Love in the air and stuff

Valentine's week is upon us. We're supposed to think about Love. I've been doing that a lot lately. Actually I think about Love all the time. Valentine's Day just gives an excuse for chocolates, dinners and flowers. Sometimes it's a bottle of musk cologne along with a card, signed "Love Bill --- at home, Feb. 14, 2007." Haven't gotten that one yet, but we've already started eating the chocolates and smelling the posies.

We went on an early Valentine's Dinner run last night to Slate's where we dined with my two sisters and mother. Gifts were exchanged, including a pretty cross for my mother who says she's never had a cross necklace until the one that came in her recent catalog order. According to Laurie, the giant cross hung around her neck Saturday night while she watched the Zags.

Mother says it's humongous, one that ought to be hanging around a priest's neck instead of hers. I guess it did its job, though, cuz the Zags won. Well, anyway, its size has been such a topic of discussion that my sisters went to the department store north of town (that would be Wal-Mart) looked under the glass and found her a dainty little cross, which she'll probably wear during tonight's Zags game. I'm sure she'll talk to Lasean about which priest ought to have the catalog cross.

The gifts at dinner also included chocolate samplers and some sweet-smelling roses. Barbara and Laurie gave the Love's the yellow roses, which are now sitting in the garden window amongst those fast-popping zinnias and the slowly rising marigolds. One box of samplers, I'm betting, is almost empty down there on the kitchen island as I type, cuz Bill and I pigged out while watching "60 Minutes" last night---three apiece. I'm sure another assortment went with his lunch.

So, with all this hoopla about love this week, I've been thinking about some of my current love-hate passions. Let's start with hate.

I hate

• Hidden boot dribble on the kitchen floor whenever I'm wearing just socks.
  
• hoses when they kink 30 feet away or grab hold of any obstruction within miles while being dragged across the yard
• telemarketers
• trains blocking crossings---haven't had to hate those for several months now
• people who honk behind me in right lanes when the light hasn't turned green; I'm sure they hate me when I finally take off and maintain a speed of 5-10 mph.
• the downtown post office interrogations
• having to wash and dry my hair and getting dressed for the day in general
• the new movie called Flicka; oh so bad, what's with making bad horse movies anyway?
  

I love

• being dressed and ready for that first cup of coffee and early morning Internet time
• Opening the barn door and saying good morning to the horse herd.
  
• the second cup of coffee and the morning paper
• shoveling horse apples and listening to NPR--even if I do hate some of what I hear.
• watching the Zags any time and the last two minutes of any close basketball game.
• getting together with my sisters and mother at Slates on Sundays. Good food, good service and good visiting with no stress. I used to hate Sunday nights, but retirement does wonderful things for Sundays.
• hearing from my kids
• hearing from friends and former students
• knowing I've written something that touches someone else in a positive way
• Friday night dining out with Bill and seeing familiar faces downtown.
  
• Going through Co-Op, especially with my dog. It's my favorite store in town.
  
• All my animals; today Licker Cat and I had a nice Love affair as she hitched a ride on my shoulder and purred lovingly all the way to the paperbox and back.
  
• Yelling "Carrots" and having three horses stop what they're doing and come running. Lily's learning to display better manners and wait her turn for the daily treat.
• Almost every moment spent at our new Lovestead.
  

That's enough for now. We've got a whole week's worth of Love to talk about, and, of course, we'll always find what we hate without even looking for it.

May you love more than you hate this week. That's a nice goal. Have a good day.