Text/Yiye Piaoping
Written on June 6, 2020
May 2020 has quietly left, and what went with it Flowers that bloom and fail, seedlings that die, and lives that are lost. Only the plague still refuses to leave. From early spring to the beginning of summer, and then before the summer solstice, the cold can't stop it, and the heat can't stop it. This Year of the Rat is really extraordinary!
In the past May, two Aprils in the lunar calendar intersected here. It is said that the next leap April will appear in 2058. This leap April may be a special month for people over 50 years old. It’s the last leap month in your life, cherish it!
Every May Day, the country organizes a short holiday so that everyone can enjoy the May Day before summer comes. The warm breeze blows the red flowers, willows and green warblers sing and dance, go outing to scenic spots, go to the mountains to watch the scenery, go rafting in the canyon, breathe the fresh air of the wild freely, the tourist attractions are crowded with people, and it is a prosperous scene.
A small virus invisible to the naked eye has changed everything. People who have just been lifted from the epidemic can’t wait to go out and have a look. They have to wear masks and isolate themselves from fresh air, and cannot be free. Breathe underground, what’s the point of going out?
The domestic epidemic situation has slowed down, but it is still high in North America, and the stay-at-home order has not yet been lifted. Since you can't go outside, you can still move around freely inside and outside your home, and you don't need to wear a mask. In order to achieve the goal of viewing flowers and scenery at home, we strive to create a beautiful world starting in May. May is the season for sowing hope. Wait until the Victoria Day long weekend in May is over to plant hope.
In early May, the flower gardens of supermarkets are also opening one after another, and it is customary to buy a few pots of flowers to decorate the front yards. In May of this year, there were a lot of extreme weather. There were a few days of sunny weather with temperatures around 10 degrees at the beginning of the month. My mood became brighter along with the weather. I quickly took out the seedlings I planted a few weeks ago to bask in the sun. This step is called seedling hardening. Refining seedlings should be done step by step, extending the time outside a little bit every day, and moving it around every day is not a hassle.
The seedlings that grew up in the greenhouse cannot withstand the test of the sunshine outside. Some of them will wilt as soon as they go out. If they are moved back quickly, some will recover slowly, and some will die. Watching the seedlings I cultivated with my own hands die, I know that nature selects the fittest to survive, but my heart still aches.
After several good days in a row, I feel great! Move all the flowers and plants that can be moved outdoors. If it is too troublesome to move them around, try letting them stay outside overnight, of course with necessary shelter. It's a pity that the good weather doesn't last long, and suddenly there is a strong wind one day. Not to mention the seedlings, even the larger indoor plants cannot withstand the strong wind outside. I am afraid of the sunset because of the strong wind. When it gets dark, the wind will become lighter. Who would have thought that the wind would not change its wild nature and would not stop at night. The poor flowers that had just been bought were shivering in the strong wind, and I was really afraid that they would not be able to survive.
In fact, Toronto has its last frost in May every year, and then it is a safe period for plant growth. Experienced people all know that transplanting and planting can only be done after the Victoria Day long weekend. They have been planting vegetables for several years, but they always take chances. After seeing good weather for a few days, they think that the weather will be good in the future. I am always anxious, fearing that I will be late in planting vegetables and will not be able to harvest anything. God is not as good as man, what is supposed to come will always come, and the spring snow and low temperature frost in May are also indispensable. After about a week of late spring cold, my mood also became low, and I was worried about my vegetables and my flowers.
As if overnight, winter turned to summer. Victoria will have a week of high temperatures, with the body temperature reaching over 30 degrees. This weather is really confusing! Will the seedlings that have just been transplanted into the ground be killed by the sun? The first thing I do when I get up every day is to inspect the fields to see if the flowers and plants are in good condition! The vitality of plants is really tenacious. They survived the changes in low and high temperatures within two weeks!
The weather in May changes a lot. I just changed from a thick quilt to a thin quilt for summer. Unexpectedly, the temperature dropped again for a few days at the end of May. On two nights, the temperature dropped to 3 or 4 degrees. Feel the cold under the thin quilt. Someone in the vegetable planting group had already set up a plastic shed to protect the seedlings. They immediately became uneasy and quickly mobilized all the flower pots, buckets, boxes and the like that could be used to shield the seedlings. Some people say that plants are not so delicate, and how can they grow without going through wind and rain? We all understand the principles, but in actual operation, we can't help but be timid and unable to pick up and let go.
I went to the flower garden several times to buy some flower seedlings and vegetable seedlings, but I felt sad when I couldn't find the right ones I wanted. I really miss the leisure and calmness of visiting flower gardens in the past. I could come in and out at will, choose at will, and mix and match at will. Even if I don't buy flowers and plants, it is still very comfortable and enjoyable to visit the flower garden. Under the epidemic, going to the flower garden is no longer as easy as before. I have to wait in line for half a day, go in and take a quick look and leave immediately. I don’t dare to stay longer. After all, the epidemic is still there, and the possibility of infection is always there. No matter how beautiful the flowers are, they can’t attract attention. .
There were several unforgettable events in May. One was a girl in her twenties who lost her life during an extreme sport. It was a pity that a young life disappeared in the most beautiful years! Someone on the Internet listed the various extreme sports that the girl had played over the years, and the approximate cost of each one. Some even said that she was determined to die. It is really chilling to say that a girl died young!
The gambling king spent hundreds of thousands every day to extend his life, and finally did not cross the century-old threshold. It was fixed in May 2020, leaving behind 500 billion assets, a three-bedroom wife and a dozen children. It is said that the gambling king had a wish during his lifetime, and he wanted to have more grandchildren, but he was unable to achieve his wish. If placed in the homes of ordinary people, a nearly centenarian would already have four generations living under one roof. If the fourth wife's son and the supermodel hadn't given birth to his eldest grandson last year, would the gambling king have died in peace?
When I was a child, I believed that man can defeat God. Now the longer I live, the more I understand that man cannot defeat God. An epidemic has made us see a lot clearly and bearishly, and it has also made us understand some principles of life. People are not omnipotent, neither is science, nor is medicine. There are too many regrets in life, and it is also God's will. It is difficult to disobey God's will. Obey God's will and respect nature. Time will heal everything.
May is gone and will come again. Life is gone and will never come back. Cherish every day of your life!