[My] Life in Wisconsin

Nostalgic Easter...

Good Friday Morning...

On this very sacred day, I am not going to post about the Cross. Rather to share a few special memories of my own from Easters past...

Yes, as children we went to every Easter Service. This included everything from Ash Wednesday onward. Each week we would go after chores and milking was done to The~Stations~of~The~Cross masses. There were even special masses for Easter Monday at that point in time. And the term "Holy Day of Observation" meant we would go. We were raised very Christian, and quite Catholic.

That said, we were also raised to believe that some flop~eared rabbit brought us treats and hid many colored eggs too. (Even though we bought, cooked, and colored those same eggs for him)! He would come during the night, as we slept... We could always even see his paw~prints from his visit outside. But when we woke on Easter Morning we couldn't look for the eggs either. ("Mean", huh)? We were to get dressed and get out to the barn and get our chores done first. I am sure that Mary ALWAYS must have peeked... though as for me, (remember, the younger "angelic" child), would never have done such a thing! hehehe

When we were finished with our chores, (bathed and clean~smelling once again), we could then look for those eggs... And such a whirlwind this house had never seen before! Mama would sit and wait for us to bring them to her, and she would count each and every one. (There was always at least ONE that was very hard to find)... Sometimes, we would then 'hide' the eggs for Mom and Dad; sometimes we would do so for each other; depending upon how much time we had until mass at 10:00. (This was in the days before one could actually go to mass on Saturday and have it 'count' as a Sunday mass).

One year, "yours truly" had 'hid' an egg in Pa's suitcoat. Which of course he 'claimed' to have "found" during the gospel, and just had to chuckle out loud... risking a sharp poke in the ribs... (How come HE never did get poked, unless he was snoring)? After mass, we would come home, and change into more comfortable clothing; (to ruin your "Sunday Best" was just about the 11th Commandment). Mom would always start dinner then.

Hmmm... These were also the days that people ate 'breakfast', 'dinner', and 'supper'. ("Lunch" was something kids had to bring to school if their parents could not afford hot lunch).

For all of the 'special' holidays, dad would buy some Fresh Polish Sausage. Polska Keilbasa. (NOTE: This is NOT the kind you buy pre~packaged and pre~cooked in a Klements wrapper). It was always homemade from Blazeis Meat store. (Years earlier, Pa had done the butchering for John and Carl Blazei; so he knew this was the only place to go for his favorite meats).

I do not recall anything more of that Easter... save for the following weeks the weather must have warmed sufficiently to be able to go to church in short sleeves. But I do remember one Sunday following... There was an uproar upstairs as Dad was getting dressed for mass. Seems as though SOMEONE had forgotten all about that lone Easter egg that had stayed hidden in his coat pocket... Their closet was where they stored everything valuable, and so it didn't get opened on a regular basis...

So how come Moms old saying about birthdays did not apply then? (She always had said it was STILL our birthday as long as there was birthday 'cake' left). So wasn't it still Easter? And how come Dad didn't have to go to church that morning? He owned ONE suit, kids... and when it smelled like rotten eggs, (farmer or not, even dad wasn't going anywhere in it)! Hey, at least it wasn't a MOW~ISS! Click on purple "mowiss" there if you don't yet know that story...hehehe

I have since cut up that old suit and used the squares for in the quilts I made for Mary and myself... No it does not stink anymore- Mama actually made it right, somehow, by the following week...

That closet got painted that Spring; (and if I were to venture a guess, it was the last time it was painted too). hehehe

I hope you all have some grand plans for this Easter Weekend!

XOXO
Anne

PS You will note that my blast will be changing from time to time... Different quotes I have found, saved by Mama in her little books... She always wrote everything down; and I actually think I could post a new blast EVERY day for a few years, and NOT run out of things she copied down...

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