April 15th (er, 17th)*

*The traditional tax return filing deadline is April 15 of each year, but April 15, 2012 is a Sunday and April 16, 2012 falls on Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia.

Happy Easter!

The Easter Cross

Until we relocated to Texas last summer I had never seen this precious idea.

The Easter Cross appears in yards all over town (and not exclusively at Easter in some cases, either).  However, from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday, these lovely emblems of Christianity spring up all over town.  The idea is to place the blank-side cross in your yard during Lent 

and to turn the sign over on Easter Sunday for this special message.

The plumber who repaired our dishwasher last week, came by yesterday and gave me one of these (he also gave one to my neighbor - the woman who referred his company to me).  What can I say?  Texas is a hospitable place.  And definitely the buckle of the Bible belt.

Egg Tree, Texas-Style

I'm a bit late getting my egg tree up this year.  But I love this holiday tradition and was committed to making it happen this year, regardless.  


In the warmer climate of Texas, everything is in bloom and the leaves have eclipsed the fun and whimsy of my Egg Tree.  Still,  here it is.  

Two nine-year old neighborhood girls rang our doorbell Sunday afternoon to tell me how much they liked it.  That was awesome.  Just the kind of eggstraspecial (sorry, couldn't resist) response I was hoping for.  

Of course, my tree is nothing compared to this beautiful 10,000 egg tree in Germany.  

You can read about it, and the special man whose mission it has been for the past 47 years, here.  Don't know if I'll ever get there, but it's a happy aspiration.  

Palm Sunday

Ten Years Ago Today

A year ago today I wrote a post about  adopting our precious dog, Libby.  Sadly, the sweetest, easiest going dog ever passed away in January. I couldn't resist the urge to repost that anniversary post.  

Sixty-three years ago today this little dog came to live at our house.  

Okay, it wasn't really 63 years ago (to anyone but her).  It was actually nine years ago today, that Liberty Bell "Libby" Smith arrived at our house via a pet rescue organization.  

"No shedding, less than 20 pounds, free and not a puppy."  Those were the criteria for acquiring a dog that my husband set out once we agreed that we would add a canine companion to our family.  Surprisingly, it only took a few days before our dream dog was found.  And she was free (that is until I ran into the back of a Mercedes as I drove home from the pet rescue). She has been a dream dog, more like a cat than a dog really and worth every insurance- deductible penny. 

I remember thinking at the time how competitive it was to adopt a rescue animal -- 8-page forms and multiple assurances that "the well-being of the dog will be your family's highest priority."  Perhaps the conditions for getting married, having children and lots of other things, should be as exacting? 

When the pet rescue folks called during that year's broadcast of the Academy Awards (remember A Beautiful Mind?) to say we'd been selected as her new owners, we were elated - like we'd won our own little award that evening.    

Libby was housebroken from the minute we brought her home and  incredibly low-maintenance.  Our veterinarian estimated her age to be older than the 2 years the pet rescue folks said, so we have no idea of Libby's real age.  Suffice it to say, even in those first couple of years, our daughter would often say, "We didn't get a dog, we got a grandma" because Libby was so quiet and easygoing.

It is sad for me to think that sweet Libby is in the twilight of her life.  She has brought us lots of joy, put up with a lot over the years (see above) and has been almost no trouble at all.  I have been known to say, "We feel like we won the dog lottery"  when referring to Libby.  On second thought, perhaps we should have named her "Lucky."

St. Patrick's Day