1 April 2024
April Fool’s Day. Appropriate for me, I think. Whatever malaise that hit me yesterday is hanging on today. I have very low energy and am having real balance issues. So much so that I didn’t do a morning walk today. I really missed not going to the Easter brunch at Catherine’s house. Catherine said she would drop some stuff off at my house late this afternoon. I have some stuff for her that I would have taken.
It’s an absolutely gorgeous day in the neighborhood – again. The low this morning was 67°F and the high predicted for today is 81. The humidity is 53% and for South Florida, that’s amazing.
Hopefully you were able to eat the ears off a chocolate bunny or two. I used to do that as a kid. Archie probably did it to mine in my Easter basket. I remember getting one panoramic egg every Easter. They were amazing to look at and more fun to eat – almost pure sugar. However, I don’t think I would pay the $48 asking price these days.
I remember Easter egg hunts in yards where grass hadn’t been mowed for several weeks just for the occasion. Because it was spring, the grass had its own distinctive smell that’s never left me. It’s kinda like the smell of newly mown grass in the summer reminding me of watermelon. Strange that I think grass has different aromas at different seasons.
Most of the eggs we dyed were of a solid color because we used food coloring dyes Mother kept in the kitchen for various recipes. Later, she started buying dye kits. Only then did I realize the wax pencil included in the kits were designed to draw patterns on the eggs. My patterns never were too exciting but the process of dying the eggs never got old. Then there was the uncooked egg Archie dyed and gave to me – over my head. We had this habit of taking the Easter eggs and cracking them over our head before peeling and eating. You can guess what happened when I cracked the dyed, raw egg over my head. I think Archie is still laughing about that one. Let me just say I never had a report card list mischievous as one of my traits.
Of course, Easter also brings to mind the spring flowers: daffodils, redbuds, dogwoods and where we lived, you could get Easter lilies to grow – and bloom during Easter.
I remember Dad always took one to his Mom and Dad at Easter and Grandmama would plant them along the side of the house. There were rows of them and every so often they would bloom during Easter.
These plants are endemic to Taiwan and Ryukyu Islands of Japan. As you might guess, in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s Bermuda was growing large numbers which were attacked by a virus. Eventually disease free seeds were distributed in the U.S. Today, most are grown in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. They travel a long way to get to Florida!
Stay tuned!