With much hauling of large tubs and boxes up and down several flights of stairs, I can safely say that the house has been transformed into the Lent/Spring/Easter mode! Yay!
This completed task always has a slightly scary edge to it; in that, when I next “CHANGE THE DECORATIONS” it will be for Pentecost/Summer and “summer” means Day Camps!!
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| Spring Mandu |
Hopefully, by then, I will have been able to turn over some of my blog writing work to Lamb and be able to focus more on simply being “The Director” hmm…. Lamb and I need to have a human to ovine talk about this.
Meanwhile you are still stuck with my “solo” writing.
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| Spring Wil |
One pleasure of the Lenten Season is my annual undertaking of Pysanky writing. For at least the past 20 years I have made approx 2-3 dozen Pysanky every Lent to give as Easter gifts. It started out as just a special way to use what skills I possess to make Easter gifts that would last longer, and be of greater significance, than Chocolate Bunnies but it has turned into much more than that.
The making of Pysanky is an art form that spans many centuries and I love the way this work appeals to all my senses. This task has become a Lenten discipline, a time for reflection, personal quiet time, meditation and devotion. I feel the smooth eggshell in my hand, I smell the age-old incense of beeswax, I see the design slowly appearing as I trace each line with my kystka and dip the eggs in each successive dye bath, I taste the acrid sulphur of the matches as I light my candle and I hear—-what do I hear?- I hear the silence and the quiet rhythm of the world around me as I “unplug” from all my noise creating jobs and focus on this quiet, peaceful, delicate task.
It would not be Lent for me, without the Pysanky. Even if I had no one to give them to, I would still make them, because, in making them, I am forced for a short time to slow down, to fine tune, to draw nearer to the ancient mystery of Faith and to feel close to God.
Of course I cannot get carried away and spend 40 days in this lovely peaceful world. A gazillion other jobs are shrieking at me for completion. The email Inbox keeps filling up and we are steadily moving closer to summer, closer to the world of Day Camps.
I am encouraged, this week, with messages from several more potential host Churches. I now have, in my possession 2 Team Application Forms and a list of 8 possible Team Members. Arnee is doing yeoman service in producing Manual Chapters for my on-going Proofreading and the plans for the Liturgical Dance DVD recording seem to be in hand. There is much for which to give thanks, and still many many more pieces to put in the puzzle and patches to sew into the quilt.
As I begin a new week , I have already answered one host church enquiry and sent out the Agenda for our March Committee Meeting (more about that next week). We have hit a small hiccup in producing the Song CD so we will need to deal with that at the meeting, so I can see that this,too, will be a very full week of Day Camp preparations with,( I firmly intend to include) several hours of Pysanky peace!
Last week I had some dear friends for an early “Springish” dinner of parchment-baked Salmon filets followed by Angel Pie. Since Sue asked for the recipe, here it is for everyone!
Angel Pie
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups white sugar
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1tsp grated lemon rind
- pinch salt
- 2 cups whipping cream
Place egg whites and salt in a large bowl and yolks in the top of a doubler boiler. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
With an electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in 1 cup of the sugar until stiff glossy peaks form.
Butter a 10″ pie plate. Spread meringue in dish, building up the sides.
Bake for 1hour, turn off oven and leave meringue in oven until it is cool.
Meanwhile, beat egg yolks and then whisk in lemon juice and rind and the remaining ½ cup of sugar. Place double boiler over simmering water and cook until thick, stirring often, about 10mins. Set aside to cool.
When ready to assemble, beat cream with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Fold ½ of cream into cooled lemon filling and spread in the meringue case. Decorate the top of the “pie” by icing with the remaining cream.
Serves 6-8.