It was a grand long weekend of fun and accomplishments, feasts and fine weather - a fitting greeting to the season of renewal. Friday was indeed good, very good for a little garden clean up, servicing of the snowblower for storage, switching out of the winter tires for summer, washing AND waxing the car.
Baking bread...
And one other task - polishing the silver.
Fifty plus years ago, Good Friday was the day my mother, sisters and I gathered around the kitchen table to polish 8 full place settings and serving pieces. If we were hosting the whole "fam-damily" then the coffee urn and tea service were added to the polishing list. Silver place settings have long since fallen out of favour, replaced largely by dishwasher proof stainless steel. Friday, I only had to polish a pie server and a pair of candle holders.
Still, there is something very comforting about removing stains of darkness and renewing shine and sparkle. It's an Easter takeaway, a gift of remembrance and tradition.
Saturday brought April showers and downpours too. A great day for the indoor cleaning spree. In this house that translates into a massive "de-furring" of the rugs, flooring, and furniture. The resident canine, the main contributor to the gargantuan fur bunnies that decorate every nook and cranny, appropriately makes herself scarce during these search and destroy missions. I think she actually uses the time to plan her next carpet bombing.
Housecleaning is not a regular chore of mine. Why if I kept on top of the dusting and de-furring, I'd never be able to truly appreciate the amazing swath of clean a dampened cloth can leave behind.
The joy of Spring cleaning and an evening walk after the rain - another Easter weekend takeaway.
Then Sunday - the festival day.
Easter baskets filled with chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and more candy. Also bones and bickies for Sophie dog.
Good conversation with healthy infusions of silliness and love.
Followed by the feast.
Monday is all about leftovers.
The fragrance of the few lily blooms in the vase of cut flowers wafts by from time to time today, twitching my nostrils each time (just two lilies makes for a good dose of scent!). A reminder of the work and wonder and love of Easter.
The pie will be gone by mid-afternoon, given the current rate of consumption. It is as of this writing half of what it is in this picture.
The veggies will round out tonight's supper.
The ham will be carved up into slices for sandwiches, chunks for stir-frys and last but by no means least, a ham bone soup will soon be simmering away. As lovely and warm as this past weekend has been, including the showers, God knows as do I, that there are still a few clunkers and throwbacks left in the weather department, days that can only be redeemed by hearty comfort food.
I'm not going to make it to the gym today.
It's already after twelve and besides, I'm still savouring my Easter weekend.
The Takeaways and Leftovers are a good enough workout for my soul.
©2017 April Hoeller
No comments:
Post a Comment