Heart Happy

Today is one of Hallmark's favorite days of the year.  My husband pointed that out to me many years ago when he reminded me that Valentine's Day is yet another day of conspicuous consumption fueled by heavy advertising. It was the '70s and lots of us were suspicious of campaigning and advertising.  It was probably just his excuse for forgetting to buy me a large heart shaped box full of candy. In the years to follow, I faithfully gave him a card and often accompanied it with an appropriate gift. I never gave up hope that maybe he'd surprise with a heartfelt card.  As the years went by, he sometimes gave me the kind of card that you'd find in the "funny valentine" section of the card rack.  But this year he came through with a lovely card along with a gift certificate to my favorite nail spa.  

I remember the first Valentine I ever made.  I put so much school paste on it to adhere the red crepe paper to the edge of the big poster board heart that it just all mooshed together pretty much ruining the fluffy edge into a gooey mess.  I was so proud of it even though it took days for it to dry.

Another homemade card I really liked was the one I made for my husband.  It is tastefully done with not too many gushy wording and only the slightest bit decorated.  It does have a polka dot bow on it, though.  I just couldn't resist that part. I love this card.  I've given it to him for the sixth year in a row and he has yet to notice.  For some oddball reason, that makes me very happy and I look forward to giving it to him every year.  Maybe next year will be the year that he notices.  But the question is:  Would I notice if he gave me the same card every year????

By the Sea

We spent the first four days of this week at Seaside with two other couples.  The weather was a tosspot of wind, rain, stronger wind, more rain and louder wind.  Our fourth floor view gave us plenty of opportunity to study the weather and some strange green lights that we saw on the beach one night.  What the heck were those, we all wondered.  Alien beach beings? A new type of ocean critter that comes ashore at night to glow in the waves? Maybe a new kind of metal detecting activity? Finally, late that night Greg noticed the green lights leaving the beach and heading back toward the Promenade on one of the paths through the grass.  We all huddled together at the window trying to see what was happening.  All we could see were two human figures who eventually hopped the barrier from the sand onto the walkway and then disappear into the darkness. I guess we'll never know what they were up to.

We stuck to the warmth of our hotel rather than venture down to the beach but did get out to eat some dinners here and there along Broadway. We window shopped at the stores that remain open during this slow time of the year and spent lots of time looking for a place to buy chocolate to satisfy someone's craving (gee, I wonder whose) and ended up at the Arcade.  This is where one of the highlights of our trip occurred.  We rode the bumper cars!  We laughed just the way we did when we kids but what we laughed at the most was the act of getting ourselves into the cars.  I would liken the sight to trying to load elephants into bathtubs.  You can actually get them into the tubs, but how do you get them out?  That was the cause for even more laughter at the end of our ride. Seaside is just as much fun as it ever was.