“Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life.”
Today is glorious, filled with sun, warmth and the songs of birds. Not a branch stirs in the stillness of the day. Earlier, I sneaked down the street to my friends’ house, added decorations to their egg tree from last year, new glass birds, and left their Easter baskets. Well, I didn’t really leave them, the Easter Bunny did. I just helped a little. My street is just so quiet that Gracie and I saw no one on our little jaunt.
From my window here, I can see bright yellow goldfinches at the feeders. Their color seems to celebrate the joy of spring and the arrival of Easter. Today is just so beautiful.
Happy Easter!
We always went to mass early on Easter. We’d don our new clothes, my mother would snap a few pictures and off we’d go. It was agony to leave our baskets behind, but we’d sneak a few jelly beans in pockets or purses. The jelly beans of my day were huge, and they all tasted the same no matter the color. We didn’t mind. I’m not even sure we noticed. The highlight of every basket was the giant chocolate bunny standing in the middle. I was an ears first eater. The straw was always green plastic, and the bunny once I’d gnawed on it would sometimes have grass stuck to it. We carried those baskets all around with us until it was time to leave for my grandparents’ house. My mother was one of eight children, only two of whom still lived at home, so on the big holidays my grandmother’s house was filled. Cousins were plentiful. My grandmother always had Easter treats for each of us so we felt the loss of our baskets less keenly. On the really nice days, encouraged by parents who decided we needed air, we’d sit outside on the stoop always careful not to get stains on our new clothes. We’d stay all afternoon.
I swear that all the Easters dawned bright and sunny and warm. I know that’s not true, but that’s how I remember them.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Basket, Chocolate, Easter, Easter Bunny, Jelly bean
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
April 24, 2011 at 10:33 am
We have much the same weather over here as we´ve had these last days now but without the haze and this time the wind is warm 🙂 I´m walking around in my underwear and a t-shirt pruning trees and planting some too 🙂
Birds are collecting the dry grass that´s left after me mowing the lawn but they never take the dog hair that I´ve put out in the bushes so they can use it for their nests. Birds at my friends love that hair but not ” my” birds 🙂 🙂 🙂
I´ll be working tomorrow even if it is a holiday, but they are in a hurry and needed those things last friday to be honest 🙂 🙂 🙂 but it´s only for five hours so I´ll be home by 1 pm.
I didn´t buy any easter candy to myself this year so now I´ve baked cookies with vanilla and cardamom in them, they smell delicious and I´m just about to have some with my tea 🙂
Have a great continuing of easter!
Christer.
April 24, 2011 at 11:15 pm
Christer,
I wore short sleeves today and opened windows. I could smell spring all over the house.
Last year I put out all sorts of stuff for birds’ nest but they didn’t seem all that interested.
The cookies sound wonderful!
April 25, 2011 at 9:25 am
They tasted just awful :-() and this morning I realized why, I had forgotten the sugar 🙂 🙂 🙂 I found it still on the counter this morning when I gave my dogs their food 🙂 🙂 🙂
Christer.
April 24, 2011 at 10:55 am
Happy Easter Kat- and to all joining me for “Coffee”
– only 1 Easter bonnet in church today!
April 24, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Pat, we had only one hat, too. It was perched on a caned octogenarian. I spotted no gloves, though I looked hard for them. One cell phone went off early on, so when announcements were called for, I stood and offered that maybe since the church was full, we should all be sure our cell phones were off.
I really felt overwhelmed. I went to choir practice, took photos for the church directory addenda before church, along with photos of the wildflower-bedecked large cross out front, settled the song leader into her padded chair, took my place as lector, did my readings, walked to the choir area and sang, then took snapshots of the chime choir during the offering. Afterward, I took more photos of families, rushed outside, took photos of the small kids on the church front steps, shot the craziness of the egg hunt, then the bashing of the piñata (this is south Texas, y’all know), followed by the crazed rush of sugar-dazed children. Then we ate lunch at a local taqueria. The reverend wife is gently napping while I detail the day’s happenings and heave a sigh of relief at it all coming off okay…again.
He is RISEN!
April 24, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Thanks, Pat
I hope yours was a wonderful Easter. I would bring back Easter bonnets, not the whole ensemble, but I did love the bonnets I saw.
April 24, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Happy Easter Kat
The Prince immediately spotted an egg in.the mouth of the concrete crocodile at the end of the garden. The Easter Bunny put one there last year as well says the Prince..traditions are established on an ad hoc basis but are delightful.
April 24, 2011 at 11:18 pm
Happy Easter, my dear Hedley
The remembering amd the traditions from year to year keep me connected to my childhood. They will do the same for the Prine.
April 24, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Most Easters I recall living up north were cold weekends and the girls constantly objected to putting a winter coat over a new dress. Some of them even looked a little funny with the coat on. We are soon to also have the house full. Happy Easter Kat!
April 24, 2011 at 11:19 pm
Z&Me,
Today was perfect. The weather was warm until late afternoon when the sun started to go down. Winter coats had been left in the closet!
Happy Easter, Z&Me.
April 24, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Hoppy Easter Kat. Today is warm and sunny. Last night I went to ( on the spur of the moment) rushed in S.F. and saw Sweet Honey and the Rock. They were fabulous.
Hopping and Waving,
Lori
April 24, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Hoppy Easter right back to you, Lori.
I’m a Sweet Honey fan. Glad you had a great evening!
Waving!
April 24, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Happy Easter Kat!
Since we didn’t celebrate Easter as a Kid, my sister and I always received the big hollow chocolate bunny from out parents as a consolation for having to eat Matzos at the Seder. My kids really like the chocolate eggs with cream filling that looks like the inside of a chicken egg.
Has anyone seen that new animated movie starring a rabbit that poops jelly beans? What does searching for candy with a wicker basket have to do with the Easter story? I guess it’s the same thing as what an evergreen tree and Santa have to do with Christmas.
April 24, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Flyboy,
I love the Matzos covered in chocolate, but I do love a chocolate bunny more. We too got the hollow ones when we were little, but as we got older, the candy improved and we had all the way through chocolate rabbits.
I’m a big fan of peanut butter eggs. I used to love those Cadbury Creme Eggs your kids like but find them a bit sweet now.
I have only seen the trailers on TV. You’re right-same logic as having Santa.
April 25, 2011 at 10:27 am
Christer,
Once I left the flour out of a cake so I know that feeling!
April 26, 2011 at 4:03 am
Easter in my family meant going with her to buy the PAAS Easter Egg decorating kit and the eggs. Getting to sleep on Easter-Eve was nearly as difficult as getting to sleep on Christmas Eve. Each year one of us would find the wrong Easter basket during the hunt for eggs and baskets.