Yesterday was the first day of spring. A time of renewal and breaking from the cold winter months. Flowers bloom and Robins reappear (I still think they are here all winter). I read that sometimes Robins winter in our area but don’t sing during the winter. My opinion is there’s not much to sing about in winter. They’re fairly smart birds.
Easter is just three weeks away and I’ve read more than a few articles on why we have an Easter Bunny. Easter is a Christian holiday, but it has been celebrated by other religions and pagans for centuries. The Jewish faith celebrates Passover in a completely different manner for very different reasons. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Jews celebrate the delivery of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.
So why an Easter Bunny? That myth may have come from Germany who celebrated a goddess named Eostre (sounds sort of like Easter) who was a goddess of fertility. What, after all, is more fertile than a bunny? That’s where the term “multiplying like rabbits” came from. But this bunny was very judgmental and decided if children were good enough to deserve gifts of colored eggs and candy. Maybe that is why that ugly Easter Bunny at the mall scares children.
When my kids were small we always colored Easter eggs. On Saturday evening after supper, the eggs were boiled, and the dye prepared. I had probably just put the final touches on the Easter dress for my daughter or shirt for my son. (Later they didn’t want Mom’s homemade items, but it worked when they were little). They each had a basket (I recently found my son’s in the back of a closet. It now holds extension cords to keep them altogether.) Their artwork went into their baskets to sit overnight while the Bunny came. And he always did. They got candy, toys and something that they needed – often socks and underwear. The Bunny was nothing if not thrifty. Then we all ate hard boiled eggs for a week.
When I was a child my mother dressed up three little girls with hats, gloves, socks and shoes that matched the homemade dresses. She often had a new Easter dress too if she had time to sew for herself.
I often thought the renewal of spring and the donning of new clothes went hand in hand. There was nothing religious about it, but we did wear them to church the next morning.
So, you have three weeks to get your spring ensemble ready, color your eggs, and maybe celebrate Easter as your religion dictates. Any way you look at it, spring is a time of renewal of the earth and your spirit. Winter is over and warm days are ahead.
What are you doing for Easter?
Next week is the beginning of spring. We had showers all weekend but this morning the sun is shinning off the puddles left behind. It’s been a tough year on the world. Of all the years in the past this one has probably been the worst. But we persevered. 
I have two books out in the last year, Ian’s Magic, a middle grade chapter book for ages 7-10 (Published by Doodle and Peck) and Strawberry Sundae Delights, (Published by The Wild Rose Press) a Sandhill Island novella. The novella is e-published alone or in an anthology with two others titled Taste of Danger. They are part of the One Scoop or Two series available at The Wild Rose Press website (
It’s Sunday morning and already 43° outside. For my dog, that is the magic number that allows the wooden front door to open so she can see the great outdoors through a glass storm door. It is heaven for her. The Blizzard of 2021 has been over for a while and it makes me enjoy the sunshine even more. Spring is truly on the way.
It’s Sunday and beginning to look a lot like spring! The snow is melting, and it was 38° when I got up this morning. I’ve heard flocks of geese moving for the last few days. There is a wheat field about two blocks from my home and they were probably looking for lunch, but they were huge flocks. Oklahoma keeps geese year-round these days but the ones I hear overhead were moving. I hope they know spring is just around the corner. According to the calendar it is about 30 days away.
It’s Superbowl weekend and in my house that means we gather snacks and prepare to watch the commercials. I don’t care about football, but some of the best commercials to ever come down the pike make their debut at the Superbowl. It is pure entertainment. 
According to my calculations it is 48 days until spring. The jonquils in my front flower bed are up about two inches. We have cold weather in the forecast for next weekend but a fairly warm week prior to the onslaught. It is the time of year I hunker down and wait it out. 
Peggy Chambers "Views from the Hammock" site 