Easterly

Jonylah Watkins died on a Tuesday. She was with her father, who was sitting in a minivan in Chicago on the night of March 11 when someone opened fire. Doctors worked 17 hours trying to repair what a bullet had done to her body, but to no avail. She died the next morning. Her funeral was about two weeks ago. She was 6 months old. Antonio Santiago was 7 months older when his mother put him in a stroller and took him for a walk in their Brunswick, Ga., neighborhood. Sherry West says they were accosted by two teenagers demanding money.

"When he entered Atlanta, the whole city was all shook up. 'Who is this guy?' they asked. And the crowd replied, 'He is a man of God -- Jesus from Valdosta, Georgia!' " So begins the "Cotton Patch Version" of the Easter story, as told and translated by Clarence Jordan.Mr. Jordan was the South Georgia farmer-scholar-preacher who founded the still-thriving Koinonia Farm Christian community in Sumter County, Ga., nearly 50 years ago. (Koinonia's offshoots include Habitat for Humanity.)In 1963, working from the Greek, Mr. Jordan began to translate the New Testament.

To many people, spring means Easter and that means eggs. Here are some safety tips for those planning to dye Easter eggs:* If you hard-cook eggs that are at least a week old, you will find them easier to peel after they are cooked.* Be sure to refrigerate eggs you plan to dye as much as possible between cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding. Do not eat cracked eggs or ones that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.* If you plan to use the decorated eggs as a decoration and they will be unrefrigerated for several days, cook extra eggs for eating and discard the display eggs.

On December 17, 2003; SAMUEL, beloved husband of Florence; two daughters; other relatives and friends. Visitation on Friday at the Joseph L. Russ Funeral Home, 2222 W. North Avenue from 3 to 8 PM. Services on Saturday at St. James Free Baptist Church, 3916 Old York Road. Wake 10:30 AM, Funeral to follow at 11 AM. Interment King Memorial Park.

On June 9, 2005, DORIS B., devoted wife of Leonard Easter. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Thursday after 8:30 A.M. Family will receive friends on Friday at the Ames Memorial United Methodist Church, 615 Baker Street at 10:30 A.M., followed by Funeral Service at 11 A.M. See: www.marchfh.com

Happy Easter! With the holiday right around the corner, events especially for children and those for the whole family are being held in all of our neighborhoods.* The Arundel Improvement Association will sponsor an Easter egg hunt (for children up to the age of 11) from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the AIA Hall, 705 Cross St. Children will be grouped according to age to hunt for eggs. Volunteers are needed to help supervise the hunt and offer donations of cupcakes.For information, call 789-2192.

The First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3604 Chatham Road, Ellicott City, offers Lenten Worship at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, this week and March 18 and 25, and April 1 and 8. The youth will serve a light supper of regional cuisine at 6:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Center. A freewill offering will be collected to cover food. A Service of Word and Sacrament is planned at 7:30 p.m. April 9, Maundy Thursday. Good Friday Services are planned at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Easter Sunday Services of Word and Sacrament will be at 7 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. April 12. The 2,100-member congregation is at Chatham and Frederick roads.

Even trendy cooks prefer to serve traditional foods on holidays such as Easter. Let's face it, sun-dried tomatoes, shiitakes and arugala might be fine for a special Saturday night dinner, but Easter wouldn't be the same without the perennial favorite meat -- ham -- and the symbol of new life -- eggs.For this 1991 Easter brunch, I offer you ham in two guises: chopped in a crustless quiche and thinly sliced and glazed in rosettes. If you are a fashion-conscious cook (probably one wearing shoulder pads and skirts above the knees)