But a beautiful flower in the front yard in my garden. So unexpected in April.
No, not really. April Fools’ Day! I have to wait until August for those beauties.
Here is an actual scene from my front yard, taken this morning of Clif with his trusty snow-gauge. He measured four inches of snow at its deepest.
And the weather gods aren’t quite done with their little pranks. On Thursday, snow is predicted, about nine inches, with gusty wind.
Something to look forward to.
Ah, well. At least Easter was a fine sunny day. We started in the morning with a Crustmas celebration, a wonderful idea we got from the podcast the Library of Lost Time. In short, Crustmas is a celebration of toast—one of my favorite things to eat–where you bring the toaster right to the table and toast a variety of breads and then slather them with a variety of spreads.
As the hosts of the Library of Lost Time noted, Crustmas is not just for Christmas. No, it isn’t. Crustmas is appropriate for any special celebration. It’s easy. It’s economical. Best of all, it’s delicious. For our Easter Crustmas celebration, we included scrambled eggs and veggie sausage.
In the afternoon, we went to the cinema to see Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Ghostbusters is a fun movie where the plot is not that important. A powerful vengeful spirit who can freeze everything solid wants to take over the world. You know, the usual. What was enjoyable was the interaction between the characters, the old and the young, as they tried to figure out their place and purpose. Dan Akroyd was particularly moving as he acknowledged his passion for hunting ghosts and his sympathetic reaction to the struggles of teenage Phoebe, the granddaughter of Egon Spengler, one of the original Ghostbusters.
Speaking of Ghostbusters, here’s something to jazz up your Monday. I hope there’s nothing too strange in your neighborhood.
Notes From the Hinterland 
I hope Clif doesn’t have too much depth to probe
Same! But I am not optimistic.
Hope you stay warm and cosy Laurie and that those beautiful lilies will bloom before too long 🧡
When I read that first sentence on the main page before opening your post I thought how in the world does she already have flowers – great April Fool’s joke!! Love the Crustmas celebrations and can’t believe you have another snowstorm on the way! We have rain and a few snow showers forecast for the week. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife and am looking forward to seeing the new movie.🙂
Tee-hee! Glad you liked my pretty little joke.
Yes, another ding-dang snowstorm with power outages predicted. Welcome to the world of climate change. Never used to have these bad windstorms when I was growing up.
This Ghostbusters is even better than Afterlife. Dan Akroyd is especially moving. Brings a poignancy to the folderol.
Fingers crossed we keep our power.
Great April Fool’s joke! 🙂
Tee-hee! Glad you enjoyed it.
Crustmas is a great idea!
So gosh-darned good!
Snow is more normal I think for you at this time of year! Looks like a good spread with your toast…all the best.
I wouldn’t say normal, but it happens.
Oh dear, one might have hoped Clif’s stick could be retired for the season!
You bet! What the heck?
Nine more inches of snow might fall in a few days? I hope the prediction proves to be wrong.
Same! But that ding-dang storm seems to be coming our way. Now, if we can only keep our power.
Crustmas is a great idea, especially with children around…so much choice for everyone..😁
I love it! A new tradition for the family.
I like the idea of Crustmas a lot. I am sorry to hear about the forecast of more snow but at least it will keep snowgauge Clif occupied.
Crustmas is oh so delicious. It seems that Snow-Gauge is not quite done for the season.
Funny April Fool’s opening! We expect more snow later this week in NY as well.
A little wishful thinking, too. Ready for flowers. 😉 Snow, with possible power outages, is coming to Maine. It has been quite the winter for power outages. Sigh.
You got me! That was a sweet ” April Fool” ! Hard to beat bread and butter – We had a 90 degree day here today-ugh . . .love michele
Tee-hee! Yes, a sweet April Fool. Bread and butter is one of my favorites. Holy cats! 90 degrees? That is hot.
Crustmas, huh? Now there’s a celebration I can sink my teeth into, heh heh. Sounds fun!
Knew the second I saw that day lily picture that it was your April Fools joke! It’s a gorgeous one!
We all sank our teeth into the various toasts and toppings.
That it is a really pretty lily. So looking forward to seeing it in bloom.
Honestly, you folks have way cool meal celebrations at your house! Hurrah for Crustmas!
And, yikes! A few inches of snow is okay, but 9 inches is too much for this time of year, I think.
A-w-w-w, thanks! I do love Crustmas.
Yes, 9 inches is too much for this time of year. Especially when power outages are predicted.
Ahh, April Fool’s, of course. I kind of hope you don’t get 9 inches…too much to be charming in April.
Your lips to the weather gods’ ears.
April Fools’ joke or not, I loved that lily photo. Do you know exactly what it is? I found one of those growing in an east Texas ditch a couple of years ago; I’d never seen anything like it, and none of my friends could ID it.
Even our weather gurus have been posting a bit about the storm that’s coming your way. I hope it’s well behaved. As for toast, one of my very favorite once a year treats is called Trenary Toast, from upper Michigan. It’s a Finnish treat, a twice-baked toast perfect for dunking, and it’s the closest thing I’ve found to the cardamom toast my grandmother would make. You can read a bit about it here.
I don’t know what kind of lily it is other than it’s a double lily. Bought it years ago and the stake is long gone.
Even your weather gurus are posting about our storm. Yikes! Keep your fingers crossed for us.
That Trenary Toast looks utterly delicious! If ever I go to upper Michigan…
I love the chrustmas idea and now I am longing for lovely lillies 😊 Snow is all gone from our garden and we see tulips are sprouting.
