Petals and Pastiera

There are so many moments in Maryland spring that are so beautiful and leave me without words and just my heart soaring thinking "Wow, thank you, this is so beautiful..." Those moments of seeing the tree blossoms, and bunnies and hearing the birds sing each morning are golden. I wish I could freeze time and revisit those moments in the dead of winter when it is -14 F outside and the wind is howling. But spring arrives and reminds us of color, and sun and shows off some of the prettiest creativity God had in mind. Forget getting flowers for your house! Step outside in a late April day in Maryland and see the entire countryside covered in flowers!

 The National Basilica is one of the prettiest places to see some of the blossoming trees, without the tourist crowds, and also a great place to dip in for some much needed peace and prayer.

Ora pro nobis Mater Dei. Help us be kind to each other. Stay close to our hearts and hear our prayers.

I've been loving walking around our neighborhood. The other day I walked down to the stream by the edge of the woods and saw ducks swimming around, cardinals flying here and there, and squirrels darting and chatting with other eager squirrels. There were flowers on either side of the stream. I looked down and saw bones. Bones of a deer. The deer had gone into the stream to spend it's last moments and quietly died there among the trees, the air, the birds and ducks. It was beautiful to see and I wished more dear could die in nature like that...with floral petals covering it gently...

Days later there was a strong rainstorm that washed all of the deer's bones down the stream. A slow and watery floral spring funeral.

I wish I could inhale each moment and have it with me forever, share it with my family scattered in so many places on this earth. They would love it too. I have very few words for this Maryland spring other than that I love it entirely. I love the pink flowers, the trees that look covered in cotton balls, the dazzling blue and rose sky. I love the ruby red cardinals and the baby sparrows and the nice fat robins. I love the dandelions and the daffodils and the tulips. And on sunny days I say at nausea, "Isn't it nice out today?!" And on rainy days I say "Isn't it a great day for coffee?!" I wish I could hug all of the flowers and birds and bunnies in one great big bunch! It makes getting fat over winter so much easier to handle! Yes we got fat and ate too much cheese but now that's over and it is spring! Fireworks of flower petals, please!

In our house we have annual seasonal traditions and one of them is making pastiera around Easter. I am a solid lover of traditions and the tastier the better! Traditions give something to look forward to each season and to build on. This year was no different. The Chef was in charge of most of the pastiera and I was in charge of making the crust which is delicate. It came out glossy and sweet and fragrant like flowers and just oh so good.

On the kitty front, we have been experiencing some domestic strife. Fatty has been attacking Bentley when Bentley is sleeping, eating or pretty much happy and relaxed. It's been shocking and sad. So we are feeding them separately and giving Bentley plenty of attention and talking to Fatty about his behavior. He seems to listen. We'll see how the week goes.

Be nice...

hmmm....I don't know about that little mean face....