Earth Day

Central Park, the Sheep Meadow, people enjoying a sunny day... Everybody is for keeping the planet green and clean. Everybody is for recycling or even for using some form of clean energy. With what I'm not agreeing are the new taxes, regulations and measures instituted in the name of that. A favorite of mine, is the reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy products, so the number of cows raised to be lowered, thus the emission of methane (farting). I wonder what they intend to do about the elephants? Ha...ha...ha!!!

A couple of pictures from yesterday's Easter dinner!

The family gathers for Easter...of course as usually, I'm the photographer!!!

...a snack on the terrace

The weather was OK, a little windy though!

I and Maureen having a cocktail...

Easter dinner with many Romanian traditional dishes : drob, ciorba miel, sarmalute, cozonac...

The parade on 5th Avenue an American tradition on catholic Easter Sunday...The nice bunny...

...and the bad one!!!

Doamna cu catelul....

The surprise cake..

Unfortunately this year the parade was not that nice and the costume not that inspired or maybe we arrived to late because we went to church first -April 12

Happy Easter! Cristos a inviat!

Today, Orthodox Christians observe Easter, an important holiday which commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Last Sunday was the Catholic Easter. The difference of the date, though these sometimes coincide (next year Easter is on April 4, for everybody) - is because the orthodox church uses in setting the date Julian calendar and the Catholics, the Gregorian one. Also, the Orthodox tradition requires that Easter always to follow Jewish Passover (the escape of Hebrews from enslavement in Egypt). There are some specific customs linked to Easter: Easter Bunny, similar to Santa Claus, brings gifts to good children (the first mentioning of an Easter Bunny was in 1600 in an German writing linked to a tradition from Alsace)
Easter Eggs - in Orthodox tradition the hard shell of the egg symbolises the sealed Tomb of Christ and the cracking, His resurrection from the dead (in Romanian - Cristos a inviat! Adevarat a inviat!). The eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ shed on the Cross .
This year, as we do every year, we went to church for the Midnight Mass and today Corina is hosting the festive dinner. I helped her by cooking some traditional Romanian lamb dishes , but she is coming with some good surprises of her own! Who knew that Corina will turn such a great cook!!!
I will post some pictures not only from our Easter, but from last Sunday the Catholic Easter with their tradition to parade dressed for the occasion with nice or funny hats and/or costumes...

Money Tree

Iuliana, acesta este "money tree". L-am pozat cat am putut de aproape. Ce zici recunosti planta? Gasim si in RO?

Palm Sunday

Today Catholics celebrate Palm Sunday (Floriile), the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. People were cheering and laying down small branches in front of Him, so that's way there is the tradition that on this day to distribute palm leaves or willow branches. Following the Last Supper with the 12 Apostles, Jesus was arrested and then, on Good Friday crucified. On Easter Sunday, He was resurrected from the dead.
Every year, Macy's departament store marks the beginning of Easter Holiday with a fantastic Flower Show. Not only the windows but the inside of the store is decorated with unique flower arrangements or blooming trees...and the smell is out of this world. Iuliana this is your place never to leave!

You can see flowers in every corner of the store...

from cherry blossom to exotic orchids!

Pink flamingos out of flowers...

...more flowers and trees...

Coni among orchids and peacocks!

...other spring flowers!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Fool's Day is not a holiday, but is celebrated in many countries by playing practical jokes and hoaxes on friends, family members or neighbours.
The origin is not known. One likely theory is that the holiday, being celebrated for the first time after the adoption of Gregorian Calendar, the term fool referred to someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar, which it replaced.
There is a Museum of Hoaxes with all time and well-known favorites. One of them is the "Spaghetti Tree" ran by BBC in 1957, showing people harvesting spaghetti from trees. Many phoned in, asking how to grow their own spaghetti trees! Another prank...."Water on Mars": in 2005 a news story posted on the official NASA website purporting to have pictures of water on Mars. The picture actually was just that: a picture of a glass of water on a Mars Candy Bar!
I, personally, didn't nor I was tricked by many people... actually the one that I remember, maybe because was the first time, happened many years ago, probably I was in 4th grade. Teta, told me that she met at market the mother of a friend and a classmate of mine, Anica, and that she needs my help with some homework, so I have to go quickly over to her place. Of course, I did just that, in spite that my friend's house was pretty far...When I arrived there, I was shocked to find out that Anica didn't need my help with anything. Her mother reminded me though, that it was April 1st. On my way back I was thinking how to get even with Teta, so I invented a story that our neighbour, Mrs Iepure asked me to tell her that she ran out of sugar and will be helpful if Teta could lend her some until she has time to go to the store. I wasn't sure that Teta will buy it, but she did and went over. In the end, I remember we both were sports and started to lough loudly!!!
Today, You Tube flipped all the video upside-down and tips to view the new layout (turn the monitor, tilt your head or move to Australia). When I checked for new videos from my subscriber, I've noticed it, but I wasn't surprised, because I was reading earlier, on line about their prank. Ha...ha... ha ...very funny!!!