Today is gray and rainy. When I went to get the newspapers, it was misting. The temperature is only45°. I really don’t want much, only a warm, sunny day. I’ll even take just one. The birds haven’t dropped by to visit though the feeders are filled. I did see a red spawn of Satan sitting in one of my feeders. I scared it away though I know it will be back.

Easter Eve was never like Christmas Eve. The Easter Bunny always played second fiddle to Santa Claus. We did spend today, the Saturday before Easter, coloring eggs. We used wax and wrote our names on some of them before dipping them into the dye. I still remember the egg holder in the refrigerator was lined with colored hard boiled eggs after Easter. It was always kind of neat to eat one. The big excitement for Easter was always new clothes. We wore uniforms to school so we didn’t need too many dresses or skirts and new clothes were an infrequent treat. I always thought the best part of the new clothes was they weren’t presents. I hated getting clothes for Christmas. I always figured they were taking the place of some neat toy or game.

Our baskets were on the kitchen table though I think I remember a few years when they were left by the Easter Bunny on our bureaus. My mother always made them up herself. A huge chocolate rabbit was always front and center. Jelly beans were strewn all through the plastic grass which clung to everything. There were multi-colored hard eggs which had a hard white center. Wrapped chocolate eggs were also hidden in the grass. Coloring books, new crayons, wooden paddles with a red ball on an elastic, a stuffed animal and other small toys were also in the basket. We’d check out our baskets then head right to the candy. The ears were always the first to go.

I’d go to my parents’ house every Easter, and I always made each of them a basket. It had their favorite candy and whatever neat little things I could find. My dad always got a word search book and my mother got a crossword puzzle book. I used to sneak into their room and leave the baskets on their bureaus. They never once caught the Easter Bunny!