Pysanky Time, Building Up Song, Pineapple Salsa

It's important to start with fresh dye each year.

 These are the tools used to make the pysanky eggs, beeswax and kitskas.

Each line is drawn with beeswax wax melted in the kitska over a candle flame. The egg is then dipped in dye. Then the next layer of wax is drawn and the egg is dipped into the next color of dye and so on.

A straight line means a steady hand and an even flow of wax.

1. I ordered new packages of egg dye this year, and then lost them somewhere in the kitchen for a week. I finally found them and today we dumped the old batch and mixed the new! Tess was the only one with time to make a design today, but I loved smelling the melted beeswax while she drew.
2. There are more varieties of birds singing these mornings. Winter only heard the lonely "Caw!" of a blackbird or the echo of a woodpecker knocking in the woods. These new melodies are a lighter sing-song, shared among many birds.
3. I made this pineapple-mango salsa for lunch. The sweet fruitiness is a delicious contrast on salty tortilla chips. It's bright color matched the sunshine today.

Dice one pineapple, one mango, and half a red onion. Add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (sorry if you think it tastes like soap), salt to taste and the juice of one lime. Mix and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. *If you like hotness, you may add a jalapeño, seeded and chopped.