Chocolate Easter Bunny - Part 2

At a very young age, I learned that there is a ritual for eating a chocolate Easter bunny. For me, this ritual has changed through the year. I no longer wait until after breakfast or Easter Sunday services to eat my Easter bunny. I no longer eat my bunny sitting at my mother's side on the living room couch, while watching television.

This is my new ritual for eating a chocolate Easter bunny. I purchase my bunny on Good Friday instead of at the beginning of March. I put my bunny in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. On Easter morning, I brew a pot of fresh coffee and remove my bunny from the refrigerator. I remove a cup and saucer from the cupboard then I pour hot coffee into the cup. I take the coffee, the saucer, and the package containing the chocolate bunny into the living room.

In the living room, between sips of coffee, I remove the bunny from its package and then peel the foil covering off the bunny. I put the bunny on the saucer and then place the saucer on the coffee table. Next I go into the kitchen for another cup of coffee. Returning to the living room, I am now ready to begin eating my chocolate Easter bunny. So, starting with the ears, I begin eating the chocolate bunny while I read the paper and drink my coffee.

Chocolate Easter Bunny - Part 1

On Good Friday, I went to the store and bought a chocolate Easter Bunny. According to the package, the 4.50 oz. (127.6 g) bunny is dark chocolate and solid. I read the nutritional information on the back of the package and it says that a serving size is 43g and there are three servings in the container.

The calories per serving is 220, with 120 of those calories from fat. The total fat in the bunny is 14g, with 8g of saturated fat and 0g of trans fat. The bunny contains 5mg of cholesterol, 0mg of sodium, 20g of sugar, and 2g of protein. The only other information I am interested in is about carbohydrates and dietary fiber. The total carbohydrates in the bunny is 26g and the dietary fiber 3g.

I did not read the nutritional facts until today because it would have made no difference in my choice of chocolate Easter bunnies. Before I went into the store, I knew what type and brand of bunny I wanted; therefore, the information about the nutrition would have made no difference in my decision to purchase the bunny. The only time the nutritional information on a product influences my choice is when I am unsure of the brand and type of product I want. At those time I have to read the package's nutritional facts because I am on a high fiber diet per serving needs to be 2g or more.

Wordless Wednesday: My favorite Easter Song

A beautiful Spring morning in Las Vegas

a neighbor's cat walks
across Bracken Avenue
stops in my front yard

nightingales sing
white clouds obscure the blue sky
sparrow flying home

Palm Sunday and Chocolate Easter Bunnies

I just realized today is Palm Sunday. My grandparents, with my siblings and myself in tow, always went to spiritual services on Palm Sunday. We would attend church and go to Sunday school, after which we would go home. I am attempting to remember if Grandma fixed anything special on Palm Sunday, but I cannot remember anything except Grandma's usual Sunday dinner. I know she always fixed something special on Easter Sunday; however, I think she just fixed her usual fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy on Palm Sunday.

Next week is Easter Sunday, so I have to purchase a chocolate Easter bunny this week. I do not celebrate Easter; however, every year on Easter Sunday I eat a chocolate bunny. When Mom was alive we both ate chocolate bunnies. Every year, Mom wanted a chocolate bunny on Easter Sunday. I would make coffee and then we would eat our bunnies  while we watched television. I am going to continue the chocolate bunny tradition for the rest of my life.

A Very Good Day

It is after sunset on Friday, March 22, 2013, which was a very good day. I began using my new cell phone today. Yesterday, when I went to Smith's Food and Drug Store there was a kiosk set up in front and they were taking applications for free Senior cell phones. The phone and 250 minutes a month are free. The phone is a Sanyo, with a camera and e-mail access. I still have to learn to use the features.

Today was a very good day because I still have electricity and I can still access the Internet. I picked up a loaf of free day old bread and then went to pick up my senior food allotment. This month the canned meat is beef with juice, so I can make some sloppy joes over the weekend.

I encountered one problem with my car. It is making an odd noise and I am not sure what is causing it. The noise sounds like metal on metal, so it may be the breaks. I will have to take to my mechanic and his number is in the memory of my old phone so I have to transfer it this weekend.

