Easter Suprise
Scott Mclean
Easter Sunday is this week. It’s easy to lose the meaning of the day.
Where did eggs and rabbits become involved. Theories say the early Christian church adopted certain pagan dates and customs to get more converts. Enough with the history lessons!
I’ve touched on the subject of Layman’s market foisting rabbits on unsuspecting families. Biting, scratching, pooping little bastards! The rabbits were unpleasant as well.
Dad loved the abundance of boiled eggs and a certain amount became deviled eggs. There were some remarkably ugly dye jobs and what part did vinegar play in the equation?
When we had not been married long we were at my folks house one Easter. I got the bright idea to microwave a boiled egg. No thoughts as to pressure inside the egg and I must have lucked out and had some kind of perforation in the egg. It was pretty good so I decided to make another. Lilli decided to steal that one and when she bit into it the thing exploded. The look of shock and some egg on her face made me want to laugh and say that it served her right. It blew the front of her hair straight up and burned her lip, I decided laughter was not worth sleeping outside with the dog.
Hiding eggs for siblings became both a contest and an adventure. Eggs might be 20 feet up a tree or next to a cowpie. The folks finally put restrictions on areas the eggs could be hidden in and how high off the ground.
My Uncle Gale used to hide eggs for his kids in the bark piles and other areas of the mill. They sometimes became an unpleasant surprise when a worker stepped on an unfound one the next year.
Tim and Terri were around most Easters. There was always ham with pineapple, potatoes, gravy, rolls, baked beans, and potato salad. My folks got fancier things for the Grandkids then they got us. Probably liked them better!
Have fun with your family but don’t forget the meaning of the day. Easter is a celebration of rebirth and I’ve always looked at it as the true start of spring and end of winter.
Happy Easter!