Easter

It was one of those heart-breakingly, stunning New Mexican late afternoons.  I put together a ham, some scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and rolls for our Easter dinner.  While I'm not a Christian or a pagan, I do believe that holidays provide an opportunity to exercise rituals that give our lives value.  As a child, my family observed Easter; my mom was Catholic, now she regards herself as some kind of Christian/pagan.  I stopped doing anything related to Easter during college but started again after my son was born.   To me, Easter is a celebration of the cycle of growth, and the re-emergence of life in plant and animals.  So we color eggs and have a special dinner, and eat lots of candy.  The particulars of the practice don't have significance beyond habits extended from my own childhood, and don't matter all that much.  I think it's the coming together around shared habits that creates the value of the holiday for me, along with the enjoyment of the sensory experiences, whether they be from food, music, conversation, or whatever.  I could say more, but I feel kind of addled from all the jelly beans. 

Anyway, while things were cooking, I went for a very short walk and snapped some pictures.  The colors of the mountains and the skies, and the patterns of sun and shadow, are beyond my capacity to describe.