Oh, me, too! And a big storm is coming our way.
It’s cold and wet and what not. 😥
Got about 12 inches of wet, heavy snow. Power went out at around 5 this morning. But it’s supposed to come on soon. At around 10:30 a.m. so that’s not too bad.
Take care Laurie.
Thanks! Lost our power for 9 hours but otherwise were okay.
You had me with that daylily. I was just sitting here, coffee cup in hand, thinking how in the world does she have a daylily blooming. 🙂 Good one. Your brunch sounds like fun, and I can imagine you enjoyed the movie as well. Happy April, but I think we may both be using our snowblowers this week. We have 6-12″ rolling in. Mother Nature has one wicked sense of humor.
Oh, too funny! A little bit of wishful thinking, too. 😉 Although I love winter, I am always ready for spring. What I am not ready for is a Nor’easter in April with possible power outages.
Crustmas is one delicious way to celebrate. Might have to console ourselves with another Crustmas after our April storm.
Happy Crustmas! Cheers to the waning snow, and I imagine signs of spring are upon you. Thanks for a bit of scoop about the latest Ghostbusters movie. Some movies are just meant to be fun!
Yes, Ghostbusters is a fun movie, but it does have a little something else.
I like the idea of Crustmas and trying several interesting breads and spreads at the same time. One of my favorite spreads is Beach Plum. Not easy to find, but my neighbor makes a batch in good beach plum years.
Beach plum sounds delicious. For our Easter Crustmas, I bought Bonne Maman’s raspberry. Pretty darned good, too.
That is a beautiful daylily, Laurie! Looking forward to this year’s bloom. Nice April fool’s joke!
I enjoyed the new Ghostbusters trailer. Looks good!
Glad you enjoyed it. With nine inches of snow coming our way and the possibility of a power outage, that pretty flower joke seemed to fit the bill.
What a topsy turvey Spring you are having! Crustmas is a good idea and cheap enough to do often!
Topsy turvey is right! Wait until you see today’s post. So true about Crustmas. One of of the reasons I love it so. Plus, I am a toast fiend.
My niece and I went to see Ghostbusters at the cinema yesterday and I loved it. We already have plans to see more films.
I liked it a lot, too. Have fun at the movies.
Well, it must not be too cold at least, for Clif doesn’t look as if he’s close to freezing out there! Loved your lilies, no matter when they typically bloom. I don’t think I’m enamored of toast enough to make a meal of it (even with sides of eggs and sausage!), but I’m glad you explained the custom. Happy Easter, Laurie!
No, not too cold. At least not for a Mainer. 😉
In the past I have felt slightly guilty when hauling the toaster to the table, setting out the toppings (garlic butter is essential!) and inviting the family to “go for it!” Now I can give it a fancy name, the guilt has vanished😊 Thanks!
Guilt be gone! Bring on Crustmas.
Laurie, I’m gullible. Given your early spring, I thought, “Wow,” look at that flower. I appreciate the smile. We saw Ghostbusters this weekend as well. I like the story between the young girl and the ghost and every scene with Kumail Nanjiani. He always tickles my funny bone. The opening sequence was extraordinary.
Thanks for including the video. My times have changed!
Tee-hee! A sweet April Fool’s.
Yes, the story between Phoebe and the ghost was very good. As for Kumail Nnjiana…
what a hoot! He tickles my funny bone, too. Loved him in the television series Silicon Valley.
So, how did it go yesterday, did the forecasters get it right, did Clif put his snow-gauge to good use once more? And I love the idea of Crustmas, though I struggle with the concept of spreading peanut butter and jelly on the same piece of toast, a practice that I believe might be popular on your side of the Pond but hasn’t really caught on here. 🙂
The storm was terrible. Wet heavy snow everywhere and high winds along the coast. From central to Southern Maine, half the population lost their power, including us. However, we got lucky and it was only out for 9 hours. For some folks, it will be out for days.
As for peanut butter and jelly…that’s an everyday kind of thing, and we try to have some special toppings for Crustmas. However, you have put me in the mood for peanut butter and jelly for lunch. 😉
The storm sounds ghastly, a bit like a peanut butter and jelly combo! I wonder who first dreamt up that culinary delight, and whether he’s been released back into society yet? 🙂
Enjoy your lunch!
It was delicious! Raspberry Jam on peanut butter. 😉
You fooled me, Laurie–I thought your lilies had started to bloom early! Some years we have lilies bloom at Easter, but that’s in years when the holiday happens much later.
I hope today’s weather isn’t too crazy in your neighborhood and you are safe and warm (and with power).
A fun and pretty April Fools.
On Thursday, the weather was absolutely bonkers. Will be writing about it today.
I’ll read about it soon!
You tricked me, for sure. I thought the flower was real. And more snow? I hope it doesn’t last. And thanks for the particulars about Crustmas! That sounds like my kind of holiday!
That flower tricked quite a few people. 😉 We got one doozy of a storm. Hope that’s the last snow storm until next winter.
My oh my. Here’s to an end of winter, finally.
I like the idea of Chrustmas 🙂 I hope the snow does not hit too hard tomorrow. We are at the other end of the scale. The weather Gods forecast we will have expected temps between 80-90f (if they can be trusted) . These temps are not the norm.
Gosh that’s hot. Weird weather everywhere. We got blasted by a nor’easter, which knocked power out to half the state. No fun.