“If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.”
Cue the music. Start the parade. Let the balloons and the confetti fly. We broke a record last night, one which had stood since 1935. The old record was -3˚. The new one is -9˚, but we have some sun, and the temperature has risen to 5˚. Sounds like beach weather to me. Where did I put that sunscreen?
Gracie has also set a new record. She ran out, squatted and ran back to the house in about two minutes. I’m thinking she is the Roger Bannister of canines.
This year I have been remiss. I bought Valentine’s Day cards but forgot to mail them so I’m going to fall back on it’s the thought that counts. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
My friend Tony brought me tulips. He never forgets me on Valentine’s Day.
When I was a kid, we had a Valentine’s Day party every year. The week before the big day we had to bring in a shoe box, and during art for the next couple of days we’d cut and paste and draw to decorate our boxes. The artistic process never changed. First we’d cut a slit at the top of the boxes so the valentines could be dropped inside. Then the sides and tops of the boxes were covered in construction paper. We’d cut the paper to fit then glue the paper to the boxes. I remember we all used LePage’s glue. The bottles were glass and had rubber tops which looked a bit like nipples for baby bottles. There was a slit in the rubber, and the glue used to harden around the opening. I didn’t know it back then but LePage’s was edible. It was really not glue but mucilage made from vegetable oils, and the early stuff from LePage’s was made from fish scales. None of us would ever have been accused of using too little glue. I remember thinking the more glue the better the paper would stick. There was always a huge wet blot anywhere we had pasted. The next day, when the glue was dry, our artistic talents came into play. I think 100% of us drew hearts. Some of us added arrows through the centers of the hearts. The arrows always had feathers at the tops or what stood for feathers given my lack of talent. Once the boxes were finished, they were lined up on the window sills until the big day.
Our party was always at the end of the day. I doubt any of us learned anything that day. Arithmetic paled at the thought of cookies, brownies and valentines. The clock slowly ticked off the minutes. Finally the nun would tell us to put our books away and get our boxes. Row by row we’d walk the aisles dropping valentines into the boxes then we’d eat the treats.
I’d carry home my box filled with valentines so carefully you’d think it was the crown jewels. I’d take off my school clothes, sit at the kitchen table and go through the valentines two or three more times.
I always loved school on Valentine’s Day .
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February 14, 2016 at 1:13 pm
Happy Valentine’s Day! A record cold night all across the North Eastern part of the country. Even New York City went below zero. Today we in North Texas are going to cool down to about 60 degrees under partly cloudy skies. 🙂
I don’t want to bore you again this year describing my dislike for this ridiculous ‘Hallmark’ holiday. Before we invented the Super Bowl or Ground Hog day, the greeting card, candy and florist industries has turned a minor saint day in February into a billion dollar bonanza.
It’s a great day for kids in school to waste valuable classroom time making and exchanging Valentine’s. ‘Yes, you are my special valentine’ each kid writes on every one of the 35 cards he or she made for the class. Doesn’t that make each one of the kids feel special. 🙁
A dozen red roses were about $12 a dozen in the grocery store last weekend and yesterday the same flowers sold for $35 a dozen. Tomorrow is President’s day. I’m glad I have to work because this is another made up holiday. We used to celebrate George Washington’s birthday on the 22nd and Lincoln’s birthday on the 12th. Of course, when I was a kid in the Dallas School District in the 1950s we didn’t celebrate Lincoln’s birthday at all. Sometime in the 1970s the government combined the two birthdays so that federal employees could get another three day weekend. BTW in the South there was no Civil War, it was the War Between the States. Oh, and Southern State’s school history books don’t emphasize the fact that it was fought to free the slaves, instead it was fought over State’s rights. Last week several community leaders are petitioning the School district to change the name of schools named after Confederate generals.
February 14, 2016 at 1:44 pm
Bob,
Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
How will you handle it? Imagine cooling down to 60˚.
I like a day where love is celebrated. It should always be celebrated, but bringing flowers in the dead of a winter is a lovely gift. I got tulips, and they are beautiful.
