A View From My Writing Table - May 2025
Glimpses of the magic of each month
This year I am sharing where I find the extraordinary in everyday life in my effort to ensure that magic lives on and thrives for me throughout the year. This View from My Writing Table is an effort to do just that. Magic is all around. It’s in the everyday; it’s in our hearts. Its in the moments that can be missed if not paying close attention. Capturing glimpses from my desk is my way of paying close attention.
This has been a very wet May. I’m not sure how it compares historically, but it sure feels like it has rained more days than not. Don’t get me wrong. We need this rain. The garden loves it. The birds love it. The groundwater loves it. There’s a downside, too. But we’ll talk about that in June.
Today, it feels a bit like a rainforest.
At the start of the month, I decided to write at a different location each month for awhile. Not at home. Preferably somewhere outside. My rainy writing location in May was Irvine Nature Center. Irvine is the largest independent non-profit nature center in the region. 211 acres of woodlands, wetlands and meadows to explore. The rain really made all of the colors pop.
Back in my garden…….
I really hope those Dishcloth Gourd Seeds on the far right make it to harvest. Most of us call them loofah, luffa, or loofa. The Burpee’s 1888 catalog said, “A natural dishcloth, and a most admirable one. Many people prefer this as a dishcloth.” These gourds are edible when they are young, too.
I purchased my loofa seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They explain that: “The fruit grows about 2 feet, and the vine is very ornamental, producing clusters of yellow blossoms, in pleasing contrast with the silvery-shaded, dark green foliage.130 days to maturity. 8-12 hours of full to partial sun. Sprouts in 3-10 days. Ideal Temperature: 75-90 F.” Fingers crossed they make it.
By the way, I looked it up. It turns out that our average monthly precipitation total for May is 4.3 inches. As of today, 28 May 2025, the precipitation total this May is 5.04 inches. That’s 0.74 inches above the average. And, we are expecting rain through Saturday so that number will increase. Monthly precipitation then drops down to 3.7 in June (Maryland Department of the Environment).
Take good care and stay dry. Or don’t! It’s a good day to play in the rain or dance barefoot in the rain for a while.