoFla it’s s great beach month, the stores have lots of cute clothes and home furnishings, and there’s nothing better than taking a leisurely drive up the A1A to find a fanciful little ice cream parlor together. Grilling is mandatory at our house in May & I’m looking forward to trying grilled Mexican Street corn this year. There’s Frose in the blender, iced tea in the fridge and my TBR pile dwindles way down. Yay May!
Sounds delightful, Lois. Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary in advance! You are right about the cute beachy and barbecue stuff in the stores. As for ice cream, I presume you’ve been to Jaxson’s in Dania Beach?
I’ve been out of school for *mumble mumble* years but I still always think of May as getting ready for summer vacay (not that I ever get to take off any time in the summer, lol).
Now May means getting ready for Hurricane Season.