Ash Wednesday and The Easter Egg Tree

We're very traditional at Linderhof . . . 

Especially during Advent and Lent

Things are written in stone!

Like the pre-lenten

(Shrove Tuesday)

breakfast pancakes

 I'm not sure I could cope if I didn't eat pancakes for breakfast 

on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

This year they were blueberry!

And today,

Ash Wednesday

is the day we put up our Easter egg tree

Some years I get branches and bring them inside

But not this one for we've got around 8 inches of snow outside.

I have a stash of silk forsythia blossoms tucked away

for Ash Wednesdays like this one.

We've had an Easter egg tree in the dining room since 1992

That was the year that we took a trip to Germany

During Lent

We, of course, stayed in B and B's

And loved the charming custom of branches hung with painted eggs.

We thought they must be dear

And we finally inquired of one of our hostesses

"Where", we asked "can we find some of those charming eggs".

(thinking that perhaps some luxurious store might have them or the hostess herself made them)

"Woolworth's"

was the reply!

So our very first stop that day was at the first Woolworth's we saw.

There they were

lovely hand painted real chicken eggs

complete with string or ribbon to hang them from the branches.

We bought a dozen!

And they arrived home all in one piece!

It's been almost 30 years and we still have that original dozen.

And no more.

For these are special eggs.

our German eggs

So we never bought any more bobbles and bits to hang from

our Easter egg tree and although I've been gifted some things to hang from the tree, we've refrained --

we like only our Woolworth eggs hanging from the branches!

A beautiful butterfly

A bunny

I must admit that we've had an accident or two

But they've hung on

And we've kept them 

And continue to use them

A whole and a crack

This one got dropped

But it's okay for we hang it towards the back

Another bunny

And a duck

Because the trees in Germany were in the dining room, 

ours is too!

It's almost always been on the end of the sideboard

(one year I put it in the middle of the table -- that was not a good idea!

It's not an easy thing to move)

It's a constant reminder

that we are in the Lenten season

as well as a wonderful trip to Germany

all those many years ago.