Easter is upon us – our annual egg hunt is tomorrow and the weather is forecast to be in the 70’s and sunny! What a great Easter gift! Over the years I’ve had something like 16 or 18 kids here for the hunt; this year it will be just five. My two youngest grandkids, and three grand nieces and nephews. I think the oldest will be 6 yrs old! At one point there was talk that maybe we could see some of the Maine crew coming down, but that was assuming their spring break aligned with ours down here, which turned out to not be the case. But I bought enough “stuff” (eggs and candy and buckets and prizes) just in case. So that means these five little ones should have quite a haul come tomorrow!

We spent the last couple of days working on the yard to clean up the winter leftovers and make it presentable for the party. Today I gave the lawn its first cut of the year; it really didn’t need it – at least many places didn’t need it – but it helped with the areas that did need it and also chewed up some leaves and sticks.

While cutting the back I needed to cut under the picnic table. My usual method is to stand it up on one side, then stand it up on the other side; it stays reasonably well balanced as long as I don’t bump into it. Well today, it refused to stay up – the legs had sunk into the dirt over the winter and it just would not stay balanced on the side. So, I decided to move it, both to get the legs out of the ruts and also to center it a little more in the yard for the party. While holding it sort balanced on its side I climbed into it so that I was between the table top and the bench seat, but standing. I then picked the whole table up to baby step walk it over a bit – something I’ve done hundreds of times, actually how I always move it. This time something went wrong and to this moment, I am unsure what. I am guessing I was not in the right position or just wasn’t centered but whatever it was, the table began to tip. Unfortunately I was part of the table at that point so where it went, I went. And it went over onto its top, of course I went with it. I landed back first on the ground with my legs on the table top and with the bench in my face. No injury, except to my pride. The worst part of it was that my wife witnessed the whole thing. Such is life as an old man – it felt like a Tim Conway or Chevy Chase moment. No injuries to anything except my pride!

Now, after a couple of days from the table fall, I found there were some after effects: my neck was sore, probably a sort of whiplash thing. And I had an ache, a pain, in my bottom left rib. Both were resolved in short order with no lingering effects but served to highlight the creeping fragility of my personal bag of meat. I sometimes forget that I am not a young man any more and moments such as this serve as vivid reminders.

We’ve entered a truly magical time of year as all the plants that slept the winter are awakening and showing themselves. The crocuses and snow drops made their appearance first, soon followed by the daffodils, many of which are still in full bloom. The trees are also responding with the maples already unfurling leaf growth and showing their green. The flowering trees and shrubs are also putting on an amazing show: the forsythia are in full bloom of brilliant yellow and at least a dozen other flowering trees such as the dogwood, the cherry, and the tulip trees all in bloom.

I have not been hiking nearly as much as I would like – weather and life have conspired against me – but I have gotten out a couple of times this month so far and hope to get in two more within the remaining days of the month. Happily though, I’ve been getting in a good amount of street walking and that is having a huge impact on my health and wellness. To date this year I have logged 242 walking miles and 210 hiking miles for a 2025 total of 451 miles of focused foot travel. Of course there are “other” miles not counted; I exceed 10,000 steps most every day of the week working in the yard, chasing the grandkids around, and the like and I don’t count those miles.

Well fast forward here and suddenly it’s Mother’s Day! I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge all the mothers in my life have done for me; Barabara, a scared unmarried 16yo who made the courageous and selfless decision to carry me full-term and then turn me over for adoption and a chance at a better life than she could provide. Next came Eva who loved me so completely and had to leave life far too soon, I buckle with sorrow when I think about how hard it had to have been for her in her final moments leaving us all behind. Then came Lillian, who worked so selflessly and endlessly after stepping into a broken family and healing us all. Viriginia was a mother-in-law but definition, but a mother in reality and she used to boast that she had me longer than all my other mothers; she was the quintessential Ma. And of course, my lovely wife who has been mother to not just our two amazing children, but to thousands of kids she touched in her years in the elementary school. Lastly, my daughter and my daughter-in-law who are doing such an amazing job raising my five grandchildren – incredible mothers each!

So I will tidy this post up and get it online this morning. I am happy for all the mom’s awakening to such a beautiful day as we have here in our neck of the woods – blue sky and sunshine and the temps should top out in the low 70’s; a wonderful way to honor and celebrate all they do for their families. Stay well dear reader!