Easter in the backyard

As I move through life, I find that I'm constantly remaking holidays. The way I was raised doesn't fit who I am now. So I am shaping things to fit, adding new traditions, deleting old ones, and melding some of them together. I was raised to observe Lent, usually giving up chocolate for 40 days. As a kid that was a supreme sacrifice. Come to think of it, it would be a sacrifice now. After Lent, I attended Easter Mass. I got the spiritual angle but I also got the commercial angle - I loved shopping for a new Easter dress, hat, and shoes. Easter egg hunts were fun but I mostly looked forward to Easter dinner. It was a feast as elaborate as Christmas dinner. We usually had a roast ham, a hen, or a goose. That was accompanied by a big spread of veggies, bread, and whatever else we had. I can't remember it all, but most likely dessert was some kind of cream pie with perfect meringue. And my brother and I got to drink wine at Easter dinner. Here I am on some Sunday, holding my prayer book, getting ready to go to Mass. It could have been Easter Sunday.
I observed this Easter by working most of the day. I cleaned the window from the kitchen to the patio. That was an ugly job but now the view from my breakfast table to the backyard is a little clearer. I got the patio cleaned and swept. I potted 30 strawberry plants and 7 okra plants.
I bought no new clothes, I didn't prepare a feast, and I'm definitely a heathen by my family of origin standards. These days I walk the shaman path. I worship the spirit that makes living things live. I don't have a name for it but I'm grateful to it. These early weeks of spring have been a time for gratitude. The temperature is Goldilocks perfect - not too hot; not too cold; just right. I know this pleasant weather will be followed by a hot summer. I can't predict how hot or how long it will be. But today was picture perfect. At this point in time, plants are growing, birds are nesting, and life feels new.
Here's one of the prickly pears. They both have new pads. These are the scrambled eggs that Marie gave me. They over-wintered nicely and spread a little. I can't wait for them to bloom.