We never made valentines. We just made the box in art class over the course of a few days so we didn’t waste any class time. The party was maybe an hour but probably less. Kids need breaks sometimes.
I knew it was called the War between the States. I have a minor in history, and we were taught it was states’ rights and slavery intertwined as the reason for secession. The South wanted the Constitution, which protected slavery, to be upheld and the union to be preserved. That wasn’t going to be happen.
February 14, 2016 at 2:15 pm
Bob … it wasn’t the ‘War Between The States’ where I lived – it was the ‘War of Northern Aggression’ …
February 14, 2016 at 2:29 pm
I lived in a big city. 🙂
February 14, 2016 at 1:25 pm
We call this day All Hearts Day. It meant nothing when I was a kid and now days it’s a sort of semi important day, it’s growing though so give it a few years and it’ll be very important. If I’m lucky they’ll lower the chocolate box prices tomorrow because of all unsold chocolate 🙂
We always used (and still do I think) a glue called Bear glue. Totally edible and smells wonderful but seen as a glue rather bad 🙂 Some kids just love eating glue (I’ve never understood that!) so the bear glue was something we all could use and not having any children poisoned 🙂
Happy All Hearts day!!
Christer.
February 14, 2016 at 1:48 pm
Christer,
They’ll lower the price on chocolates in heart boxes. I always buy a few. I like it called All Hearts Day. That way we all can celebrate, even those of us without significant others.
I don’t know why kids eat glue either. Maybe they are missing some vitamin or something like that. They could have eaten LePage’s and been fine.
Have a wonderful All Hearts Day.
February 14, 2016 at 2:11 pm
Woo-hoo! It’s Valentine’s Day … or Victor Delta day, right? We’re currently at 45° with a ‘feels-like’ of 38° … whoopee! It’s cause for (ahem) ‘celebration,’ right? Like that old Wolf Brand Chili commercial used to ask: “How long has it been since you had a thick, rich bowl of Wolf Brand Chili? … Well, that’s too long.” For some arcane and equally obscure reason, my interpretation of that line when played back mentally always included the word ‘Petroleum’ between ‘Brand’ and ‘Chili’ … go figure. Wolf is still my favorite chili-in-a-can.
I haven’t bought Valentines Day cards since my divorce in ’87. I send a few electronically, but that’s about it.
Valentines Day (a) made no sense to me as a kid and (b) scared the whiz outa me when I had to pick a ‘girlfriend’ and create a card for her. Whaaaaa … ? I’m like, eight. Or nine. ‘Girlfriend’ is not in the vocabulary, suckah! Gimme time. I’ll get there. Like the BurmaShave signs on the hiway, I’ve now seen it coming in the distance, read it as it got closer, dismissed it after passing it, and didn’t think about any others farther down the road … which there always were.
LePage’s! Oh Sweet Mucilage of Life! I remember that stuff. Depending on its state of drying, it was either slick as snot or spinny and stretchy like spiderwebbing. I much preferred mucilage to the white glue that resembled (but never tasted like) lard. Don’t ask how I know about the taste.
Construction paper was the bane of my young existence. I could see the finished product in my head, but getting from Point ‘A’ (construction paper, scissors, and mucilage) to Point ‘B’ (finished product of which I am immeasurably proud) was never a reality for me. Rather than attempting a futile 3D construct, I instead reverted to crayon and a flat rendering of hearts or whatever else might fit the theme of Valentines Day …
You had parties? Wow. We didn’t. We had an ‘Exchange of Cards’ which was designed to embarrass the boys and titillate the girls. With few exceptions, the boys in our class usually averted their eyes when given their card and did their best to avoid reading it aloud (O … M … G … ! She said THAT?) Worse was to come when the ‘girl of our dreams’ read aloud the card she’d received. Nonononononooooo … I didn’t write that! The devil made me do it! I copied it from Charlie’s card! Nope. Too late for anything but the cryin’ …
I dimly recall some sort of sweet treats being made available to us … whether it was cookies or brownies or something different is now lost to memory. I usually put whatever cards I received in between the pages of some book and tried to avoid mentioning the whole matter when I got home later that day. Never worked. Mom and my grandmother wanted to see my cards – and they did. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t get out of it. The day after was always better ‘cuz the Day of Valentines was now in the rearview mirror and receding …
On a happier note: The original ‘Star Trek’ is being recreated with a great cast and gen-u-wine ORIGINAL sets made from the original architectural renderings. Grant Imahara, formerly of ‘MythBusters,’ reprises ‘Mister Sulu,’ George Takei’s old role.
