Susan Dunn, The Eq Coach
By Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, Thu Dec 8th
Spring is coming … Easter is coming. I think of my Mom’s potatosalad, dying eggs with my children, the years our bird dog spentall Easter morning ‘pointing’ the eggs we’d hidden Al frescobrunches with fresh strawberry crepes which later gave way todining rooms formalities of lamb roast with mint jelly, andfresh asparagus, then evolving back to ham, potato salad anddeviled eggs, like my Mom. The years my sons and I celebrated inthe Florida Keys, now celebrating with my son’s in-laws,grilling out in the back yard. Religious services, springbonnets, orchid corsages and Easter lilies. Customs particularto South Texas – bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes along thehighway, cascarones and Fiesta, and finally, PEEPS®! TRADITIONS Traditions are what give our life stability and meaning and keepus in the rhythm of life. They give us something to look forwardto, something to count on, and something to change when we wantto, move, or add new family members! Traditions can always bechanged or re-created. In fact, many of our transitions in lifeinvolve redoing traditions. EASTER/SPRING
Some of us will celebrate Easter as a religious holiday, othersas a secular celebration. It’s simply in our blood to rejoice inthe springtime. Easter began when the ancient Saxons celebratedthe return of spring with a festival in honor of Eastre, theirgoddess of fertility and spring. Her symbol was the rabbit! It’sthe custom in most cultures to celebrate the vernal equinox withvarious symbols of fertility and rebirth, such as rabbits andeggs! Easter is the first Sunday following the first full moon, whichfalls on or after the vernal equinox, March 21st. There it fallsbetween March 22nd and April 25th. CASCARONES? Is it (a) a waterfall in Northern Mexico, (b)a rare species ofEaster orchid, (c)a large South American rodent, or (d) none ofthe above. The answer is d. Cascarones are hollowed-out eggshells filled with confetti. Thetradition in the Southwest and Mexico is to crack them over yourfriends’ heads, and the person with the most confetti in theirhair is the most loved! Check out this great cascarones tutorial:http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_easter/cooking_class.html. Each year in April, San Antonio puts on FIESTA, which sometimescoincides with Easter – weeks of festivities. Roadside vendors,grocery stores and upscale boutique sell cascarones. I used tomail them to my son when he was in college in Seattle, andwondered what the Washingtonians would think. It’s believed Marco Polo brought them to Mexico. You can orderyours here, just $5.50:http://www.latinworksco.com/cascarones.html . EASTER LILIES The Easter Lily originated in Japan, but today, 95% of the bulbsused for the potted Easter Lilies we give, and receive, comefrom 10 farms along the California/Oregon border. They’re grownin various other places, including Michigan. Did you knowgrowers can count the leaves to determine when the plants willflower? Is there anything more fragrant? CHOCOLATE I eagerly await the annual spring ballotin from Lady Godiva:http://www.godiva.com/welcome.asp . Is the chocolate bunny moreyour speed? http://www.chocolatevault.com/easterbunworks.htm haschocolate bunnies, lambs, crosses, hens, roosters, loloes,Easter cards, you name it! PEEPS® 50 Years of Divine Madness Some year along the way, “Peeps®” became a part of our Eastertradition. They’re aren’t in the house, we don’t eat them, butthey’re v. much a part of the experience. And this year it’s the50th anniversary of Peeps®. The “San Francisco Chronicle” noted that over 600 million ofthese little marshmallow things will be produced, riding on awave of “kitsch and nostalgia drawn from two influentialdemographic pools.” True in my household! I, the Baby Boomer, include them inbaskets because that’s what my parents did; my son, theGeneration Xer, joins his peers in investigating all that aPeep® is, and all a Peep® can be. Among the many mouth-watering recipes for Peeps® is Blue Peep®Pie which calls for blue gelatin, Caracao, and 15 blue Peeps®.