Miracles of spring
By Jody Stump/Special to The Malibu Times
I have an old, pot-bound fishtail palm sitting forlorn on a seldom-used terrace. From time to time it droops from neglect and, from time-to-time I feel guilty about its solitary plight. Today, I resolved to bring it into the family fold and give it a place of honor. Plastic saucer in place, a cupboard moved to give it just the right amount of light and two strong men commandeered to move it, we hauled the palm swishing along hallways until I glimpsed a glitch. Something on one of the branches, about the size and color of a dusty golf ball, made me stop and take a closer look. There, in the crook of a twiggy branch, was a perfect felted disk with straight walls and in its center, an almost translucent egg the size and shape of a jellybean. A hummingbird had found her manger in a palm tree.
We put the tree back and said a silent prayer that we had not disturbed the process. The next morning, there was a second egg. Throughout the world, the egg celebrates the miracle of spring’s new life in traditions dating at least to 6,500 BC. Coptic Christians gave golden eggs to their Muslim neighbors and red eggs were part of the Jewish culture.
The traditions have carried on, changing along the way to fit each religion or culture. With Easter approaching, a fun and interesting science exercise for children can be to use natural ingredients.
MALIBU’S BEST
Next month, we begin a series on the “best” at our neighborhood eateries-and the selections are up to you. What dishes are so good you keep coming back for more? Given the abundance of Italian restaurants in town, we’ll start there. So send us an E-mail to malibuwayoflife@aol.com with your favorite menu choices from:
Allegria
Guido’s – did you know they have a wonderful new chef? Check it out.
The Sage Room
Tutto Bene
Our tasting panel will check them out and report our findings with your selections and comments, so make sure we don’t miss the very best Malibu has to offer.