Happy Easter!

Happy Easter and happy spring renewal to all! Easter developed from the Old English word Ēastre or Ēostre, derived from the Anglo-Saxon Pagan month of Eostur-monath (which roughly corresponds to our month of April). This month was named after the goddess Ēostre or Ostara who symbolized the dawn, spring, renewal, and rebirth of the earth after the long winter.

Now we celebrate by decorating eggs, a symbol of birth and fertility and new growth, and with chocolate rabbits, also a symbol of spring.

When I was little, I always loved Easter time because my grandmother would have vases of daffodils and lilies around the house. And my aunt hollowed out eggs, cut a window in the side of the shell, and painstakingly assembled pastoral scenes inside using miniature trees and flowers, and tiny ceramic rabbits. But the best part was the Easter Bunny who came to deliver beautifully dyed and decorated eggs in a basket full of chocolate and treats (like the kind pictured below in the vintage ad for Brach's candy...I just love Easter kitsch)--my mom and dad would guide me through the house to where the Easter Bunny hid my basket!

I hope the Easter Bunny brought you some treats to celebrate the rebirth of the world!

Happy Vernal Equinox!

Today is the first day of Spring! The day and night are of equal length today, but daylight will be winning soon enough... and the Solstice will be here before we know it.

It's raining today here in Northern California, but the trees are in blossom and the lupine and daffodils are sparkling with drops.

Photo by JEF

BEAUTY: Bunny Art and Illustrations

For spring...

It must be March...

...because here in northern California, the wild daffodils are blooming, right on time. They grow in clumps, dotting the hills all around. And they look so beautiful against the green of the emerald grass. Soon enough, the hills will dry and turn golden for the summer.

I love daffodils. The classic yellow kind. They remind me of my grandmother, The Good Grandma of the North, as I referred to her (and yes, I actually did have a Wicked Grandma of the South, too... for real, believe me). The Good Grandma of the North believed in decorating for the holidays--I credit her with my love for interior design--and for spring and Easter, she would set out huge panoramic sugar Easter eggs, the kind with a little idyllic scene inside, and lots of daffodils...

Foxes love them too.

February To March

By Saul Steinberg

http://www.saulsteinbergfoundation.org/index.html

What time is it? It's five to Winter Solstice...

ThePresent is a marvelous, one-of-a-kind clock that tells the story of time in seasons, not seconds. The design studio responsible for this lovely creation is "m ss ng p eces" in Brooklyn. They say ThePresent is "a 21st century clock that inspires a natural rhythm: a scale of time that feels a lot more like life." The equinoxes and solstices are on the 3, 6, 9, and 12 positions and the colors on the face shift according to the seasons. The pixel perfect clock face features 16 million colors and was printed using six color processing in New York.

I have always told time by the seasons. I think I got this from my beloved grandmother who decorated her home for each season. As an adult, I do the same, and always celebrate the equinoxes and solstices (as regular readers have no doubt noticed). I like the sense of time this produces for me. It feels more authentic, more connected to the planet, and it feels more expansive. Telling time in the wheel of the year insures the continuation of the wheel. It's quite beautiful actually.

ThePresent is available for purchase on their website:

http://thepresent.is/