Last weekend, Easter weekend, I spent some time doing several springy activities. I’ve decide I love spring. In the past I was a big fan of autumn, and while I won’t yet relinquish favorite status, I will concede that spring has a special place in my heart.
Autumn is a melancholy and wistful time of year, but I love the smells and the crisp fresh air. Frankly, growing up in Texas, fall was a savior after months of sweltering humidity. So, it’s no wonder that I’ve previously revered that time of year.
Spring, however, up here in the Pacific Northwest brings with it sunshine after months of blustery, raining days. It’s very uplifting to see blue skies after so much gray. And with all the rain we get, the vegetation is positively verdant.
Spring Cleaning
So, with the equinox upon us and my checklist in hand, I began spring cleaning. I did however, as my last post mentions, hit a mental block when I got started. But with a little elbow grease and sweat of my brow, I made significant headway in the kitchen. Admittedly, I’d hoped to get my whole home done, but it turns out that there is a lot to do. And while I spent quite a bit of time working on the kitchen, I just didn’t want to spend my whole weekend working. So, I’ll have to spread it out and get it done before May.
Dying Eggs
When I wasn’t cleaning, decluttering and reorganizing the kitchen, I got to do some fun stuff. I dyed eggs for Sunday using only natural dyes. It was the first time I’d tried it this way and it was a learning experience. For example, I’d never used alum powder before. Also, the instruction call for red onion skins olive green. Mine turned out brown, pretty but not olive green.
Spring Clothes
I also went shopping for a new spring outfit. I wanted something that will be good for hiking, as well as just kickin’ around town. I ended up getting a pair of pants from Lane Bryant that covert to capri and a sweater hoodie vest from Old Navy. I saw the sweater over at Sundry Buzz and it sounded perfect. I got it in orange, which isn’t on their website. It is super cute. With the pants and a white shirt I already own, this is now one of my favorite things to wear.
Easter Dinner
For dinner Sunday night I wanted to do something a bit different than the usual ham for Easter fare. And I am well into Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kinsolver who’s daughter provided an intriguing spring dish that feature the best of the season: Asparagus and Morel Bread Pudding. I couldn’t find morels, so I just used crimini mushrooms. I did buy the ingredients at the local co-op, and used goat milk instead of regular. It turned out much better than I expected. It had very good flavor, a bit high in calories (it includes bread, milk, butter, eggs and cheese), but filling and delicious.