“Snip apart each family of Peeps®,” it says. “Arrange inconcentric circles atop pie filling. Use fresh blueberries tofill in gaps between Peeps®.” Full recipe is here:http://recipes.alastra.com/holidays/blue-peep-pie.txt . WHAT CANYOU DO BESIDES EAT A PEEP®? “I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s tried toasting peep!”writes a list member of Gail’s Recipe Swap Archive. “I recentlytoasted some over a gas stove burner and got pretty goodresults. The key is to blow them out immediately when they catchon fire…” “Creative alternative uses” are listed onhttp://www.epicurious.com : “Pre-Easter fresh Peeps® can bemoistened in punch cups and then used around the kitchen windowas cheery caulking. You can color coordinate this with yourkitchen.” Eat your heart out, Martha! Various forms of Peeps® abuse also take place and are noted onthe Internet: April Showers is here:http://www.marks.networktel.net/main.html . Gen Xers may be seeking a Peeps® screensaver:http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/about/screensaver.html or tosend a Peeps ® ecard:http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/about/screensaver.html . Created by Just Born, Inc., they’ve been joined by Peeps®Marshmallow Jelly Beans. You’ll understand the “creativealternative uses” for Peeps®’ when I report that tasters atepicurious.com “found the marshmallow-fruit combo overwhelminglysweet. Comparisons were made to Pledge® wood cleaner, bad bubblegum, and lavender soap.” Wait a minute. Does that mean someone knows what Pledge® woodcleaner tastes like? NOW VISITING A LOCATION NEAR YOU: The Peep® Fun Bus It’s coming to San Antonio, April 14-20! To find out when it’scoming your way, go here:http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/50_anniversary/fun_bus.html , orcall the hotline: 1-866-270-9638. You can even request it foryour special event or festival. Heck, that’s worth creating a festival for! Q&A Q: What do you have to do to get a year’s supply of Peeps®? A:Win the Easter basket contest:http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/50_anniversary/contest.html Q: What’s a “year’s supply” of Peeps®? A: 365 packages. Q: What do the contest losers get? A: 2 years’ supply of Peeps.j.k. WHAT TO SERVE ALONG WITH YOUR PEEPS® FOR EASTER DINNER? Will it be ham or lamb? Go here to cast your vote:http://epi.advance.net/forums/hamorlamb/ In south Texas, it’scustomary to cook out. The parks are full. Not having done thismyself, I don’t know for sure, but I think neither ham NOR lambis involved. I think I’ll revert to haute cuisine this year. Rack of Lambwith Spinach Pine-Cut Crust and Minted pea Sauce,Hibiscus-Marinated Leg of Lamb (featuring dried nontoxic andorganic hibiscus flowers, Red Zinger tea, garlic, olive oil, redcurrent jelly), Lavender Crème-Caramel Tart, Asparagus Napoleonswith Oriental Black Bean Sauce, Hot Cross Buns … ahhh …. soundswell worth the effort to me. Visit:http://www.epicurious.com/e_eating/e04_easter/eastermenu.htmlfor the menus. Or you may wish to have a Vegan Easter. Go herehttp://www.veganfamily.co.uk/easter.html#uk and you’ll hear“Easter Parade” playing. EASTER BONNET ·Get your brightly colored Panama hat here,http://www.latinworksco.com/decolores.html ·Recipe for Easter bonnet cookies here,http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/feature/famf0401boncook/famf0401boncook.html ·Attend the Easter Bonnet Rod Run, Oak Ridge Tennessee,http://www.easterbonnetrodrun.com/, “Ladies bring your finestEaster bonnet, and Men, dress up your bonnet on your car”·Attend the Annual Easter Bonnet and Hat Parade in San Diego,http://www.softops.org/easter.html YES, HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL -- And last, but not least, the songs from our childhood. “Herecomes Peter Cottontail, hoppin’ down the bunny trail, hippityhoppin’, Easter’s on its way. He’s got jelly beans for Tommy,colored eggs for sister Sue, There’s an orchid for your mommy,and an Easter bonnet too. Originally sung by Gene Autry (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00003W8B9/susandunnmome-20 ) and you can listen to it here:http://www.dobhran.com/greetings/GReaster2.htm . SPRING CLEANING Surely this is a time to spring clean – your house, car, office,garden, mind, and spirit! Get the weeds out, turn the soil, addsome fertilizer, water and sunshine, plants seeds, prepare forblossoms. Rebirth yourself … come back to life! About the author:EQ Coach™, licensed Accountability Coach™. Emotionalintelligence coaching, Internet courses, EQ assessments,business EQ culture programs, products available for licensing,training for EQ coaches. www.susandunn.cc,mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine. Affiliates in UK,Australia, Malaysia. Ofrece coaching personal y cursos deInternet sobre inteligencia emotional (EQ). Se habla espanol.
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