My Cell Phone is Dead

My cell phone has acted weird for two or three months, so I knew that it was knew I was going to have to get a new cell phone at some point. This morning my cell phone died, it contained all my contacts and I do not think I kept copies of that information anywhere. I now need to get a new cell phone and rebuild my contact list.

There are two reasons, this is an inconvenient time for the phone to die. First, I am waiting for someone to contact me to see if I can get some help paying the power bill and keeping the electricity on. Since the money is due tomorrow and the agency has not called me yet, I suspect I may be without power beginning either Friday or Monday. I am hoping they do not turn the power off before Monday.

Second, I cannot get a new phone until after April 3 or 4; I hope I can get one then, but I am not sure about that. I can get a free cell phone for seniors, but I suspect I will have to pay for the minutes. Then there is the hassle of a new phone number. I now have to figure out who I need to contact with the number. I know this time I will keep a separate copy of my contact information.

Fortunately, I still have the land line. I contacted the senior assistance agency as soon as I found out about the cell phone and gave them the land line number. I had planned to drip the land line because I do most of my business using the cell phone. I will have to call my network provider about the cell phone. I suppose I could ask if they have a free cell phone for seniors program.

Laughter and Pain

I read an interesting article in this morning's edition of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The article, by Paul Harasim, was in the Health section (D) of the newspaper under the feature To Your Health and titled "Cleansing laughter eases pain of loss".

In this article, Mr. Harasim, discusses how laughter can ease both the emotional pain of losing a friend and physical pain. I know, from my own experience with grief, that laughter can ease the emotional pain of lose, because laughter has helped me deal with my mother's death. However, it is the first time I have heard that it helped with physical pain as well.

I am going to try using laughter as a method of dealing with physical pain. I have pain medication, but it has its limits and side effects. I do not like to depend on the medication and I do not take it unless I am in excruciating pain. I have two reasons for being careful about the way I take the pain medication. First, I do not want to become addicted to it. Second, the pain tablets that I use could have an effect on my liver. I will try ten minutes of laughter a day and then at my next doctor's appointment discuss the situation with my doctor.

Two week left in March 2013

Two more weeks in March 2013 and then National Poetry Month begins. Thirty days of celebrating and writing poetry. It has been a while since I attempted to write a poem everyday, I still write poem and submit them to contests; however, it is not a daily occurrence. I think the best way to celebrate National Poetry Month is to write a poem everyday and post it in this blog.

Thankful Thursday: A Writer's March Gratitude list

Today I am thankful for

1. The nice weather in Las Vegas that has been warm enough to prevent the heat from coming on in seven days
2. The free day old bread I picked up this morning
3. The nightingale that has sang outside my house for several days
4. That I have enough coffee filters to make four more carafes of fresh coffee before I have to start reusing the used filters
5. That the electricity is still on in my house
6. The four jugs of gape juice I have in the refrigerator
7. Grilled cheese sandwiches made with wheat bread
8. That writing long letters in my offline journal helps me focus and overcome depression
9. That I have a dryer to dry my clothes rather than hanging them across furniture
10. A wireless internet connection

Midweek Reflections on Spring

beautiful blue sky
olive limbs wave in the breeze
no clouds hide the sun

It is a beautiful spring day in Las Vegas, yes, I know the first day of spring is scheduled for Wednesday, March 20, that does not change my opinion of today or the weather. A nightingale is singing, its sweet song echoing through the neighborhood. I think the bird is nesting in my next door neighbor's oak tree because it  sounds too close t o my house to be in  the olive tree across the street.

nightingales sing
the sun cast deep dark shadows
a pristine blue sky

Unfortunately, I am staying home today. I would like to go somewhere, but I have to save gas; therefore, I am remaining home. On such a beautiful day there is not use complaining, complaining only ruins the day. I cannot blame anyone except myself because I am forced to remain home when I would rather be in a park with a picnic lunch. Perhaps next week or maybe the April 1, I can go out to one of the parks and have a picnic.

