Hoppy Easter

I am eating no chocolate bunnies, no jellybeans, peeps, or Cadbury eggs today. I did dye a few eggs but not to hide them (that's they Easter Bunny's job, right?). How did a rabbit ever get involved in the resurrection of our lord & savior, anyway? I know in one of the gospels (I think Mark) there is some guy dressed in all white at the tomb, but no mention of him having a bunny. Or turning into a bunny. Do they even have rabbits in the Middle East? I doubt that very seriously. UPDATE: I checked out Snopes:

The Easter Bunny is of German origin. He shows up in 16th century literature as a deliverer of eggs, in his own way a springtime St. Nicholas bent on rewarding the good. (Colored eggs were left only for well-behaved good children, you see.) manner of rabbits are said to lay eggs on Easter Day. The hare itself is revered in lore — even in pre-Christian times, it was seen as a holy creature associated with fertility and the returning Spring. Important divinations about the character of the coming year were made from studying its movements. In northern Europe, the hare was considered sacred to Eastre, and therefore was not to be hunted. Eggs are very obvious symbols of resurrection and continuing life. Early humans thought the return of the sun from winter darkness was an annual miracle, and saw the egg as a natural wonder and proof of the renewal of life. The egg is also the ultimate symbol of fertility. As Christianity spread, the egg was adopted as a symbol of Christ's resurrection from the tomb (a hard casket from which new life will emerge).

*** It's a beautiful, overcast & breezy day with a soft grey sky that somehow seems very springlike. I wish I'd waited til today to get my yardwork done, but unfortunately I'm not prescient. I got a sunburn mowing the lawn & trimming hedges yesterday---the first of the the year, which is a sort of annual rite of passage for me. It takes me that first time each year to figure out that Oh, yeah, I need sunblock again. Duh. I'm sure I'll end up with melanoma someday, and that will teach me. *** We ran into a guy last week who told us a story about going to Chicago to hear Jeff Tweedy sing & ending up drinking so much that he just curled up at his feet. What an unfortunate way to spend the evening---so close to greatness but passed out cold. Not to mention the lifelong Most Embarassing Moment status that story has (so I'm not mentioning any names here as a result). Hope he enjoyed the rest of his visit, anyway.