Born-Again Christian's hate the whole Easter Egg Thing
Thanks to Schuyler's mastery of the drinks tray, we can have splendid cocktails every night. Tonight he thought we'd enjoy a cocktail that we had never tried before, a Level Biscotti, made, of course, with Level vodka. As a drink to have as winter gasps its last breath and spring tries mightily to settle in, it was a perfect drink. As you know, the gang has been pretty silent lately because of a case of horrendous stomach flu and serious cases of septicemia. Anyway, we're pretty much back to normal and ready to flood you with our Chronicles and recounts of our delicious dinners.

The Nasty Born-again Christians and Easter
Lordy but it's hard to be nice to über-negative Christians who find fault with everything and every thought and every expression lesser mortals come up with. Have you dared wish a born-again Christian Happy Easter? Better have your stun gun at the ready. Mention Easter eggs to them and you are just hunkering to be flogged within an inch of your life. What these poor misguided "people" ignore, is that this whole season encompasses tributes to different beliefs, different gods, and different deeply held beliefs. Sorry, Bubba, but this isn't just "Easter." It is a time of celebration of the Vernal Equinox, revered by the Egyptians of yesteryear. It is the time of year "Native Americans" have cause to celebrate. It is the time of year Jews celebrate Passover, the Christians to celebrate Resurrection Day, the Persian's to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, a 13-day celebration rooted in the 3,000-year old tradition of Zoroastrianism.

Chaos in the Celebration of "Easter"
The Christian churches celebrate it at one time; the Orthodox churches at another (like today.) More chaos is brought into the White House Easter Egg Hunt because we use two totally different calendars to establish when to celebrate Easter: the Gregorian Calendar and the Julian Calendar. But wait: there's more. This season celebrates itself under a full panoply of chaotic celestial events: the ecclesiastical moons and the paschal moons; the astronomical equinox and the "fixed" equinox. And, fellow lunatics, it all depends on that perpetual mood-stabilizer, the full moon. Lycanthropy anybody?

Perhaps the Ancient Egyptians Planned it Best
The early Egyptians planned it best: they built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the day of the Vernal Equinox. So, skip the Easter Egg Hunt before the born-again Christians try to crucify you, and think, deeply, what the Mayans, Aztecs, Mixtecas and the sages of Machu Pichu planned around the same celestial events.

Whew! Dinner Gong
The last few days we have been limiting our intake of food, which of course has to do with the many faiths represented in our group of neighbors.
We've been starting our smaller dinners with Deviled Eggs, paired only with superbly dry sparkling wines from Gruet Vineyards in New Mexico. Next, our simple dinners included very plain salads, and then, in the spirit of the season, included traditional Easter fair such as Bacalao (Salt Cod Fish) à la Vizcaina, a dish that in our home we have served, traditionally, for Easter Season for as long as we can remember. The only side dish is always mushrooms and artichoke hearts. For the wine, Max brought several bottles of prized 2003 Odfjell Orzada Malbec from the Curicó Valley. This wine was a perfect accompaniment, and displayed very enjoyable racy purity.

After Dinner Relaxation
Back in the great room, we and the wonderful teenagers we have, pleasured in our company. No dessert: it is the Easter Season, and restraint is the reigning rule for the season, which we take seriously, the "born-again Christians" notwithstanding. The seasons are indeed changing, and this horrendous draught may be coming to an end, and hay may be easier to come by.

Summary:
Childhood memories of Easter Egg Hunts are virulently looked down on by your friendly born-again Christian acquaintances.
This season is not holy just to "Christians," but rather to most of the non-christian world.