Valentine - February 14, 2013

As published in the White River Current on Thursday February 14, 2013

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!  February 14^th is traditionally one of the biggest business days in the US economy.  We used to sell several dozen heart shaped boxes of chocolates at the drug store every year, much of it in the final two hours of the business day.  We also sold penny valentines and cellophane packages of 24 or so of heart shaped cards that bore the inscription “Be My Valentine.”  Add to that the regular large cards and it made for a good day, business wise.  In later years, balloons were the thing and we would go through a tank or two of helium and kept the road hot with deliveries to the school.  Valentine’s day was about the only bright spot in a month that was noted for cold weather and influenza.  We kept at the store filling prescriptions for all these sick people.  Probably the busiest day in my memory occurred on February 13, 1985.  Brenda, who was very much pregnant, had to leave the store at about 2:00 P.M. for a doctor appointment, promising to return in a “few minutes.”  The call from the hospital came about an hour later.  She wouldn’t be back and they were admitting her because the baby was on the way.  What nerve!  Leaving her dad to fend for himself with a store full of grumpy patients.  I was never fast, always slow and deliberate, but I worked my way through all the orders, finally getting the last patient out at about 5:00 PM.  At about that time, a nurse from the convalescent home came in with several pages of orders for the residents, most of whom had the crud that had spread through that facility.  I closed and locked the front door and went to work, finishing up at about 8:30 P.M.  To add insult to injury, Ross made his entrance into the world at about 11:45 P.M.  I was sure we were going to have a valentine grandson, but it wasn’t to be.  I was mad at Brenda for a long time for going off and leaving me, but I finally got over it.  Speaking of valentine birthdays, a happy one to Cinda & Linda.  Steve & great-grand Molly have birthdays the 16^th.  He will do his usual routine and pooch out his lips and pout that all the attention is going to Molly.  He even bought himself a tee-shirt that read “It’s my birthday, too.”  My dad used to do the same thing because he was born on December 24^th when everyone was focused on Christmas presents.  Look up the origin of President’s Day and check out the action of Congress on the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill of 1968.  Disgusting!  I probably should be nicer to February because my mother was born on the 24^th, also that the CP Church was created on February 4^th as I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.  Maybe February is not so bad after all.  It certainly hasn’t been bad this year.  Several days in the 60’s and low 70’s.  Daffodils are in bloom and trees are beginning to bud, an indication that Spring is just around the corner.  But this is the time to sing love songs.  The great songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart wrote a beautiful ballad in 1937 entitled “My Funny Valentine” that was a part of the Broadway musical, “Babes In Arms.”  Recorded by many performers, the lyrics go like this:  My funny Valentine, Sweet comic Valentine, You make me smile with my heart.  Your looks are laughable, Unphotographable, Yet, you’re my favorite work of art.  Is your figure less than Greek; Is your mouth a little weak, when you open it to speak are you smart?  But don’t change a hair for me, Not if you care for me, Stay, little Valentine, Stay!  Each day is Valentine’s day.   A lot of super love songs were written in the 30’s and 40’s.  The favorite of Anita and I  is Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “Night and Day.”  This song was written by prolific writer Cole Porter who penned both the music and the lyrics to his productions.  And there were many other outstanding expressions of love that were put to music several decades ago such as the one that I played at the wedding of Ben & Crystal back in early January:  If you were the only girl in the world and I were the only boy, nothing else would matter in the world today, we could go on loving in the same old way.  A Garden of Eden just made for two, with nothing to mar our joy.  I would say such wonderful things to you, there would be such wonderful things to do, if you were the only girl in the world and I were the only boy.  Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.  I love you.  Just humming the old songs and remembering I have to run down to the drug store and pick up a box of sugar-free chocolates.  So long from the Queen City.  This is Reed saying bye for now.