“Mom says: You can go barefoot today ...
it’s May 10th!"

Every year, I find myself looking at the date on the calendar, almost every day in May because I hear my Mom’s voice saying, “you can go barefoot and swimming on and after May 10th.”

Mom has referred to May 10th as being the day that it is alright to go barefoot and swimming outside since I was a child. I feel sure she was making the same statement before I was born too. My grandparents used to say the exact same thing about May 10th. I am not really sure where this all originated from but it sure does hold true.

No matter what day I have my pool opened every year, I wait until May 10th or after to start swimming. If I lived someplace other than East Tennessee then I feel confident that I would be swimming even sooner than May 10th.

There is not a lot to complain about in East Tennessee as far as the weather is concerned. In the spring, summer and fall, we have some of the most beautiful days! However, in the middle of summer, it may become very humid which makes the temperature feel even hotter.

In the winter, we get a few decent snows and then it is over. Many days in the winter we just have snow flurries.

Our mountains, usually protect us from tornados no matter what season we are in.

We have so many beautiful rivers and lakes to enjoy too! Watching the Holston River flow is one of my favorite things to do while walking with my daughter, Billie, and her Tenderpups, Blue Ridge, Fox, and Page. 

The south fork of the Holston River seems to be calmer than the north fork. Many people ride their boats and kayaks on the south fork of the Holston River and feel relatively safe.

However, the north fork of the Holston River is also beautiful. It is very active and you can become almost hypnotized watching the white caps on top of the river continuously roll forward. I have not seen any boats on this section of the river but it is one of the best honey holes for fishing in this area.

Lastly, the Tenderpups, Billie, and I enjoy strolling along the bank of the Holston River, getting some exercise, and admiring all of God’s creation.

Do you dare go barefoot, plant flowers or go swimming before May 10th?

Genesis 8:22 
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

Evelyn Minton and her daughter, Dr. Billie J. Minton are the authors of the Blue Ridge Tenderpup children's series. These books may be found at the author's website BlueRidgeMoments.com and Amazon.com/Author/drbillieminton