The Hunt Is On!

This reporter loves to reminisce about this special time of year, spring and Easter! Many moons ago, I fondly remember the Easter egg hunts held at the home of Mrs. Gene McKinney. She sent out invitations to the town kids and provided baskets for the hunt.  Before turning all the children loose in her yard, she gave clues about the locations of the eggs.  She said to hunt high and low and look in strange places.

Suddenly, the hunt was on! Being one of the younger children to hunt, my basket was very empty and all of the others were grabbing eggs left and right: out of the hedge, off low tree limbs, in flower beds and around tree roots. 

I guess I looked very sad because all of a sudden Mrs. McKinney took me by the hand and pointed to a hidden egg way over in the hedge, an egg that apparently everyone else had missed! It was a beautiful robin-egg color, all decorated with painted bunnies.  I never forgot her genuine concern for the little girl with no eggs. The prize was a huge homemade sugar cookie shaped like a bunny and covered with icing.

No matter how the weather cooperates, Easter is this Sunday, April 9, and after church I believe there will be many family get-togethers along with afternoon egg hunts.  Look for the child with the least eggs and help them look!

As we enter our churches this Sunday, the fragrant flowers on the altars will be the traditional Easter Lilies. The flowers’ trumpet shape is a reminder of the heralding of Jesus, returning triumphant to Jerusalem.

Did you know that this lily is native to Japan? They were imported until 1941 when World War II prompted Americans to start growing their own bulbs. Nearly all of the 20+ million Easter Lily bulbs grown in America are produced by just ten farms along the California-Oregon border.  The bulbs are harvested in the fall and shipped to commercial greenhouses throughout the United States.

To keep your Easter lily fresh and fragrant for as long as possible, purchase potted plants with flowers at various stages of opening and with abundant dark green foliage. As the flowers open and mature, pinch off the yellow anthers (yellow pollen-releasing structures) from the centers.  Be sure to wear rubber gloves because the yellow pollen will stain your fingers and the other white flowers on the plant.

Easter Lilies thrive in moderately cool temperatures and enjoy bright but indirect natural sunlight. Keep the soil moist and well-drained.  After Easter, the first thing that needs to be done is to remove any decorative bows and pretty foil.  You may punch holes in the bottom of the foil if you want to keep it on for a few days.

The Easter Lily loves humidity.  Cover the bottom of a small pie tin with pebbles and cover the pebbles with water.  Set your unwrapped, potted lily on the pebbles. This will raise the humidity and keep your plant looking good while it is in bloom.  When the temperature is mild enough, choose a sunny spot to plant your lily. Remove it from the original pot, loosen the roots and plant the bulb 3-5 inches deeper than it was in its container. This reporter has done this and it is rewarding to see the lily bloom again next year!