I'm not a big fan of Valentine's day, which was last Saturday.  As far as I'm concerned, it's a fake holiday, like Mother's Day or Father's Day.  Just another cog in the Military/Industrial/Retail complex.  I refuse to be sucked in.

I demand that around here, every day is Mother's day and Father's day.  The kids don't have to give us cards but they'd better behave themselves and do as they're told.  For the most part, they do.

Every day is valentine's day around here.  Always has been.  I have about as much use for jewelry as a dog has for a pogo stick, but Jay brings me flowers whenever he has a few bucks in his pocket and happens upon some blooms for sale.  I buy him chocolates whenever I feel like sharing my stash.  Hey, I share with him whenever he asks.  I do too!  Well, except for my Easter bunny.  I told him before we were married that I would share everything I had or ever would have with him but the 6oz of premium solid milk chocolate that came in the basket every year was off limits, don't even ask and don't even think about touching.  He was okay with that.  Since then, Fanny Farmer bunnies are no longer available around here and although Dove bunnies are good, I don't mind sharing.  Although why he needs mine is beyond me; I always get him his own.  He usually doesn't even open it and around here the rule is; "If it's been a week, it's anybody's" and by "anybody's" I mean "Mine".

Where was I?  Oh, yes; so flowers and chocolates aren't an issue around here.  Far better than some silly token of affection that he only thought of because every other ad on tv and radio nagged him into buying are things like taking my car in to be serviced or getting the oil changed, making me dinner, being a great father to my kids, doing the laundry occasionally, taking a pile of stuff to the dry cleaners, letting me drive the limo, taking Josie to school whenever he can...

I could go on for paragraphs but I won't.  The point is simply this; we're nice to each other every day.  It pays off.

That said, Jay did, in fact, leave nice cards for us all over the kitchen before he left for the gym on Saturday morning.  He's such a romantic, he loves the opportunity to be sappy.  Not too sappy.  There were no poems.

I think the thing I hate about V-day is the advertising.  To listen to the ads, you'd think the day was "Appease the Grasping Bitch" day.  Every single ad was aimed at HIM spending tons of money on HER.  Or he would be IN BIG TROUBLE.  I heard no ads suggesting that women had any responsibility for keeping the romance alive, at all.  Like there's something inherently lovable about being a female.  I really doubt it.  While Jay's making me dinner and doing nice stuff for me, I'm usually folding his laundry and cleaning the bathroom and doing nice stuff for him, too.  Remember; we're nice to each other every day.  It pays off.


Far more important than last Saturday, the 14th, was Sunday the 15th; my Mom's birthday.  We all got together out at Mom and Dad's house and cooked dinner.  I brought the cake; white cake with burnt almond frosting.  Yes, you heard me; burnt almond frosting.  It's exactly what it sounds like and it's her favorite.  I don't know if my grandmother made up the recipe but I wouldn't be surprised if she did.  I've never met anyone else who has ever heard of it much less eaten it.  It's not for everyone; I've had grown ups actually scrape their tongues in horror at the first bite.  It's definitely an acquired taste, but almost all the members of my family have acquired it.  In fact, like my Mom, those of us who can stand it at all LOVELOVELOVE IT.

Jay is one of the first people I know who loved it immediately.  In fact, the first year we were married Jay ate all the frosting off the cake I baked him.  I get the chocolate bunnies, he gets the burnt almond frosting.  we make it work.

It was fun to celebrate Mom's birthday. Last year she wouldn't let us.  She and Dad bought themselves lobsters at Costco and told the rest of us to stay away and keep our paws off their sea food.  They probably sat in the hot tub and fed each other lobster with their bare fingers.  Gross.  This year there were way too many of us around for them to engage in that sort of hanky panky.

Monday was President's day.  Yet another "holiday" I can't get on board with.  I mean, come on!  Washington gave us a nation and Lincoln preserved it and freed the slaves, of course I'll celebrate their birthdays, but President's Day????  I refuse to honor Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon and Herbert Hoover just because they were the less stinky guy the year they got elected.  I'd rather go to work, thank you very much.

Josie's been running a low grade fever since Monday morning.  She tried going to school today but couldn't hack it.  she did pick up her homework and the study guide for The Killer Angels.  She needs to read a few more chapters to catch up to me.

Over the weekend, Jay's team clinched the southern division championship, so the last two games of the season are meaningless.  Next week the tournament starts.  We always get March Madness a little early around here.

The only other exciting news around here is that we marinated some pork chops in Famous Dave's pork marinade and they were the best chops we've ever had.

I thought you'd like to know.

 

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