Valentines Through the Years

When I was little Valentine’s Day was dominated by the shoe boxes we decorated to be the “mailboxes” our classmates put our tiny valentine cards into. You always brought a card for everyone in the class, no questions asked. Somewhere in the late sixties people started attaching lollipops or candy hearts to the cards, but nothing significant.

I still remember one card I got in fourth grade from Curtis Zelbisher. Since my last name was Carter and he was particularly found of Carter’s rubber cement he wrote on my valentine, in his practically illegible hand writing, “I want to stick with you.” Perhaps there was a schemer of rubber cement on the envelope.

In college one of the sororities sold carnations. They came in different colors, which had different meanings. People would fill out a little note and it was attached to the carnation with a string. I can’t remember exactly how they were delivered, but I do remember loving reading all the notes that came on all the different flowers, mostly from friends. One year I had a number of red carnations with just question marks on the notes. The red ones I think meant love, not the color I usually got many of. I never knew who sent those flowers. The person never revealed himself to me.

There were the years in Washington, DC where I was often catering someone else’s romantic Valentine’s Day. I had more than a couple of clients who liked to pretend they had cooked so I had to deliver food and put it in their pans. One man didn’t even have a two matching plates and two matching forks. I wonder what happened there?

When Russ and I were first engaged he gave me a camera lens for a camera I hated. He spent years trying to live that down. And did.

Now I am happy with the sweet cards he writes me. He always beats me with the first card of the day and more than one card to my singular card. Thankfully no rubber cement is included and it is so nice to know who my valentine is.

Happy Valentines Day to you all.