Jon's Jottings: Only a few have witnessed Easter so early

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If you get the feeling that Easter is early this year, you’re right.

And if you think it hasn’t been this early before in your lifetime, you’re probably correct. And if you don’t think you’ll ever see Easter this early again in your lifetime, that’s true too.

Next Sunday, March 23, is the earliest Easter in a long stretch, and only a few people living were around for the last one, in 1913. The next time for a March 23 Easter is 2228, or 220 years from now.

It isn’t, however, the earliest date that can host Easter Sunday. It can fall on March 22, but the last time that happened was 1818 and the next time will be 2285.

We’re pretty sure nobody will catch both of those in one lifetime.

However, my grandmother, Ruth Kelly, was around for the last March 23 Easter.

In fact, this one will be her 109th Easter Sunday in all.

She was born in the late 19th century and is pushing a good piece into the 21st century. She is really quite amazing and the pride of the northern Iowa nursing home where she lives.

If she makes it to her 110th birthday in September, and we stopped betting against her when she turned 100, she will become a member of a special group called Super Centenarians. Grandma currently is tied for fifth oldest Iowan with three other women, according to the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs.

She has seen most all the great scientific, technical and industrial advances in her day — from the horse and buggy to the automobile; stage plays to moving pictures, radio broadcasts to television productions; Charles Lindbergh’s first flight across the Atlantic in 1927 and Neil Armstrong’s first step on the moon in 1969 and all the aeronautical development in between.

I remember a number of Easter dinners at my grandmother’s house. The family was a lot bigger 40 years ago and packed round the maple dinner table in the southern Minnesota town she and my grandfather lived during my formative years.

I can remember the aroma of the Easter ham, basted and nestled in a graniteware roasting pan. The smell wafted out of the overheated kitchen and built up until it was so intense you couldn’t wait for summons to the table.

There have been a lot of technological advances in the culinary arts in the three centuries my grandmother has lived, but I think none could improve on the taste of the ham that came out of that old roaster from the hand of a woman with many years’ experience at the stove.

So enjoy the early Easter. It won’t happen again while we walk the earth. And Happy Second Early Easter to you, Grandma, the first one since you were a teenager 95 years ago.

Tags: opinion, echternacht, easter