May Day 1936

Maybe you don't remember when the term "may day" didn't refer to an emergency.  This is a touching discussion of May Day from Edna Mae:

"I am writing this on the big day to welcome sweet springtime...May Day.  We used to spend hours decorating baskets, usually really a glass jar, with frills of crape paper, cut out lace from paper dolies, etc ... then filling it with fresh flowers either from the woods or yard.  Violets were favorites to use.  Then we'd go to a neighbors house to "hang the May Basket" ... really had to set them by the front door.  Then holler "May Basket" and hide until found then we would run until caught.

One type of May Day Basket

Violets in a Jar

On May Day 1936 Jerry and I heard the familiar call, but by new voices since we had moved over just east of Devil's lake 6 weeks before and didn't expect any May Baskets.  We were truly surprised.  This would be no story except that things didn't go quite as we have explained above.  I got lost while chasing the kids in the dark.  Some took off in the fields and I followed them.  Soon I realized I had no idea where I was.  I sat down near a fence and cried...one of not too many times I did that.  I never before or since ever felt so lost, afraid or lonely.  I really didn't know these kids yet and right then didn't know if I really wanted to know them.  Shortly one of the kids found me, Bud Crawford.... real name was Marion- always said if he needed a job all he needed to do was use that name and he could be a housemaid like his big sister Ruth.  That got me laughing.  Soon we found the way back to the house where Mom had the makings for pop corn and hot chocolate waiting and we played rummy and ate popcorn.  Soon we were good friends.  All the houses were much closer so we got together often while we lived in that neighborhood for the next two years.   During the summer we went to Jack and Lonella Storer's Aunt's cabin to swim at her private beach between Devils Lake and Round Lake.  That's when I finely got over being afraid of the water, but even though I learned to swim some I've never been really a good swimmer.  We roller skated both on the road and at the roller rinks.  We rode bicycles on the road.  The roads were paved.  At the old homestead it was gravel.  We also went to the tree movies on Friday nights every week at Clayton as a bunch.  There was always Bud, Jack and Lonella, George, Chester and Marie Beal and Jerry and I.  Sometimes we'd pair up in sort of dating I suppose even though together.   As we got older we did date alone.