Heyooooo! Let’s give a standing ovation to this lovely weather! With the daily bombardment of perplexing, seemingly too-weird-and-disturbing-to be-true world news, thank goddess we get to delight in a plethora of delicious springtime activities. To quote my weird-ass, 8-year-old self, who wrote an extremely earnest ode to spring, “Spring is a time for shorts and no shoes. Spring is a time to lay in a hammock and snooze!” We look to the moon to drum-major us into those jorts, bare feet, and hanging beds. May plays host to the gorgeous Flower Moon, so named by the Algonquin people because its appearance coincides with the fecundity of the soil and abundant efflorescence of beautiful blossoms that May gifts us. But as with most moons, the name varied from tribe to tribe. The Cree people referred to her as the Budding Moon, Egg Laying Moon, and Frog Moon to name a few, as it is under this spring moon that both flora and fauna began to stir. The 2026 Flower Moon is considered a micromoon, as it is located at apogee—the furthest point from Earth in its orbit. This cute apogee moon appears about 5% smaller and 10% dimmer than a perigee moon, which is closest to the Earth. Its long distance from Earth will cause the spring tides to be five centimeters smaller, which gives me hippie vibes and evokes thoughts about the interconnection of all things. Thanks, solar system! While the Flower Moon will be at peak fullness on Friday, May 1 (at 12:23 p.m. CDT), the best time to view her is at sunset, between 7:45 and 8:00 p.m. But guess what, folks? May 2026 has a very special lagniappe surprise for us: a second full moon! On May 31 (at 3:45 a.m. CDT), the Blue Moon will reach peak illumination. This moon is calendrical, which means that it is the second moon in one month. A calendrical Blue Moon makes an appearance every two to three years, so she’s special. But don’t get it twisted—this little darlin’ isn’t actually blue. The name comes from the 16th century expression, “the moon is blue,” meaning that something impossible or rare is happening. So this May, I hope you lap up not only the temperate weather and outdoor activities that make it incredibly enjoyable, but also the rare, calendrical Flower and Blue Moons that make it unique. Enjoy the cleaning-pointer-filled paragraph below!
I suddenly have tons of flies in my house. Why are they here and how do I get rid of them? (Originally asked in the May 2022 issue.) Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. With the beauty of spring comes the prolific propagation of the heinous and obnoxious Musca domestica, a.k.a. the dreaded house fly. Not only are flies annoying, they can also carry over 65 diseases, such as cholera and tuberculosis. But tuberculosis-shamerculosis, the worst things about flies, in my opinion, are their revolting offspring: the stomach churning, tiny, white spawns of Satan that are maggots. So you’ll definitely want to get these little beasties out of your house. Flies really love to nosh on and lay their maggot-filled eggs in mushy, rotting garbage (They lay 50 to 100 eggs at a time, and the eggs hatch—kill me—in about 12 hours), so I suggest having a lidded garbage can in your kitchen to prevent flies from making themselves at home, and make sure to empty it often. I also suggest bagging any fly-enticing food that you’re getting rid of (meat, cheese, or other things that will rot outside of the fridge) and placing it into the freezer until trash day. Sounds like a hassle, but you know what’s more of a hassle? Maggots. Another annoying thing about flies is that they aren’t just into trash. Oh no—they are also attracted to overripe fruit, alcohol, coffee, and even your breath. You know how flies love to infuriatingly zoom around your face? They do that because they are creepily attracted to the carbon dioxide you emit. Carbon dioxide equals blood to them, and they want to feast on that. They also enjoy all of that sexy bacteria in your mouth and on your skin. Your body is a veritable buffet for a fly, especially when you are dead. For when you are dead, you become an actual meal for their larval children. One more disgusting tidbit—flies shit every time they land on something. They have ultra-fast digestive tracts, so they have to go poo-poo constantly. They even poop on the things they eat. So yes, they truly shit where they eat. Disgusting. They are making a major appearance right now because they enjoy warmer seasons. Insects are ectothermic or “cold-blooded,” so their body temperature depends on their external environment. They spend winter in diapause, a hibernation-like state of reduced metabolic activity. Warm spring weather awakens these demons and gives them energy to gross us out. One way to eradicate flies in your home is with a mixture of apple cider vinegar and dish soap. Fill a jar halfway with the vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap (I love Dawn for this). Cover the jar with plastic wrap, secure it to the jar with a rubber band, and poke some holes in the plastic wrap. The flies will be attracted to the sweet vinegar, go through the holes, and get trapped by the viscous soap. And then they will perish. Another idea is to invest in a Venus flytrap. Venus flytrap plants freak me out a little because they are carnivorous and that seems very wrong, but they eat flies, so they’re OK by me. My favorite fly remedy is lemon peels. I place lemon peels around my kitchen to repel ants, weevils, and also flies. All of these insects hate the smell of the acidic peels. I, however, love the smell, so it’s a win-win situation. Good luck!
Got cleaning questions? Email isabel@antigravitymagazine.com
illustrations by Ben Claassen III
