Happy Valentine’s Day

We’ve had some gorgeous sunshine on the coast for the last two days, but it’s foggy today and cool-ish — a good day for snuggling up with a Valentine on some cozy, colourful cushions. The photo above is another response to Project Spectrum’s invitation to look at the world with an eye to celebrating its elements: fire for the months of February and March. And of course, love, in its passions and its comforts, keeps us mindful of fire (in its hurts too, but we won’t talk about those on V-Day).
I won’t be cuddling up on these cushions though, as I’m heading off to Vancouver to be with my long-time Valentine. I was going to catch a late ferry after my Pilates class, but I’ve decided to play hooky today and get there in time for dinner.
Meanwhile, I tried to think of what memories to share in a Valentine’s Day post. I have many associations with this day, including many, many of those parties in elementary school, the shoeboxes covered with tissue papers and doilies and sparkles for receiving all those cards we’d cut and coloured and pasted. I also have many memories of lovely romantic surprises from 34 years with a not-particularly-romantic guy who tries hard. But I thought what I’d share is the memory I have of my kids phoning to sing Happy Valentine’s Day to their Poppa with a song they’d learned from Sharon, Lois & Bram:
I love you, a bushel and a peck,
a bushel and a peck and a hug around your neck
A hug around your neck and a barrel and a heap
And a barrel and a heap, and I’m talking in my sleep about you, about you . . .