Lacoste LIVE takes you to Japan in the Spring and Summer of 2013

In the spring and summer of 2013, Lacoste LIVE take you to Japan: "From Tokyo to the Beach". Most of us have tasted sushi, watched Tokyo's flashing lights at night, or read manga. Now go beyond the stereotypes and see what you can discover. Click on the video below to find out more.

A Bright beginning to a new week

It is Sunday, March 10, 2013, the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and the neighbor's dog is barking. It is a good beginning to a new week. I have not checked the weather today, so I am not sure what the meteorologist forecast for today. I suppose I should go to weather.com  and check on the seven day forecast, I need to determine if I will need a sweater or a coat.

wind in the olive
temperatures are heating up
maybe a sweater

This afternoon my neighborhood is quiet because the neighbor's dog has stopped barking. The little fellow barked all morning, which is unusual because he does not bark unless he has something to bark at.  Perhaps he just wanted his people to know he was lonely in the yard especially since the neighbor's cats were not out. If one of the neighbor's cats sits on the fence he will bark at it, but I that cat did not visit today. Perhaps he missed the cat and that was the reason he barked.

Writing about the Rain in Las Vegas

It is raining in Las Vegas. I woke up this morning and there was a puddle of rainwater in my driveway. I took some trash to the black plastic trashcan in the garage, picked up the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and came back into the house. When I got in the house it again began raining. It rained for a long time or, at least, it seemed like a long time to me.

It stopped raining, so I took some recyclables to the garage. while I was outside, for the second time today, I finished rolling the window up on the driver's side. I thought I rolled the window yesterday when I came  home, but apparently I did not roll it  all the way up. Fortunately, it did not  rain hard enough to get the seat wet. It is not raining at the moment, but there is cloud cover. I expect the rain to start again any time.

dark charcoal gray clouds
the wind blowing through the trees
damp and dreary day

Midweek Reflections: Grief and downsizing

I am still mourning Mom's passing. She died on November 29, 2012, some would say I should have stopped mourning by now; this is not true because everyone mourns at his or her own pace. I miss Mom, which I suspect i s why I am having difficulty downsizing. The problem is that I would like to consult with Mom on some of the items and find out what she wanted done with them.

Since I cannot consult with Mom, I will have to do what I think is best. I guess I should have spoken to her about some of these thing before she died. I should have spoken to her about them before the Alzheimer's took her memory. I did not and there is not use shoulding on myself, so I will do what I think is best and get on with downsizing.
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When I begin going through a cupboard or a closest and have to make a decision about an item, I freeze up. That does not help because it makes the process more difficult and slower. I think it also affects my writing, which is why I decided to compose this entry. I know that if I can get past the block that prevents me from writing about grief and downsizing then I will be able to continue downsizing.

I think I will start taking pictures of the stuff I am sorting. That may help me get past the downsizing block, I say downsizing block because I do not have writer's block in the normal sense of the phrase. I can still write poems and stories, I just seem to have difficulty writing about downsizing. Pictures may help and they will give me something to post with my blog entries.

Quote of the Week Monday: About Spring

The quote for this week is about spring. I know the first day of spring is on March 20, when the sun crosses the celestial equator going northward. However, since it is beginning to feel like spring, at least in Las Vegas, I decided to find an intriguing and thought provoking quote about my favorite time of the year.

Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! - Sitting Bull

Found at Brainy Quotes about Spring

wind blows through the oak
pastel leaf bud  on brown limbs
greet the day's first light

When I went out this morning, I need a sweater instead of a heavy coat. The wind was a bit chilly, but not cold. The wind is still blowing this afternoon, I look out my window and watch the weeds in my front yard waving. I watch the birds flying from tree to tree or from the ground to the trees. The birds seem to think it is spring because they are building nests in preparation for laying their eggs and raising their chicks.

Recyclable Saturday: Going Green

Going green is a beautiful thing
Especially now that it's spring
There are toys to recycle,
How about that old tricycle,
Spruce it up and give it away.

It's time for a thorough housecleaning,
Give away all the stuff you've been saving,
You can cut down on your clutter,
By helping another,
Going green is a beautiful thing.