Easter Take Two

The Lord's gift to all of us, opening up the gates of heaven after the curse of damnation that befell Adam and Eve onto all mankind and trampling upon this death, must be proclaimed to the whole world. It is beyond all riches and fancies of this world, His gift, thank you Father!


These darling pieces of history represent such a beauty that transcends from the Easter holiday...
Bell ringing to alert all believers-these rings are heard in heaven and earth simultaneously with God's approval...the rings from bells of church holidays and liturgies of today and yesteryear, literally from this past Easter as well as from hundreds and hundreds of years ago, can still be heard by saints today and were heard by saints from the past. All sounds whether from beautiful sources such as church bells, Pavarotti, children laughing, birds chirping, soft Spring rain falling and the like or from not so attractive sources such as tractors, cars, construction, television and on and on and on never go away...EVER...this is why it is so very important to plow fields by horse and plow, ride a bike or walk, sweep leaves instead of using a leaf blower, read well written stories to children instead of turning on the television and on and on and on...not only oil rig spills off the coast of Mexico affect life negatively but unnecessary noises too!

Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen! Truly He Is Risen! Truly He Is Risen! Truly He Is Risen!
Those family kept secret recipes for Pascha bread and naturally colored eggs...

And should there be any doubt as to who delivers those pretty colored eggs into children's baskets on Easter morn'...

On Holiday

Our Rocky Mountains are truly special, and we took some time to enjoy them...glad you dropped in...come take a look...
Original lift at Steamboat Ski Resort on the left and new, fancy lift on the right...

Cool dude skier here...

Cool dudette skier there...


And Beginner skier...whoa watch out...


Just plain right on...what can I say...


And for my contest, I always try to find the most creative dressed at the resort...this guy wins!!


Here is mama bear checking out the scene with baby bear cubs in the sled, one is asleep and one is watching with mama...baby bears are pulled all around the resort on a sled...fun, fun, fun...


And papa bear gives mama bear a rest...I do love him so...AND then for the real rest...look on...


You guessed it, HOT SPRINGS for which Colorado has many and they are fantastic for whatever ails ya'...


Breathtaking view here...


Another breathtaking view there while Mama bear relaxes...and oh, is it truly wonderful (wish I am there right now)...


A bear cub enjoying herself...

And this is one area where the hot springs emanate from...


Changing room...

And more bear cubs relaxing after a long day at skiing...

Christ Is Risen!...Truly He Is Risen!

The photo above was taken in my garden today. It is one of our apricot trees beginning to blossom forth on this precious Easter Sunday! We never have apricots due to our high altitude but we are blessed with amazingly fragrant blossoms beauty to smell and see, if we do not get a late freeze which can happen, just ask the various honey bees and bumble bees that visit here for tasty treats...they'll tell ya'.

The writing on this photo is church Slavonic, an ancient worship language which does not have any profane words nor can any be devised; a splendid language to praise our God, and means- Christ Is Risen!...Truly Christ Is Risen! We proclaim this saying to the entire world for the fifty days of Easter.

Easter for both the Julian calendar and Gregorian calendar is celebrated today, Sunday, the fourth of April, 2010. It is an early Easter for the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar is the old calendar and comes from the time of Julius Caesar. The Gregorian calendar is the newer calendar and comes from the time of Pope Gregory. We celebrate according to the Julian calendar, so our Easter is based on the calculations of the jewish passover and the phases of the moon. Therefore, we do not always celebrate Easter when those who follow the Gregorian calendar do and vice versa. In addition, our Easter, the Big Easter, lasts for fifty days and every Sunday of the year is a small Easter! How wonderful to remember the biggest gift, Jesus Christ's resurrection so His chosen can spend eternity in His heavenly mansions, all year for the small Easters and fifty days straight for the Big Easter.

Our traditions for Easter are many. We bake Pascha bread, which is a SERIOUS tradition, and every family has its secret recipe passed down through the generations. It takes hours to make this cylinder sweet bread but the aroma, flavor, and tradition far out way the time invested. Paschas vary and often the best cooks are quite sought after to make the Paschas for the clergy.

Fresh laid eggs boiled in onionskins and often touches of family secrets produce the tastiest boiled eggs with gorgeous hues of reds, oranges, browns, purples, and dark blues.
Staying up until midnight is a must on Saturday night so we can shout for joy at midnight- Christ Is Risen. Often times this happens at churches where parishioners take lovely baskets filled with Paschas, meat, cheeses, eggs and other delectables to be blessed for Easter feasts.