Easter Monday

 

Easter Monday. A quiet morning here. Puffy grey clouds move slowly across the sky. Hopefully the bright spot on the horizon will expand as the day goes by.

I dyed eggs last week with the help of young Cora. We used natural dyes made from red cabbage, blueberries, yellow onion skins, and dried marigold flowers. I use much the same materials each year and am always surprised at how different the results are. 

 

Paska buns. An Easter tradition from my Ukrainian Mennonite heritage. The real tradition is to bake them in loaves, but I prefer the buns. Easier to divide and give to family and friends, and as my husband says, the icing to bread ratio is better. 

I sometimes wonder from where traditions like these arise. Because this dough is light and uses a lot of eggs, I think it was first baked at Easter when the hens began laying again, and the strictures of Lent were loosened. 

From a recent walk. Steps set into the side of the hill invite me to walk in and further up. The woods are rich with green and dotted with flowers. 

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) blooms promise small, pale orange and slightly sweet berries in summertime. Native to North America, I don't believe they are cultivated, but only found in the wilk. I find them a bit mealy and am happy to leave them for the bears who love them. 

We gathered with our family yesterday, and the parents of our daughter-in-law. Fifteen of us. There was an egg hunt outdoors, lots of fun and games indoors, and a dinner made special by the faces around the table. And pie. Four kinds of pie. All delicious. All cut into very small pieces to enable sampling. 

Easter is joy, hope, love, and renewal.

Easter is proof that we can begin again.

Richelle E. Goodrich