Easter 2026 in Livermore

Easter Pasts
I remember spending hours making coordinated clothes for the kids and even a matching matching dress for myself. I was very active in the church choir, spending evenings and afternoons in the numerous rehearsals for Holy Week, not to mention the special, lengthy, ceremonies themselves on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Frank and I would write clues for treasure hunts for the kids to locate hidden gifts. Wherever did I find the time and the energy? This Easter was much more laid back. Maybe it was not as religious but isn't Sunday supposed to be a day of rest?

Easter Present
Frank and I usually spend our Sundays with Alex, so I am trying to arrange for us to do something fun, just the two of us, on Saturdays. I signed us up to take a class at our local Alden Lane Nursery on the Saturday before Easter. The original sign up link advertised the class as 2-4 pm. I prepped us beforehand, making sure we both had water bottles and gloves and a hat for shade, anticipating two hours, sweating away outdoors. 

First the class was indoors at tables. Second the mini-pots were 2" in size, a data point in the ad I had overlooked. I can't find the original ad so it is even possible the 2" detail qualifying the "mini" was not there.  Frank and I had a good laugh. I think the entire creation took us 20 minutes or less. We glued the pom pom on his butt and glued his feet on the butt below the tail. We were provided paint brushes and pink paint to dot on for soles and toes. My bunny feet sported four toes each paw, just like the instructions. We put the plant in the pot, added dirt and moss, then topped it off with the bunny butt and chocolate eggs. I finished mine before Frank finished his. 

Upon researching when reaching home, I learned four toes is the realistic print for real bunnies but that Easter bunny paw prints have three toes. Do not take this observation too seriously. I found this ad on Amazon with a glaring — well, somewhat glaring — opposing discrepancy.

Frank worked meticulously and even added his own creative details, like cotton balls growing in the tree. Frank's bunny had five toes in his paw print. Does that make for a faster getaway?

I had decorated the hearth with bunnies from Alex's room but had not fetched my other decorations from the attic. On the couch was Alex's bunny quilt, a gift from Robin and Jeremy in Oklahoma.

The dining table had a bunny tablecloth. Yes, it is round and the table is rectangular but I could not pass up such a cute print. A closeup of two ceramic items are worthy of note. The Easter egg was painted by my sister Maxine in 1972. It holds Hershey Kisses or Jelly Beans every year. The lamb on the right is the florist's container that held a bouquet of flowers congratulating us on Robin's birth in 1980. It also comes out every Easter.

On Easter Sunday we spent a quiet day at home with Alex doing jigsaw puzzles, Connect Four, watching Disney VHS tapes and overdosing on chocolate. We had a ham and pierogi dinner. Alex enjoyed his new Connect Four, puzzles, and his iPad movies concurrent with his VHS Disney tapes. He chowed down on the ham and pierogis, too!

To top off the day was a FaceTime call from Robin, Jeremy, Autumn, and Isaiah. They are holding four bunnies I had custom embroidered for each family member on a bunnies ear. I'd sent a custom-embroidered bunny clan of six to Dan and his Colorado family as well. Wow — ten in one year! Bunnies really do multiply!

New Livermore "Hot" Spot

Livermore has a new place to chill outdoors and enjoy a tall, soft-serve ice cream cone. The nostalgic part about this announcement is that the location is in what used to be the Bank of the West building on the corner of Second Street and South Livermore Avenue. Frank and I had banked here since our arrival in Livermore in 1976. The building, which is diagonally across from the Livermore Post Office, is now the site of the Meadowlark Dairy - Livermore.

Friday afternoon, April 3rd, after a visit to our tax service to complete that annual ritual, we stopped to get a soft-serve cone and check out the Meadowlark Dairy. A silhouette of a cow wearing shades greeted us at the entrance. Frank ordered a large coffee cone and I ordered a medium chocolate cone. Both were very generously sized. I struggled, but managed to finish all of mine, but Frank had to forgo the last bit of his. Next time we will wisely order a medium and a small. There will be a next time. The ice cream was very good and the prices quite reasonable.

To the left as you enter are freezer cases with an extensive array of grocery goods for purchase. While waiting in the serpentine line in front of the glass refrigerator doors, we enjoyed the murals on the far right wall.

Here is Frank gazing through the exit door just before our departure. Our outing (after the taxes... groan) made for a fun informal date. We sat a a small table on the side as we licked our cones and watched the local folk of Livermore pass by. Loard's is still our favorite place for sundaes with its indoor pink and white decor, but Meadowlark Dairy certainly merits a return visit for taste and ambience and al fresco dining pleasure.