Red Hot Easter

With thunderstorms still predicted, I was surprised and delighted to awaken to a warm, sunny Easter morning. It's the second warm, sunny Easter we've had in two years...and it couldn't be nicer.

I made Strawberry-Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast and ran cartoons all morning. I did It's the Easter Beagle first, then The First Easter Rabbit. The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town was just starting when I called Mom.

Mom was preparing Easter baskets for her grandsons. Her Easter was going to be quiet. Dad was still having trouble with the boat and wasn't in a good mood or feeling very well. Anny took her sons to the opening of the Wildwood Boardwalk, an Easter tradition for them. After they left, they were going to do an Easter egg hunt at Mom and Dad's house.

I asked Mom if there was anything I could bring for tomorrow, and she suggested rolls. She wasn't going to have the time to make bread for dinner. (Good thing I nixed my original plans to make cut-out Easter cookies. She's making chocolate chip for the little gentlemen.) She was going to send me an old Fleischmann's Yeast sweet roll recipe that she used for years...but Yahoo! diverted it into my spam folder due to the scans and I didn't see it until tonight. I used a recipe I got online instead.

After breakfast and The First Easter Rabbit ended, I took a pudding pie and cards over to Dad and Uncle Ken's. Dad was packing to go on a work trip starting tomorrow. Uncle Ken and Dolores were watching some biblical epic with Anthony Quinn. Jodie hadn't arrived yet. I stayed long enough to wish them all a happy Easter and tell Dad that I was going to miss him and I'd see him again when he came home.

Everyone was out and about on such a fine early Easter afternoon. Children rode bikes and showed off their Easter candy and goodies. Older adults chatted on their porches in their church finery. I saw a man bringing a box of Easter flowers up his walkway and decided I wanted some Easter flowers of my own.

I headed next-door to Veteran's Park. I picked wildflowers and watched a group of kids and pre-teens look for eggs. They weren't doing that great of a job. I saw eggs out in the open that they couldn't find. I grabbed some lilacs from the bush out front on the way back.

Spent the next few hours in the apartment. I made the dough for the Sweet Rolls and let them rise. I ran Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Yogi the Easter Bear, and the beginning of Easter Parade. I wrapped a birthday present for my sister Rose. (Her birthday was two weeks ago, but I wanted to give her something nicer than a hastily-assembled chiffon loaf cake.)

Headed for Haddon Lake Park around 3:30. I heard from Rose while I was on my way there. (Good thing it's a lot easier to pull over to take a phone call while you're on a bike than in a car.) She had to feed her son and round up her dogs. No matter. I was off today and in no hurry.

I ended up waiting more than an hour. I rode around the Audubon section of the park. I explored around the Recreation Center and grounds. There's a nice gazebo with a beautiful garden (dedicated "To the Youth of Audubon") and a beautiful view of the park at the Recreation Center grounds. I finally rode down King's Highway to look for Rose...before she called me and told me I was going in the wrong direction.

We did finally meet on the other side of the park. Rose was sitting near the ramp leading to the playground. Her son Khai (sporting a cute Flyers' shirt) sat with her. The dogs Kelsey and Toby barked at the people feeding geese. Khai is getting so big! He looks so much more like a toddler than he did on Christmas Eve, which probably would have been the last time I saw him.

I walked part-way around with Rose, then a couple of blocks down Graisbury. Rose was going towards the White Horse Pike and I was returning to Oaklyn, so we parted ways. I made a brief stop at a little convenience store on Merchant Avenue for water on my way home, but otherwise went straight back to Oaklyn.

When I got in, I finished Easter Parade. I ran Three Stooges shorts while having Pan-Fried Ham with Pineapple-Brown Sugar Sauce, steamed asparagus, and boiled carrots for dinner. Took a very-much-needed shower afterwards!

I hope all of you had an Easter that was just as fun...and beautiful.