In which Evan paints eggs, loses them and then finds them

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. Being somewhat non-religious, we don't tend to do the Jesus story in our house. But we do the entire Spring bit, just like the Fall (Halloween) and Winter (Christmas) bits.

Getting home at 1:30 pm on Saturday left me with little time to prepare for the holiday. Although I started from Russell at 8:30 on Saturday morning, weather conditions made the remaining drive pretty rough. The sustained south winds, clocked at 30 mph at Russell, were 40 mph by the time I hit Goodland. I had driven through two dust storms. By Burlington, the approaching storm was really beginning to be felt; I stopped for a potty break and got a face full of dust. The storm was largely to the northwest, and there was plenty of rain visible. The tumbleweeds - which had zipped across the highway from the left to right all morning - began to behave somewhat erratically, although still with plenty of force.

I drove straight into the storm at Stratton. The wind and the rain and the speed of the car conspired to attempt to blow me off the highway, and so I had to slow down. As I passed Flagler, the low fuel light came on - I had been so focused on the approaching storm that had failed to mind the dashboard. I had been ignoring the MAINT REQD light since Hays anyway. I was making plans to have Chris come out to get me, stranded out of gas, when Arriba appeared out of the rainstorm. Of course, I could have picked a better place to fuel than Arriba's one gas station. Under a tiny canopy, the wind whipped the cold rain (the car said 48 degrees) and remaining dust into hair, eyes and ears. Thankful that I had thought to grab my jacket out of the trunk in Burlington, I pulled up the flaps around my ears and endured the raw weather while waiting for the tank to fill.

Somewhat later than I anticipated, I pulled into home. Chris and I got the BBQ out of the cooler and re-packed it, and then ran the car off to the airport. We had a BBQ supper, and then left the boy at home with grandma so we could find Easter.

The grocery store was a dissapointment - no egg dye, very little candy, no Easter grass - and so we went out to the Super Target. They had a good selection of candy and gifts, but no egg dye, and no Easter grass. We picked up a huge blue bunny for Evan, some candies, and small toys for his basket. We made a quick stop at Safeway for cooking eggs (the Easter eggs were cooked Saturday morning, and Target was out) and dye. No egg dye, no Easter grass - there was beginning to be a theme. We settled on food colors, and wondered what we'd do without the grass.

It was very late when we got home, but there were eggs to color. We set up cups and egg dye, and I have to admit we got very nice results. We sent Evan off to bed, and then the real work began. I had brought the loot from Target indoors while Chris bathed Evan. I began to set up the basket. We had a large one left over from last year, and so I requisitioned that for the "big" stuff. Without Easter grass, I had to make do with tissue paper left over from Chris' birthday. Other then the required big chocolate bunny and Peeps (chicks and purple bunnies), there were some small toys in the basket - a collection of Bob the Builder Easter vehicles, a ABC card game, a yo-yo. I gathered together some candy dishes to contain much of the chocolate and jelly beans. Chris distributed the candy into the dishes, and into the baskets. He even tucked Evan's new kite (extra string in the basket) under the bunny's chin. It was an impressive-looking spread.

The evening was not so good for Mom - I started feeling poorly. Dizziness and nausia. Not a good way to spend Easter eve.

Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit (some call him the Easter Floyd) rose early Sunday morning to hide the eggs. The weather was beautiful, but without the promise of wind for flying a new kite. By 7:00 we were tucked back in bed, and at 7:30 Evan trotted in, proclaiming that it was Easter. He'd already looked out his bedroom window and spotted eggs in the grass already, and was ready to go. I got him dressed while Daddy took up his position by the loot, ready to get the reaction shot. He was predictably delighted at having lost the eggs as evidenced by the empty brown bowl. He spent some time looking through the basket, hugging the bunny and playing with his toys before we all went out to find the lost eggs.

The bunny of course had to come to help. Our yard is full of egg-hiding posibilities, and with a little overly-direct help, Evan did find all of them, even the ones hidden above his head. He then wanted to hide them all again. we talked him out of that.

The rest of the day was spent (predictably) keeping him out of the candy, and cooking for Easter dinner. At least that's what Grandma, Dad, and Evan did. Mom spent the day in bed, nursing some sort of stomach infection. Pretty much unable to do more than make token appearances, I cooked by proxy - Mother would come up to the bedroom asking what else needed to be done for dinner. Except for assembling the Strawberries California (supposed to be a strawberry and creme torte, but it's seismic nature became quickly apparent), Mother cooked the entre meal. I did eat some of Easter dinner, but retired to bed after dinner. I actually got a couple hours of sleep since the tummy cramps had subsided.

Evan declared this morning that it was the "greatest Easter ever", and in spite of being sick all day, I think it was.