Happy May Day, a baby tarantula, and a fascinating garbage can—just another day at the cottage

Here you go--an AI image, courtesy Freepik.com
Happy May Day! Have you everdanced around a maypole? I picture young girls in Scandinavian costumes merrilytwining colorful ribbons around a tall pole. I’m told in real life it isneither that colorful nor that easy—it takes practice and skill to turn out abeautiful pole and not just a tangle of ribbons. Thanks to author and botanistSusan Tweit for reminding me May Day is also Beltane on the Celtic calendar, aday for celebrating the high peak of spring when things are greening andgrowing and our world is turning toward summer, a long day as we stretch towardthose lovely summer evenings. I for one love daylight savings time and will becrushed if it is ever done away with. I love long, light evenings and dislikethose shortened days when winter closes you in darkness as early as four orfive in the afternoon. So go celebrate Beltrane and dance around your ownimaginary maypole.

An ordinary, dull day at thecottage, but Jacob provided a bit of excitement. Jordan and I were watching thenews and having a bit of wine when he came running out looking frazzled andsaid, “There’s a huge problem.” In literal terms, it turned out not to be hugebut rather small—he’d found a baby tarantula in his bed. Mother and son toreout of here like the house was on fire, with me futilely calling after them, “Theydon’t bite.” I was so afraid in their panic they would smush the poor baby. Jordanis quite squeamish about bugs and critters, and she’s pretty much passed that onto Jacob. To my relief the tarantula was on a shirt, and they simply folded theshirt around it and rushed it outdoors. Score one for Mother Nature1\

I was reminded of the welcomingceremony for my youngest son Jamie—because my husband was Jewish and IProtestant, our children were welcomed into the concerned community at aUnitarian church. When it was Jamie’s turn, a friend brought him a gift—a livetarantula in what I think was a cottage cheese container. If I remembercorrectly, the creature went to Colorado on a plane with my sister-in-law’sbrother. And that wasn’t the most unusual welcoming ceremony: at another, Ithink for Megan, when parents were asked to bring their children to the front,a man brought his dog. The minister didn’t know what to do, so he simply askedthe man, as he had asked other parents, “How do you call your dog?” Substitutingdog for child was his only concession to the strange request. My brother lovedto tell that story.

Benji has a new fascination—themotion-activate automatic garbage can. He will stand and stare at it, waitingfor action, for hours. Once or twice he has gotten his nose close enough to thesensor that he has triggered it open—his nose is just the right height. Then hejumps back in alarm. Sometimes when I am cooking, I am tempted to open it justto give him a thrill.

I am disturbed these days bythe protests—and the official reaction to them—on campuses across the country.Tonight I worry particularly about UCLA because I have a granddaughter there. Iremember the sixties and Kent State too clearly. Instead of a knee-jerkreaction with law enforcement in riot gear, I think university officials shouldmeet with protest leaders, listen to them. I read an eloquent statement by aJewish student from New York who said pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups wereworking together, trying to find common ground. Why can’t the so-calledgrown-ups do this too? I have not read of much violence on protestors part, thoughthere has been some, but I have read of at least two faculty members  badly injured by those heavily armed troops.And I think that’s a crying shame in America. There is another side to thestory: Senator John Cornyn of Texas said today that a high percentage of thosearrested at  UT/Austin had no connectionto the university. If Cornyn is correct—he’s not one of my favorite people, soI’m not sure I always trust him—that means outside agitators are stirring upthe trouble on campuses. Even so, I think administrations should meet withstudent leaders and listen and negotiate. As bombs rain down on Palestinianswho have taken refuge, as told to, in Rafah, How do you tall people to takerefuge somewhere and then bomb that place and threaten to send troops in? I amnot at all certain of the US position of absolute support for Netanyahu.Israel? Yes. Netanyahu and Zionism, not so much.

May we find peace in our time,but not at the cost of liberty or democracy!