Flowers spring forth in abundance this month. Depending on the Native American tribe, May’s Full Moon was called the Full Flower Moon as well as Mother’s Moon, Milk Moon, and Corn Planting Moon. The May Moon marked a time of increasing fertility with temperatures warm enough for safely bearing young, a near end to late frosts, and plants in bloom.
Daily Calendar for Friday, May 5, 2023
On the fifth of May, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, the commemoration of Mexico’s victory over the French at the Battle of the Puebla in 1862. France’s Napoleon III wanted to establish a French empire in Mexico. On May 5, 1862, his well-trained army was defeated at the Battle of Puebla by a far smaller force of Mexican militia. The events of May 5 unified the Mexican people during a long struggle to maintain their own independence. Many Americans, especially those with Mexican heritage, celebrate the outcome of the battle with festivals, food, and music.
Question of the Day
Every year, my zucchini plants are killed by squash borers. Is there any way to prevent this?
Try mulching with aluminum foil. It confuses the moths so that they can’t lay their eggs at the base of the stalk. Examine the vines occasionally for borers; if you find any, remove them by slitting the stalk.
Advice of the Day
Put pennyroyal or tansy leaves in your pet’s bedding to deter fleas.
Home Hint of the Day
Don’t put a pile of decomposed manure directly on the garden unless you can spread it right away. An unspread pile of manure can create excessive nitrogen and acidity in the area where it sits.
Word of the Day
Bluey
A bushman’s blanket; — named from its color, or a bushman’s bundle; a swag; — so called because a blanket is sometimes used as the outside covering.
Puzzle of the Day
Why isn’t your nose 12 inches long?
Because then it would be a foot!
Born
- Søren Kierkegaard (philosopher) –
- Karl Marx (philosopher) –
- Nellie Bly (journalist) –
- James Beard (chef & food writer) –
- Alice Faye (actress) –
- Ann B. Davis (actress) –
- Tammy Wynette (American country music singer ) –
- Michael Palin (actor) –
- Will Arnett (actor) –
- Adele (singer) –
Died
- Napoleon I of France –
- Bobby Sands (IRA activist) –
- Hugo Banzer (former president of Bolivia) –
- Irvine Robbins (co-founder of Baskin-Robbins) –
- Claude Stanley Choules (the last known combat veteran of World War I died at the age of 110) –
Events
- The Billboard (later known as just Billboard) magazine began weekly publication–
- Cy Young became the fist major league pitcher in baseball’s modern era to throw a perfect” game”–
- Chanel No. 5 introduced–
- Kilauea erupted–
- Picasso’s Boy With a Pipe set a new world record for the most expensive painting ever sold at auction when it soared to $104,168,000 at Sotheby’s. The price, which included the auction house’s commission, easily eclipsed the old mark of $82.5 million set by van Gogh’s Portrait of Dr. Gachet, which had stood since 1990–
Weather
- In downtown Sacramento, California, the temperature soared to 100 degrees F–
- Stormy seas capsized 3 recreational fishing boats off Port Angeles in Washington–
- A supercell thunderstorm blasted Tarrant County, Texas, with hail, 80 mph winds, and torrential rains, which caused flash flooding in Fort Worth–