My apologies for the silence lately, I was at my parents' house where there is no internet (except in my brother's lair, and no one goes there), and that was quite nice.

Here is an icon of the Anastasis, or "Harrowing of Hell," in which Christ descended into hell and rescued Adam and Eve, and the Old Testament patriarchs, from death. He is shown in triumphal glory, seizing the hands of Adam and Eve, our forebears, and raising them from their coffins, from the darkness of death. The cross that he stands on is symbolic of his breaking the doors of hell, of the tomb. There is a sense of fierce joy about this icon, of the door that has been opened for us, showing the way to a new beginning.

Speaking of new beginnings, spring has a distinct smell that makes you want to go outside and do nothing but enjoy nature. It makes me want to walk into the woods and not return for the duration of the warm-weather season.