April Begins with Sunshine

 

I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter. I love the celebration of the Resurrection, full of hope and joy. 

We had a crowd over for dinner on Easter Sunday - 14 of us. The weather cooperated beautifully for an egg hunt before sitting down to the table. For the preceding weeks I saved all the egg shells I used, cracking just the tops and gently prying a minimum of shell loose - just enough that the egg could drop out. I rinsed the shells and then hot glued them together in a circle and filled each shell with water and a tiny posy. It's an idea I saw online. Simple and fun. 

"Spring is singing in my blood today, and the lure of April is 

abroad on the air. I'm seeing visions and dreaming dreams,...That's 

because the wind is from the west. I do love the west wind. It sings 

of hope and gladness..."

L. M. Montgomery

Fawn Lilies (erythronium) are blooming like stars in the woods. I've been taking more walks without my camera, but I was determined to capture these short-lived beauties, and off I set, my camera dangling by its strap. 

I must crouch low to the ground to capture the showy side of the lilies, for they are shy things. Do the insects crawling around underneath the lilies ever look up to see the intricate beauty above them? 

In the same patch of woods where the fawn lilies bloom, an old apple tree is just beginning to produce blossoms, and several unknown prunus trees are bright with creamy-petalled flowers filled with gold-tipped stamens. I stood under the tree looking up into the blue sky. A trio of Chestnut-Backed Chickadees flitted among the branches, not bothered by me at all. They were busy chattering to themselves, perhaps remarking on the warm afternoon, and where to find the best nest-building materials. 

I coloured eggs late last week, put them into a carton in the fridge, and promptly forgot about them. No pretty display this year. Yesterday I peeled some of them, halved them, and placed them on leftover roasted asparagus.

A warm Bechamel sauce and grated Gouda cheese covered the eggs nicely before sliding the dish into the oven. A perfect simple supper for the two of us, along with salad, and buttered carrots. 

I had my hair cut today and am so happy with my new hairdresser. She listens my inadequate explanation of what I want and then creates something lovely. My hair feels bouncy and alive. Isn't it amazing how our hair can influence the way we feel about ourselves and our day? 

"Spring has a special effect on us in the valley. The whole 

beautiful world invites us out, and we have an urge to wander. The gentle, rolling hills, the clear, winding brooks, the bright, rushing streams: all are filled with the rhythm of life and we 

move with it too."

Gladys Taber, Stillmeadow Calendar

As Spring comes into her own in April, I wish you days of sunshine and increasing warmth, gentle rainfall, and not too much wind. That's what I'm wishing for myself, too.