Like most Northlanders, I know that winter likely isn’t completely over. There is probably at least one more good snowstorm in Mother Nature’s bag of tricks.
Although maybe the snow and rain that fell on the Kids Plus Easter Egg Hunt was winter’s last hoorah. It’s become a northland tradition, hunting Easter eggs at the community center in the rain or the snow. The event is three years old now and every year, it has been a winter folly of an Easter Egg hunt. Still fun, of course. We Minnesotans are hearty people and we don’t stay indoors because of a little chilly weather.
No, we bundle up the toddlers and entice the teenagers to wear a coat and take part in the festivities. The eggs are filled with candy, thanks to the folks at the North Shore Care Center and hidden around the community center, thanks to the Kids Plus crew. So we are there, shivering and smiling and marveling that the weather has been miserable every time the event has taken place.
Wouldn’t it be nice if one year Mother Nature postponed her winter finale and let the Easter Egg hunt take place on a balmy spring day. Maybe next year…
I was however, delighted that it snowed the evening before the Egg Hunt. At first I wasn’t, I was a bit frustrated when the thick white stuff began to accumulate. I don’t dislike snow like my snowbird gone-to-Arizona mother does, but I do agree with her that once it’s gone, it should stay gone.
This little spit of snow now and then is just irritating. It just makes roads and sidewalks slippery and makes a muddy mess of floors. So, I was annoyed that it was snowing— and sticking. Until my grandkids and my nephew Korey arrived to dye eggs.
We were dying eggs early because we didn’t know when the schedules of all our busy family members would coincide, so Friday, a full week before Easter, we decided to dye eggs. It was messy and fun and when we were done, I almost poured the cups of dye down the sink.
I was sad to waste the cups of dye. I thought of all the Easters that my sister Rhodelle and I used the leftover dye to try to write our names in the snow. We made curlicues and hearts and created amazing Easter art in the snow. As I stood over the sink remembering, I thought, “Too bad there is no snow…”
And then in one of those light bulb moments, I remembered that that annoying white stuff was all over the yard—just in time for the old Easter tradition.
I grabbed a tray, perched the dye cups on it and told the kids to put on their boots and follow me. Once outside, it only took a second for them to realize what we were going to do. “We’re coloring the snow!” they cheered.
And they did, wildly splashing the dye across the snow bank. No fancy curlicues or attempts to write names. Just vibrant splashes of color on the clean white snow. The fun lasted all of a minute, but it was fun nonetheless.
Thanks Mother Nature— Happy Easter to you too!
Spring is when you feel like
whistling even with a shoe full
of slush.
Dave Barry
Leave a Reply