letters
B E TW EEN FRIENDS
M
ay is a month of celebra-
tions, both official and the
ones we make for ourselves.
In my part of the country,
children still mark May 1 by
leaving small baskets of goodies at friends’
doorsteps, ringing the bell, and scampering
away unseen (a tradition that took us quite by
surprise our first year in the Midwest!). On
the second Sunday, we honor moms. Later in
the month, we memorialize the men and
women who died in service to our country.
And—after all, it is May—we usually add in a
picnic or grill out to celebrate our way of life.
In between are all the other occasions of late
spring, such as end-of-school-year potlucks,
graduation parties, and showers for June
brides. It can all add up to a busy month, but
the best thing about May gatherings is that it’s
easy to keep them casual, moving outdoors for
the warm weather and garden settings. Some
of my best Memorial Days have been spent on
friends’ patios, sitting in mismatched chairs,
eating burgers and red-white-and-blue salads
from paper plates. Simple—and with the focus
on fun and conversation.
This issue is full of ideas for bringing ease to
May’s month of celebrations, from creative
ways to dress the table for a Mother’s Day
meal, to container gardens to dress your patio,
to our first-ever spring gift guide. Our food
team tackled the tricky problem of preparing
serial special-occasion meals and arrived at
“One Menu, 3 Ways,”page
1 61 ,
a set of go-to
recipes—entree, salad, side dish, and dessert—
that you can easily change up for any occasion.
Menu planning solved.
For me, May holidays are among the most
meaningful of the year, especially because
Mother’s Day always falls within a few days
of my own mother’s birthday. That gives me
double reason to pause and appreciate my
good luck to have a mom who’s wise, funny,
loving, and a great listener. Moms who
encourage, or being an encouraging mom-
now that’s something to celebrate.
Gayle Goodson Butler,
Editor in Chief
S H A R E O U R S T R E N G T H , the national organization
w orking to end childhood hunger, is holding its
first-ever G reat A m erican Bake Sale National
Challenge April 16 -18 . G o to
strength.org
to find a
sale near you. If yo u m iss that w eekend, the
national bake sale continues through O cto b e r 31,
so there's still plenty of tim e to get involved.
Color Scheme
of the Week
It’s a fan favorite on our
Facebook page,
facebook.com/
mybhg
along with tips, recipes,
reader posts, and opinions.
L E T T E R S & C O M M E N T S
S U B S C R IP T IO N H E L P
BHG.com/service
W R IT E
1716 Locust St., Des Moines, IA 50309-3023
1 4
MAY 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
MAKEUP: MARY-KATE GAYLES
