we’ve had a couple days of rain this week, and it seems as if overnight our world is once again green. shoots shot up, trees leafed out, and buds burst. this is typical for this time of year, and it’s one reason that may day is one of my favorite days of the year. the other reason? well, may 1 was my father’s birthday, or more precisely, the day on which tradition dictated that we celebrate his birthday. he was born on a farm with with dirt floors, in a small rural village in northern romania. his mom, my beloved grandma eva, didn’t recall the exact date of his birth, she simply remembered that it was spring sometime. so we chose may 1st as his birthday. it was appropriate, therefore, that today, in keeping with the family tradition of auspicious may 1 happenings, my daughter eva accepted her admission to stanford univeristy, exactly 81 years after the day on which my father may or may not have been born on a dirt floor in beba veche, romania. happy may day, my romanian father. my american dad. my papa.

daffodil shoot

saint paul, minnesota