News of the Week: Easter Egg Hunts, Space Trips, and the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Egg Substitutes

I don’t eat eggs that much, but I hear they’re expensive.

That means everyone is probably cutting down on their omelets, eggs Benedict, and disgusting breakfast drinks. But what about Easter? What are kids going to color for Easter?

According to a study at WalletHub, 47 percent of families are going to do without dyeing eggs this year. The survey also says that 2 out of 5 Americans expect that egg prices and tariffs will affect their Easter spending in general.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard that people actually have “Easter spending.” It’s amazing how much the price of Easter trees have gone up.

So what can kids do instead? Well, parents can buy those plastic eggs that already come colored, but there’s no fun in that. Maybe kids can decorate something that isn’t an egg at all. Jet-Puffed marshmallows (my favorite marshmallows) are selling dye kits for only two dollars. Why decorate an egg when you can decorate a marshmallow?

The kit is described as “festive” and “mess-free.” When I was a kid we decorated eggs using the Paas easter egg dyeing kit (which is still around). I still remember the wire holder you’d use to dip the eggs. That wasn’t mess-free.

We also decorated eggs using the plastic bag from Wonder Bread. It has blue and red dots on it.

In that same survey, 41 percent say that kids should get cash as gifts for Easter and not candy. I agree with this, and not just for kids.

I’m Never Going Into Space

Show of hands: How many of you are sick of hearing about rich and famous people going into “space?”

I am, and I put “space” in quotation marks because they’re sending a group of celebrities into what can only be called the loosest, technical definition of “space,” as they did this week with Gayle King, Katy Perry, and others.

I once had a twenty-minute layover in Chicago during a trip to Hawaii. Does that mean I’ve been to Chicago?

It’s also very expensive. It’s $150,000 just for the down payment for this eleven-minute trip, which means you and I are never going to do it. I used to dream about going into space (no quotation marks, because I mean further into space), but now I’ll just have to be happy with my memories of Star Trek reruns and science fiction magazines like Analog, with their covers of rocket ships. Maybe regular trips to the moon and using jet packs to get to work will be something our great-grandchildren do.

We’ll just have to be happy with tech innovations like artificial intelligence, refrigerators that connect to the internet, and stuffed-crust pizza.

I Hope the “You’ve Got Mail” Voice is in the Registry Too

This year’s list of music added to the National Recording Registry – music from Elton John, Chicago, Roy Rogers, Miles Davis, the Hamilton soundtrack, the radio broadcast of the 1960 World Series – also includes something from Microsoft.

No, Bill Gates didn’t play bass on “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (not that I know of, anyway), but the reboot chime for Microsoft Windows has been deemed important enough to be honored.

It was created by Brian Eno!

The History of the 401(k) in Four-and-a-Half Minutes

When I woke up on Sunday morning, I really didn’t imagine I’d be interested in learning about the history of corporations contributing to the retirement accounts of workers. But I was! And you might be too.

Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning

RIP Wink Martindale, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jean Marsh, Peter Lovesey, Lenny Welch, Don Mischer, Brad Holland, and Joey D. Vieira

Wink Martindale was a game show host, disc jockey, singer, and actor. Over a seven-decade career, he hosted such shows as Tic-Tac-Dough, Gambit, Words and Music, High Rollers, Trivial Pursuit, and Headline Chasers. He died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Mario Vargas Llosa was an acclaimed Peruvian novelist. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010. He died Sunday at the age of 89.

Jean Marsh co-created and acted in the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs and appeared in Doctor Who, 9 to 5, and The Twilight Zone, as well as in films like Cleopatra, Frenzy, and The Eagle Has Landed. She died last week at the age of 90.

Peter Lovesey was a popular British author of detective and historical novels, including the Sergeant Cribb series and Peter Diamond series. He died last week at the age of 88.

Lenny Welch had a hit with the beautiful “Since I Fell for You” in 1963. He also sang the theme song to the TV drama Coronet Blue. He died last week at the age of 84.

Uploaded to YouTube by Lenny Welch – Topic

Don Mischer won several Emmys for directing and producing dozens of TV shows and specials, including Super Bowl halftime shows with Michael Jackson and Prince, Olympic opening ceremonies, Kennedy Center Honors, Barbara Walters specials, and the Oscars and Emmys. He died last week at the age of 85.

Brad Holland was an artist whose innovative work appeared in alternative magazines. He was also a major contributor to Playboy, Time, and The New York Times. He also did corporate work, book covers, and even drew the famous cover for Stevie Ray Vaughan’s first album. He died last month at the age of 81.

Joey D. Vieira played Porky on Lassie and as an adult had roles in such films as The Patriot, Nebraska, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He died last week at the age of 80.

This Week in History

Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand Oscar Tie (April 14, 1969)

They both won an Oscar for Best Actress at the 41st annual ceremony. It’s one of only six times in Oscar history there has been a tie.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (April 18, 1775)

It’s the 250th anniversary, and everything you think you know about it is probably wrong.

Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Boston

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Wilson’s Ham and Bacon (April 14, 1962)

How did ham become our go-to dinner for Easter? Better Homes & Gardens has the answer.

Easter Dinner

I’m going to assume that, since Easter is only a couple of days away, you already have the main course set. You have your ham, your turkey, your…lasagna? So let’s focus on the other parts of the meal, like the sides and desserts.

Smitten Kitchen has Crispy Crumbled Potatoes, while Delish has Creamed Brussels Sprouts (which you are free to make and eat but I don’t want any). Good Housekeeping has a recipe for Glazed Green Beans, Curtis Stone has a Grilled Corn Salad, and Tyler Florence has Roasted Asparagus.

For dessert, let’s go back to Smitten Kitchen again, for her Carrot Graham Layer Cake. And The Pioneer Woman has Easter Bark, which is sort of like Peppermint Bark only more colorful.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Patriots’ Day (April 21)

This holiday should not be confused with Patriot Day (September 11), Patriots Day (a Mark Wahlberg movie), or the New England Patriots (a football team).

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day (April 24)

This day is a lot easier if you work from home.