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*this* John W. Hays' take on things and experiences

Archive for May 2026

Labyrinth Day 2026

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Never mind that the first Saturday in May is when the Kentucky Derby is run every year; this is also the day when labyrinth walkers the world over walk as one at 1:00 (in each of their respective time zones) to meditate on peace, creating a wave of energy that circles the globe.

I gave the lanes of our labyrinth a final mow yesterday and then steered the riding mower along all of the grass walking paths around our property. We’ll spend this morning tending to last-minute details and then become greeters for potentially a record crowd for Labyrinth Day on our property.

The labyrinth is looking as good as we could make it this time of year. The main thing missing is leaves on bushes and trees, and flower blossoms on plants that bloom. Early May is too early in the growing season to do our property justice, but folks will get the gist of how special this place is.

Cyndie is expecting quite a few people who have never been here before. We are looking forward to sharing the glory of our paradise with newcomers. I asked Cyndie if we should close off the hay field to limit the horses to the back pasture near the labyrinth. We decided that they are so beautiful to watch out front that we’d let them continue to have full run of their territory.

Do you think our horses are aware that the big “Run for the Roses” race happens in Kentucky today? That world is a long time ago in their lives. They might have a sense that other horses are running, but I’m pretty sure they are fully submersed in their lives of retirement, which has absolutely nothing to do with track racing.

At one o’clock this afternoon, all minds will be focused on world peace. I suspect the horses will be picking that signal up loud and clear.

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Written by johnwhays

May 2, 2026 at 8:30 am

Little Touches

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Today is our last day to prepare for the guests we are expecting for World Labyrinth Day tomorrow. Cyndie and I put in some extra hours yesterday, primping the nooks and crannies around the rocks lining the circuitous pathway to the center of our labyrinth.

When we got to the boulders in the middle, I wanted to figure out a way to make it look more intentional and less like a hodgepodge of incidental boulders.

What better way than stacking a few balanced rocks on top?

There is no way those rounded stones will stay balanced against the frequent pressure of visiting birds, but I hope to have them reset before people show up to walk tomorrow.

There are still so many plants that haven’t sprouted leaves yet; it looks like they might be dead compared to the ones that have already greened up. Not that I blame them for being slow. Cyndie has been covering her sensitive flowering plants the last few nights to protect them from frost.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for evidence of trillium making an appearance. We have several spots where it has shown up organically, and one area where Cyndie and I have planted some we brought back from her family’s lake home. Yesterday, I found that the ones we transplanted are already about to flower.

We are still a loooong way from a virtual carpet of trillium flowers like happens up in the woods at the lake, but even the few spots where we have it showing up at home bring us joy every time we see it.

Just like our sprucing up the grounds and area around the labyrinth, it’s the little touches, like a trillium blossom in the woods, that set a tone that defines the specialness of our Wintervale paradise.

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Written by johnwhays

May 1, 2026 at 6:00 am