Fertility, flowers, & foul foods

Ah, Easter, that sweet and logical time of year when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with Pagan fertility symbols like bunnies and eggs. Just ask Stan from South Park what it all means here.
I know, I am a terrible blasphemer, an evil heathen, and I will be punished. But didn't God grace us with intelligence and a sense of humor? So, South Park is really offensive, usually over the top and gross, and yes, it is a cartoon, and no, children should not watch it, but I still find it freakin' hilarious.

Also on the subject of Easter, we're usually seeing beautiful weather and all of the early spring flowers have burst forth. Yup, they did a lot of bursting last week, and then Mother Nature decided to kick them in the gut. After temps in the 80's last Monday, it has now plunged to 22 degrees. I was so ecstatic when the tulip bulbs I lovingly planted bloomed into beautiful reds, pinks & yellows. I have a bit of a bad history with plants, so this is an accomplishment for me. Now all hope is lost and my pride has turned to shame.



















So cruel, so sad, taken out when in their prime. I seem to remember lots of literature from high school English that reiterated the lesson that man should never think he can conquer Mother Nature. We never learn.

Also on the subject of Easter, the Nash family prepares for it's annual gathering in Smithville. Cousin Geraldine has graciously offered to host us again. Grandma Nash called me last week to fill me in on the details and informed me that Geraldine had me down for deviled eggs. She "had me down" for them? As in I'm famous for my love of and fantastic making of deviled eggs? Let the record show, right now, that:
a) I'm not a picky eater. There are just a few foods in the American diet that gross me out. Deviled eggs being one of them.
b) I'm a pretty decent cook. There are any number of dishes I could prepare well and would have been happy to bring to our Easter gathering. Macaroni & Cheese, anyone?
c) On my top 10 list of favorite things to do on a Saturday night after I get home from rubbing people's hairy backs, while I'm pregnant and sensitive to foul smells, being on my feet in the kitchen, hard-boiling and peeling a dozen eggs ranks at #672.
So, in spite of long-standing family delusions that I like deviled eggs, I have never even hard boiled an egg before. (I'm a scrambled egg girl.) My very loving and patient father gave me instructions over the phone, happy I'm sure to help, because it meant he didn't have to peel a dozen hard boiled eggs this year. Well, it was ugly, and time consuming, and smelly as I predicted, but they are done. I don't wish illness on my family, and would feel horrible if my grandma or an elderly cousin were to contract food poisoning, but I'm secretly hoping that they are AWFUL so I won't get asked to bring them again. Deviled egg making tips:
1. Use old (but not yet expired) crappy cheap white eggs. I just happen to buy high quality brown eggs for our normal household consumption because the nutritional value is way better. The brown shells seem harder & thicker, thus making peeling a tedious and frustrating process.
2. Let the eggs cool a lot before attempting to peel. I learned this the hard way as my wonderful husband tried to help me.
3. If you actually like these things, it might be good to taste your finished product before serving. I'm flying blind, sans taste-test today. I guess they look like deviled eggs....

Happy Easter everyone!

New life springs eternal

Feeling slightly philosophical, considering my new prego status, and the arrival of my favorite time of year. Just in case you're not familiar with the pregnancy process because you're a) not an OB, b) not a woman, or c) never been pregnant, I'll be using this blog to document my new journey into parenthood. Oh my lord. Already, this horrible writing is an example of how pregnancy decreases your brain power and how the hormones make you distracted and forgetful. I will find documentation of the statistic somewhere. A pregnant woman's brain actually shrinks (and thankfully returns to its previous size after delivery) Suck, suck, suck! But I digress. This is a flighty-minded time of year anyway.
Spring in KC is terrific. I must consider that I've not experienced spring in many other places, but compared to other seasons in KC, spring's the winner (followed closely by fall). Although I still have a child-like magical attachment to the fun of summer, here in the midwest it's usually just blazing hot & humid. Don't even get me started on my hatred of winter. Well, I'm started now. Once Christmas is over and the Plaza lights go off, I have no use for the months of January & February. So boring, so much cabin fever-just ask how I got pregnant.... Many apologies to MLK Jr., Presidents Washington & Lincoln, and St. Valentine, but your holidays are minor distractions to help me through the mind-numbing misery of a midwest winter. I don't even want to think about how it was for the settlers here 200 years ago.
But spring! Spring is hope, a fresh start, new life! Call me a sap, but some things are cliche for a reason. The signs are everywhere. I love new spring flowers. There are daffodils everywhere in our neighborhood. They're such a cheery yellow. I was even surprised to find some in the backyard that I had no idea were there. And I've been obsessively tracking the growth of the tulip bulbs I planted last fall, watching in awe as every day, the leaves grow taller from the earth. Now, I can't wait to actually see the blooms. I think the chicken wire I buried over the bulbs was well worth the extra effort, because I saw the neighborhood gangs of squirrels furiously digging in my beds all winter. But, I think by the current sprout count, all the bulbs were left safe in the ground.
The animals know it is here. I can't get my normally reasonably obedient dog to come inside without a struggle. She seems to love keeping constant vigil over the backyard, and I know she will have more to keep track of as all of the suburban wildlife rears their babies. We have tons of squirrels and birds, and I'm just waiting to see the bunnies. I'm sure Gretchen will keep tabs on them all, as she did with the loose dog that was running through the neighborhood this morning! I heard her barking out back and went to see what was getting her so excited when I saw a cute black & tan dog moseying around the yard. Inspired by my friend Megan's recent success with pet rescue and reuniting a German Shepherd with it's owner, I left Gretchen in the backyard, and went to the front to see if I could get this dog to come. As soon as I whistled and patted my knees, he came happily bounding over. Fortunately, Bodie had tags, so I could immediately contact his owner, who had already been frantically driving around searching for him. I let Bodie in the house since he had current rabies tags so he wouldn't wander off until his owner arrived. He immediately made himself at home, bounding up the stairs and helping himself to Gretchen's food. I was amused, Gretchen was not! :) But it didn't take long for his owner to arrive, and he recognized her as soon as her car pulled in front of the house. Reunited and it feels so good.... So hopefully I have built up some positive pet karma for myself in case Gretchen ever gets lost. Happy springtime stories, and life continues, including the tiny one in my abdomen. More posts to come on that....