Chocolate Hares and Pysanky!.

 If there is one thing Hopalongs, Fuzzyfoots and Bunwinkies love.... it is CHOCOLATE!

 Especially when it comes in interesting shapes and sizes...and what shape, does a bunny love best? Why a rabbit shape of course.

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 Lets make chocolate bunnies! Oh,I know you can BUY chocolate bunnies in the stores... but they don't look like this.....

I chose my smallest antique chocolate molds, because this calls for a LOT of chocolate!

Actually, I used 3 times more than this... I had to raid the Lord of the Manors chocolate stash. I prefer Dove dark chocolate, but the lord is a Hershey's man.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler,

 Spoon the melted chocolate into the molds,  set them upside down in a bowl and pop in the fridge.

  The best part is removing the rabbits from the molds.. the bunnies and I get to eat all the little extra bits and pieces. 

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 If you do not have the metal chocolate molds, there are companies online selling hard plastic molds of antique designs. I have a few of these also which came from an online company called  " bittersweethouse.com"  

  Yummy!

 I used the plastic mold to make the biggest bun,

and learned a lesson about re-melting chocolate...it doesn't work so well.

In fact, it turns into fudge and has to be "smeared" into the mold.

 Now what is prettiest when presented along with chocolate bunnies?

 PYSANKY EGGS!

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This is an artform I have always wanted to try, but never had the time...someday I will.

 These wonderful eggs were NOT created by me, simply collected.

The artist is Dee Dee Beavers and she designs the most wonderful, whimsical  Pysanky. I buy one every time I see her at an art show... aren't these marvelous?

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These eggs are hand dyed by Dee Dee using an ancient  traditional Ukrainian method of batik known as "pysanky". All the egg shells come from her flock of Chickens, one of whom I have met... she was sitting in Dee Dees lap most contentedly  at a craft festival, and was a well mannered and charming hen.

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 These are just plain sweet!

Visit Dee Dees website at happyhenspysanky.com if you would like to see more of her charming work.

 These little rabbits were made by pouring beeswax into the chocolate molds.

 Now, the Fuzzyfoots and Bunwinkies will pass these chocolates through out the Hollow and everyone will have a very SWEET EASTER.

If you want to make the above "silhouetted" and dyed eggs, check out my post from last EASTER, 

http://hopalonghollowgazette.blogspot.com/2010/04/bunwinkies-and-hopalongs.html

these are great fun to make! 

 Please have a pleasant Easter, it is, in my opinion the most special, of all holidays.

Bunwinkies and Hopalongs

Hopalongs and Bunwinkies are preparing for Easter.

They were very fortunate when looking for eggs.to decorate. Why, they simply found eggs everywhere!

Behind the rake in the potting shed..

 inside the old cupboard in the barn..

 even on the mistress's porch.. behind the dog house... silly chickens!
Hmmm, she was reluctant to give up her eggs.... best NOT to disturb Mavis. She is a serious sitter.

 Now all the hops will have a lotta fun creating lovely, artistic masterpieces on their newly found eggs!

 They have decided to take tiny papercuttings like these,

and pretty little leaves and ferns. like these

and place them atop the eggs...

wrap them with pieces of nylon stocking.... (they kinda -sorta got this from the mistress), bunnies don't wear nylon hose, just red and white striped stockings.

 Then the wrapped eggs were secured with string and SIMMERED SLOWLY atop their little cook stove....for 3 hours.

Next they remove the eggs and the wrappings, carefully peeled of the tiny papercuttings and WAHLA! 

 They used onion skins for deep reddish orange eggs.

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and moss and spinach for deep green eggs,

and blue dye for blue eggs.

Look how lovely they are!

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 The buns are quite delighted with the results....  These eggs will last for many years because, well, after simmering for SO LONG, they are like rubber inside. Best NOT to eat them, ick!

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Now they have pretty eggs to hide all over the Hollow! 

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And maybe they'll just replace some of the eggs they took in the first place....

They are having a jolly good time.... 

Hip, hip hooray! And Easter Joy to you!

A Lovely day....

 

Rabbits, make haste!

Do not delay,

We mustn't waste this glorious day!

Do not linger by the gate...

 

Hurry, scurry, don't be late!

 

Just hop up the path,

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and tap on the door,

The Bunwinkie tea party starts at 4!

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A windfall of Iris and another stone wall

When my friend Angie offered me anything I wanted from the garden on the property she's selling, I never dreamed I'd be digging up over 700 Bearded Iris rhizomes...really good ones!

We've been busy burying these EVERYWHERE!

 

here,

and here,

and all around Pippity Squeekys cunning stone cottage.

My knees hurt...

but Fuzzyfoot gardeners don't have knees, they can dig all day.

We  still have to plant this load, but I'm running out of steam...

BECAUSE....

Did I mention.... that my friend also offered me all the stones on the property?

Enough to build this 23 foot stone wall!

Ouch, my back hurts.

Fuzzyfoot gardeners don't lift heavy stones.

And roosters don't either.

They do, however, use stonewalls as an attractive backdrop to strut their stuff.

I can hardly wait till next May when all those glorious Iris are blooming against that wall.

Thankyou Angie,

And thankyou Fuzzyfoot gardeners!