Here’s a link to the site if you want a sneak preview. Remember, in the opening of the original, Shatner said the ‘Enterprise’ was on a FIVE-year mission, yet the series was cancelled after just three years. This remake is to provide a bridge between ST, the original, and ST:TNG … from what I can see, it’s a pretty faithful rendering of that intent …
http://startrekcontinues.com/
February 14, 2016 at 2:59 pm
Richard,
I don’t think they sell Wolf chili here or maybe I just didn’t notice. I am particular about my chili and usually make it then freeze portions.
We never had girl or boy friends when we were young. That started in the eighth grade or maybe with the more advanced in the seventh.
I didn’t start using the white glue until I was older. I don’t think it was around until then. I still have some in the house and use it often. I never tried to taste it either!
The other night we tried to do origami for Chinese New Year. I did the first easily and perfectly then it all went downhill. The folds just didn’t go right, and the animals did not resemble the pictures. I would have loved to have crayons instead. I was always a good colorer.
We brought in cookies, always hearts, and brownies and something to drink. The nun would clear her desk, and that was the table. It was never lavish but always fun.
I ran home to show my mother all the cards I’d received. I’m thinking that was one of the differences between girls and boys in elementary school.
I need to see that show before I get excited. I remember when TNG began. I was skeptical, but I liked Picard even better than Kirk. I became a fan of almost every Star Trek. I remember reading that the transporter in TBG had parts from the original.
The captain not only looks like Shatner but even stands the same way and makes the same facial movements. I do take issue with the two piece uniforms the women wear. That wasn’t in any of the films or series.
February 14, 2016 at 3:55 pm
The character of Mr. Spock looks too short and he looks Asian. Leonard Nemoy was taller and Jewish. As for the two piece woman’s costume this is the remaining two years of the voyages and bare midriffs became the uniform of the day in 1968. 🙂
February 14, 2016 at 4:14 pm
Bob,
The uniforms with the gold belts which showed the midriff were from the alternative Enterprise where they were beamed by mistake. They were not the uniforms of the day. One picture of Spock shows him wearing the gold sash and he has a goatee. That was the alternative Enterprise.
February 14, 2016 at 2:33 pm
That’s c-c-c-c-cold! Ice flowers for Valentines Day?
Have a happy cozy Valentines Day!
February 14, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Birgit,
It is so cold poor Gracie runs inside panting. I hate waiting by the door for her, but I want to let her in quickly so I sacrifice my warmth.
February 14, 2016 at 3:52 pm
the reason we left Minnesota is the endless winter. we grilled out this afternoon while I did yard work. I am not quite used to it.
stay warm!!!!!
February 14, 2016 at 4:17 pm
Greg,
I actually grill in the winter as well, but I’m bundled and don’t stay outside. I just periodically check.
I have no memory of weather this cold. I ran out for the papers, and I think that’s all the outside I’ve had. I’m content to look through the window.
50˚ coming on Tuesday!
February 14, 2016 at 6:24 pm
Can’t remember if I’ve shared this song before, but it’s so good, it can’t hurt to listen again. Let it be my way of wishing Kat and the entire KTCC family a Happy Valentine’s Day.
February 14, 2016 at 6:58 pm
im6,
I don’t think you’ve shared this one before. Beautiful! The lyrics are perfect.