I promise we'll be back to talking about books next week, but, right now, I'm so relieved that spring is theoretically on its way. It's still pretty chilly here in New York. When I was a kid, Easter was a sure sign that better weather was on its way.

The other day at work, we were talking about Easter traditions. Esi asked me if I'd ever heard of Easter Lamb Cake. I had, though it wasn't part of my family's tradition.

Our family "tradition" consisted of us getting up and going to church, while my father grumbled that we were too noisy. Later, we'd get our Easter baskets, which always contained the hollow chocolate bunny. My sisters would cheerfully bite the heads off theirs, but I could never stand to destroy the cute little face. Months later, my mother would quietly toss the now-so-old-it-turned white bunny out of the fridge.

A co-worked told us that her mother used to have her hide carrots for the Easter Bunny on Saturday night. I'd never heard of this before, but the story has kept me charmed for days.

The one thing I'll never understand are Peeps (Warning: there is sound on this site!), but plenty love them. I know someone who preferred them stale--he'd poke a little hole in the box and wait a few days before eating. If someone out there can explain the lure of Peeps--stale of not--please do!