Back here in Massachusetts to help around with things while my mom is hospitalized. A few thoughts about May in Massachusetts:

The one defining smell of may in Massachusetts you immediately recognize is that of bark mulch. It’s everywhere. We don’t do bark mulch back in the Valley of the Sun, so the smell is friendly and familiar.

I’m a little disappointed in my Massachusetts cohorts. There’s a Starbucks Coffee next to the Dunkin’ Donuts down the street and I counted eight cars in the drive-thru at the Starbucks, only three at the D-squared. What’s wrong with these people?

May is a funny month. It’s spring, for sure, but the weather can change on a dime. Today the sun is warm on the face – you would definitely have to lube up on the sunscreen if you were playing golf – as a lot of folks were doing today, apparently – but the wind was still cool. Come Tuesday it’ll be rainy and only in the forties before it jumps back into the ’60s by week’s end, when, hopefully, the crisis here will be passed and I’ll be back in Phoenix.

Went grocery shopping at the local Market Basket supermarket, and the difference from my local Fry’s is quite distinct. Doesn’t seem to be a lot of happy and outwardly friendly employees at the MB, whereas at our local Fry’s chain – no matter which one you go to – everyone is uncurably friendly, from the folks directing traffic at the registers down to the elderly Asian gentleman who sweeps the floor at my local store. It’s not a criticism, just something about the different organizational cultures you just notice when you’ve been away for a while.

And speaking of supermarkets, it’s so weird to shop at a supermarket where they don’t sell beer and wine.

You can really tell that spring has indeed sprung here in the northern climes. Every day you can see the leaves just popping on all the trees. In a week or two will be my favorite time of spring, when the lilacs come out. Lilacs are my favorite flower, bringing back memories of the house I grew up in and my grandparents’ house. Back in the days folks used to plant lilac bushes beside the house so you’d get their sweet fragrance inside the house while they were out.