12 Best Things About May

May named after Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility, is a fabulous month in Texas. The fertility angle is easy to understand since the weather in May is ideal for romantic evenings.

Twelve best things about May—especially in Texas? Here’s my lsit.

1. At the top of my list is that May is when Day Lilies burst into bloom. These are the ones that border our porch at our country house. The abundant blooms and the easy way these lilies spread make them a favorite flower for Texas gardeners.

2. A famous Texas woman praised and reviled in movies and books, Calamity Jane, whose real name was Jane Canary, was born on May 1, 1852.

3. May is a great month for weekend trips. There are some beautiful places in Texas that are close to major cities like the Bayou Bend Gardens, created by Miss Ima Hogg who began work on the lovely manicured gardens in 1925. Today, they are stunning and a must-see for anyone interesting in nature. Near Houston, they’re a place to stroll through beautiful blooming gardens, sit and soak inthe peace and beauty.

Other notable scenic places to visit are Rockport near Corpus Christi, Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, In the southwest desert part of Texas, Santa Elena Canyon near Marfa, Gorman Falls near Austin, The State Capitol in Austin, Johnson Space Center in Houston, the 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the Historical Tour in Fort Worth, Caddo Lake in the northeast part of Texas, The River Walk in San Antonio, and Sonora Caverns, El Capitan near El Paso, and Big Bend near the Rio Grande just to name a few.

If you’d like to see all of the “must-see” places in Texas, Texas Bucket List is available on Amazon.

4. The Texas Ranger Museum is a must-see place in Waco. Celebrating the most famous law enforcement organtization know around the world, it’s one of the best museums for those who want to really know about the Texas mythology.

5. The Alamo in San Antonio is the other iconic building that you must see if you want to get to the heart of what makes Texans stalwart and brave.

6. May is the month when gardeners select the bedding plants of marigolds, zinnias, periwinkle, petunias, begonias, and all the other flower plants that adorn many landscapes in the state.

7. May is the next blooming of wildflowers along Texas roadways. Look for the pale pink primroses called buttercups, the orange of Indian paintbrush, red clover, and many more because Texas has more than 5,000 varieties of blooming plants.

8. May is Stroke Awareness month. Do yourself a favor if you live in Texas and acquaint yourself with the hospitals near you who have Stroke Centers, specialized stroke treatment centers in some hospitals that can offer immediate treatment to lessen the effects of a stroke.

9. Discover Galveston, home to a Garden Center like in New Orleans, and many beaches for sun worshippers.

10. May is also the perfect month to design and setup a home solar power backup system since we have 232 sunshine days on average. It’s so much easier now than even a few years ago. In Texas, The Texas Property Tax Code allows 100% exemption on the increase in assessed value of a property for installing a solar or wind powered energy device. Plan now for worst case scenarios given all of the dire predictions because of CoVid and the Ukraine-Russia war.

11. Start a garden. Again, there are scary predictions because of the global unrest. Learn how to grow your own vegetables which is doable in pots on an apartment balcony or in your yard.

12. Festivals in Texas are hugely popular, and May has one of the best. The Kerrville Folk Festival in west Texas is amazing. It’s all about music and draws its audience from 40 states  and several foreign countries. Songwriters are booked to play and many past performers return for the experience.

Takeaway Truth

Texas is a big state. There’s a lot to see, and something for every interest.

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves